Political Quotes

“I want to echo the sentiments of the distinguished Senator from Oregon. His comments are very well taken. I also rise to support the distinguished Senator from the great State of Louisiana in her efforts to deal with this amendment to add to the small business legislation, of getting this $30 billion out to the community banks so they can put those dollars in the communities. For the past 2 years, this country has been held in the grips of an unprecedented economic crisis. The housing market collapsed. The bottom dropped out of Wall Street. And for the first time in generations, many Americans felt their hard- earned economic security begin to slip away. Here in Washington, Members of the House and Senate were faced with a harsh reality: For decades, regulators and policymakers alike had fallen short of their responsibilities. A divisive political process drove them to duck the tough issues, and kick the can down the road, time and time again. This failure of regulation, and the absence of political will, allowed Wall Street fat cats to let their greed get the better of them. They gambled with our economic future. They designed complicated financial products and placed high-stakes bets against them. In short, they built a house of cards, and when it finally came crashing down, the American economy lay in ruins. There can be no quick fixes after a disaster of this magnitude.…”