Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague, Senator Enzi. I want to give fair warning to all who are witnessing the debate that bipartisanship is about to break out on the floor of the Senate, and you can witness it. We have a bipartisan effort led by Senator Enzi, who has really been dedicating his life in public service, as a former retailer, to being sensitive to the needs of Main Street and small business. For years, he worked with our former colleague, Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, and they did their best to pass this legislation. When Senator Dorgan retired, I approached Senator Enzi and said: I would like to join you in this effort. I am honored to be on the floor with him and our mutual friend, Senator Alexander, in this combined bipartisan effort to deal with an issue I think is essential to fairness in our economy and helping small businesses thrive, which is the key to economic revitalization. If you ask the small businesses in my home State of Illinois what they want, it is not a big handout from Washington, nor any special attention. Frankly, they ask for a level playing field: Let them compete. What Senator Enzi has said is that many retailers in my State, his, and every State are finding it more difficult to compete because they have to rent a building or buy one. They have to pay the property taxes. They, of course, have to pay utility bills and local taxes that might be generated because of their sales either to the State or local government.…”