I just want to say, at the outset, I thank Senator Chambliss for his legislative proposal, which I have supported, on Reserve retirement credit.

Requiring beneficiaries to pay more to be able to speak to a pharmacist about how to properly take their medication... is, I believe, inappropriate.

I want to thank each of the Services for the great work you're doing on these issues.

Clearly, transparency is paramount, but through transparency, if it is unbalanced, that is, if it is only Massachusetts that stands alone, then device manufacturers tend to move elsewhere.

If there was some way to reach out to people who have been through these experiences and may not have been diagnosed.

The constitutionality of public financing is not in doubt.

And I do not view this proposal as an attack on corporations or corporate contributions, nor do I view it as an effort to make people like Congress, but perhaps trust Congress a little bit more.

Even with those potential sources of money, however, isn't there a reality here that the imbalances of funding can be so disparate and the appearances are so corrosive to trust and confidence in the democratic system?

Whether you favor reform or not, most folks would rather see less of us on TV rather than more.

If I am a wealthy person and I say, 'All right, I am just going to support candidates. I am not going to give to outside groups. I just want to support candidates,' do you know how many candidates I can max out to in a given cycle? Eight.

But I take it you do not disagree with the disclosure mandates, regardless of how the aggregates and the coordination is done.

It mandates federal contractors to fund this proposed system.

Even if there are corporate independent expenditures, do you think there should be no disclosure?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, let me thank Senator Durbin for his very important and really significant proposal addressing a problem that I think all of us agree is an issue most Americans feel is a problem in today's democracy.

Thank you. Well, I thank all of you for your participation, and I have learned something.

I want to thank Senator Durbin for advancing this debate and for a proposal that I think addresses many of the weaknesses and needs in the present system.

I ask unanimous consent that the period for morning business for debate only be extended until 11:15 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, with the majority leader to be recognized at 11:15 p.m. The PRESIDING…

I thank the Senator from Georgia for those very moving and powerful remarks. I differ with him only in recognizing that the saying about digging a hole is not only a southern saying, but I think by now it is a national saying, thanks to my…

I would just suggest--and I would be eager to work with you--that it should encompass this area which is so vitally important to consumers.

I thank the senior Senator from Connecticut for that very eloquent tribute to our team. I am not going to try to match the cheer this year but perhaps next. And I thank him for providing such a model of support for the University of…

I want to focus on the area of potential legislation that you have identified as No. 6 in your testimony...

I would welcome and I do welcome that willingness to work together.

Every family has a right to expect a worker who leaves in the morning come back at the end of the day.

Miners' families continue to suffer, as they have here--29 families wanting to know what happened in the Upper Big Branch tragedy.

they need to be empowered, and absolutely protected against retaliation, not just that objectively it won't occur