I have been looking at a problem that is costing American families about $17 billion a year.

It is not an accident that objective fee-only advisers hardly ever recommend annuities, while commissioned sales people seem to love them.

I support looking for new solutions, but I am very concerned about the assumption in some places that privatizing transit operations will save money.

According to this study, safety is a particular concern, for example, with replacement drivers 70 percent more likely to have collisions, which, of course, is very costly.

A GAO study on the impacts of privatization stated that, quote, 'savings come almost entirely from cutting wages and benefits, not from service efficiencies.'

This is who we are, and it is one of the greatest things about this country.

Well some have suggested that the Federal Government is using these tools to expand the footprint of Federal lands in our states.

I just think the fundamental question here is once we start saying well this is a slush fund for covering deferred maintenance then, forget it.

I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to reauthorize and fully fund this program so we can continue to have all of the tools we need to protect this land for our kids and our grandkids.

Sir, I just want to underline that number. That is 99.25 percent of all lands purchased for the Department of the Interior go for filling in holes that were privately held in the middle of Federal park lands.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a good example about how environmental protection and economic growth can reinforce each other.