Political Quotes

“The basic premise of this bill is that the Federal Government can set safety standards and the States can enforce it, so reject the motion to instruct. I am going to turn my comments to people who live in the coal areas of our country. Coal is just not a commodity product, it is, really, a way of lifestyle if you live in coal country. I am a fourth-generation Lithuanian immigration family. My great- grandfather went directly into the coalfields. My grandfather went into the coal mines at age 10. He performed the job of a trapper. In my hometown of Collinsville, Illinois, we have Miner's Theater; in a community up north, we have Miner's Park; and in Gillespie, Illinois, we have Black Diamond Days. Coal is a culture. Coal is who we are. That is why I really appreciate my colleagues from West Virginia, David McKinley and Shelley Moore Capito. There are some States in this Union that coal is their only job, and that's why they fight and they stand up for coal. I remember being with the late Senator Byrd in a rally on The Mall to save coal jobs. He held up his hands and he said, ``There's coal in these veins.'' This was Senator Byrd--``There's coal in these veins.'' My colleagues and my friends, that's how we feel in coal-producing States in this country. It is part of who we are. It is our culture. Now, don't think this is a passe debate. There's a young Iraqi vet named Jimmy Rose. You may have seen him. He's 32 years old. He's also a coal miner.…”