Tom Harkin

The recent elections in Iraq gave the United States a unique window of opportunity to change course.

I could not ask for a better partner and a better chairman to work with on this subcommittee. There are countless numbers of people in this country today--I think mostly of the kids-- who are maybe coming down with Parkinson's or diabetes…

I thank the Senator. It has been floating around here that this is somehow a staffer who put this in. I do not know the answer to that question. But certainly someone is responsible and certainly it should not take an investigation lasting…

As I have often said, we in America do not have a health care system; we have a sick care system. If you get sick, you get care, but there is precious little out there to keep you healthy in the first place. All the incentives are to patch…

One thing I did not mention, but as he alerted the Senate, we are now being told we will not be able to meet our obligations under Social Security if we continue down this path. Therefore, what we need to do is somehow privatize Social…

It is a shame we have come to this. It is time to rip up the credit card. It is time to take the credit card away from the Republican majority here and from the President of the United States. It is time that we have a fair deal for the…

You touted the conservation program. Last night you said you fought for a strong conservation title in the farm bill. And now you are taking money out of conservation to pay for disasters. Please, Mr. President, I am telling you, get ahold…

Listening to the Republican leader talk about Republican support for meaningful health care is like listening to the big tobacco companies talk about the need for cancer research. How do I say that? Because the problems of cancer basically…

I will close by saying America is more vulnerable, not less; and we need straight answers from this administration.

This is about George Bush getting special favors. This is about George Bush getting special privileges. This is about George Bush not doing his duty in the National Guard and then lying to the American people about it.

Americans deserve to know the truth. And we won't know the whole truth until the president himself meets these facts head-on.

Mr. Bush has repeatedly insisted that he did his duty. We now know this isn't true.

This is about George Bush not doing his duty in the National Guard, and then lying to the American people about it.

What is happening to make America weaker? We are getting weaker all the time. As the Senator from California pointed out, we are getting weaker because our seniors now are denied the medical care they need and ought to have. We are getting…

It seems to me, if you are on a highway in a car, and you are headed towards a cliff and there is a bend in the road that you can take and it will save you, what sense does it make to keep going straight off the cliff?

But we've got to somehow provide the leadership and the bully pulpit and the incentives--whatever we can provide, incentive-wise, to local school districts--to provide that kind of physical activity for kids.

And what a terrible signal to send to kids.

In Sioux City--last weekend I was there--they've laid off five P.E. teachers because of cut on school funding.

The junk food they're eating--look what they're eating in schools, look at the--and not only just what they're eating, how much people are eating now.

But, Dean, we've got to start with kids early on.

I mean, the portions of food are getting immense. It's just staggering how much they put on a plate now for you to eat, as if that's desirable.

But we don't provide it for businesses to provide wellness programs for the workers.

Medicare pays for all this patching, fixing, and mending, but we don't get to this step, of preventative healthcare.

I have a bill in to do this. I don't know the number of it, but I'll get it to you to take a look at.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.