Political Quotes

“The problem that we have, I believe, is within the bureaucracy of Federal Prison Industries. I think you used the word ``inertia.'' They have got this momentum going. They are building new plants. They are employing all of these workers. They cannot think outside of the box. They are wedded to the box that says we are going to make products that everybody can identify with. Going out and starting a new relationship with Habit for Humanity and a new category of products that does not compete with the private sector, that is too hard to do. This is pretty easy. And I think that is what it is. The scary thing here, this is where we are today. Over the next 5 years, the plan of this Justice Department, in their annual report, Attorney General John Ashcroft not only endorses these results of increasing sales by 16 percent and saying that is a wonderful thing, without thinking about what it has done in your district and my district and other districts around the country, they are requesting, and I think other documents would show that what they want is 30 percent growth over the next 5 years. So I mean there are those within this group of people who see this as a wonderful opportunity, for whatever reason, a wonderful opportunity to put more Americans out of work. So my legislation is going to pass; I just do not know whether it will pass this year or whether it will pass in 3 to 5 years.”