Political Quotes

“Mr. President, my colleagues and I are on the Senate floor tonight on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Americans whose pensions are at serious risk. For generations, there has been an expectation in our country that if you worked hard and earned a pension, that pension would be there in retirement. Unfortunately, that promise is now in question. Due to corporate bankruptcies, the financial crisis, and underfunding, among other reasons, some of the largest pension funds in this country are at risk of insolvency, potentially leaving retirees with pennies on the dollar. I know firsthand the value of a pension. My late father-in-law was a teamster. His pension allowed him to help support his family and it provided him with the dignity of a decent retirement. Hundreds of thousands of Americans will go to sleep tonight uncertain about their financial security. I have met these retirees. I have stood with them at rallies. I have attended their meetings. Just 10 days ago, back home in Indiana, I joined roughly 300 teamsters, both active and retired, from all corners of Indiana. They met in Indianapolis to try to learn what the future would hold. They simply want the pensions they worked so hard for and spent so many hours laboring for--and that they earned. They simply want what was promised to them and what their hard work earned for them. Unless Congress acts soon, in Indiana alone, 22,000 teamsters and 2,700 mine workers are at risk of significant pension cuts.…”