Political Quotes

“I am compelled to rise today to comment once again on what I consider to be the troubling path that the Federal Government has taken with respect to this nation's high-tech industry. It has come to my attention that on Monday, the Federal Trade Commission will vote on whether to bring an antitrust action against Intel Corp. In November of last year I warned the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing on the Department of Justice's investigation of Microsoft of the slippery slope of more government regulation of, and intrustion into, America's high-technology sector. Monday's proposed vote makes clear to me that we are well into our slide. We are now witnessing a revolution in antitrust action in which it appears the federal government seeks to influence the very terms on which intellectual property is shared within an industry. We already have an entire field of laws that deal with this Mr. President. They are called ``patents,'' and to the extent that there are deficiencies in patent law, this Congress is attempting to address those concerns through legislation. We do not need the Federal Trade Commission's help in this endeavor. Let me make clear, I do believe in appropriate antitrust enforcement. In this industry, however, overzealous pursuit of alleged antitrust violations sends a chilling signal to one of this nation's most prized industries: Success is illegal, violators will be punished.”