Mike Capuano

If you won't answer that question, can you answer me why the Republican baseball team can't seem to beat the Democrats?

Are you familiar with Major League Baseball?

Do you really think that somebody in a nice, beautiful building in Agoura Hills knows better what to do with 42 foreclosed properties in San Antonio than, say, maybe the mayor of San Antonio?

I thought part of HUD's mission was to actually create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality, affordable homes for all.

I actually think you are doing a pretty good job, and I would suggest that you give those officials exactly what they want, which is nothing, and send your money into my district, because I think you are doing a great job.

God forbid an elected official ever changes their mind on an important and complicated issue like the Ex-Im Bank.

This is an important, substantive issue, one that I am open to discussing, and one that I am certainly open to amending.

I don't know how I am going to vote on Ex-Im. I am leaning towards voting for it, mostly because of competitive reasons.

I know. I am struggling with the public policy, I am not struggling with it, I actually think this is easy.

Yet, I know you know that when we 'fixed' our problem with flood insurance, we didn't fix it for small businesses.

I would argue that one of the things we need to look at is natural disaster insurance, as opposed to simply flood insurance.

I think you are 100 percent right, obviously, to follow the money.

We need to make a determination whether or not this body will have another hearing several weeks from now.

Obviously, there is a lot of frustration in this committee, and certainly, a lot of tension to the lack of answers thereof.

But to pretend that seatbelts in a train is somehow going to, you know, restrict people's freedom and drive the ridership down is absurd.

So you are dotting your i's and crossing your t's before you make a public statement?

Do seconds matter on a train going 100 miles an hour?

So we are back at it again. It is a cost-benefit analysis how many people have to die or get injured before we take the next step.

I was under the impression it was no longer debatable that seatbelts in an accident at high speeds on any mode of transportation preferable to no seatbelts.

So the final analysis, even if, under the best case scenario, the Government was flush with money and every private rail company were flush with money, it would take multiple billions of dollars and many years to get from where we are to…

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank the panel for the testimony it had. It is a very thoughtful and very difficult decision to make on how to prioritize.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank you for having this hearing.

I strongly suggest the concept is right. The approach needs to be significantly changed on those two issues, to provide flexibility, number one, and to maintain the States' ability to deal with it as they see fit.

And, again, we have the same issue on everything that we do.

And we also have to have somebody who knows what they are talking about, not necessarily the United States Congress, number one.