Political Quotes

“I rise today to point out the schizophrenia being experienced at the Pentagon these days. Under the Secretary of Defense's recently released list of base closures to be considered by BRAC, Guam is the hardest hit American community on the list. It targets Guam for more personnel cuts than large States such as California, Virginia, and New York. The reductions represent between 5 and 10 percent of the entire work force on Guam, and as much as a quarter of Guam's economy could be adversely affected. Let me repeat: Up to 10 percent of the entire work force will be thrown out of work. If this magnitude or cut were undertaken in California, almost 1.5 million jobs would be affected. To compound this problem, the Navy is trying to have it both ways. They are closing down facilities, saying they do not need them, and at the same time holding on to all the ports, drydocks, floating cranes, and other equipment in case they need the harbor in the future. This schizophrenia will leave our community in a straitjacket without the tools for our own economic survival. The military has the schizophrenia and we suffer the consequences. We need our facilities back.”