Political Quotes

“I join my enormous admiration for my colleague from Massachusetts with my disappointment at the bill he has been put, against his will, in the position of supporting. I acknowledge also that the gentleman from Alaska, who has been unfailingly courteous to other Members, also was put in an uncomfortable position. There is a lot of good work in this bill and I wish we had back the bill these two gentlemen brought forward. But in a development that will undoubtedly astound people, the United States Senate did not do what we all wished they would do, namely, keep a good bill. One of the things they have added, quite surprisingly in this climate, is a new tax, in effect, on fishermen, because this bill says that under the new central lien registry fishermen will involuntarily be assessed one-half of 1 percent of the value of their permits. We are not sure what the permits are, but this is going to go to fishermen who are struggling now, trying to make a living, and take more money from them to finance government activities. This is an assessment on the fishermen that will be indistinguishable to them when they have to pay it from any other tax. It is an error. I hope we will have a chance, and I will vote against this bill because of it in part, but I hope we have a chance to revisit it in the future. There are ambiguities because permits are not valued here. I also oppose the lobster bycatch restrictions. We have State authority here.…”