Amy Klobuchar

Do you think that would help, though, with the change fees and the baggage fees and some of these other issues that go to areas that are not even included in your slot-divested areas?

I just think the goal of an auction should be to select carriers that can both effectively compete...

Price fixing is not only a crime; it is also a tax on businesses, consumers, and innovation.

If there is anything we can help with legislatively, even the smallest things, we would love to do anything to help.

But are all airlines going to be able to participate? Just yes or no.

There is absolutely no business justification for this conduct. Cartels have no purpose other than to rob consumers.

As Justice Scalia wrote in a 2004 Supreme Court decision, cartels are 'the supreme evil of antitrust.'

Very good. And that does not even include the natural gas and some of the other things?

Because that is what I have seen, too, as being a major--having a major role in our increase in manufacturing.

Have you looked at this idea--Congressman Delaney has been working on this; we have a bill coming out of the Senate, a bi-partisan bill this week--about an Infrastructure Financing Authority?

Minnesota has a good pilot going with some of our businesses, a community college in the northern suburbs, and then our high schools.

A half a million dollars for a small company our size is outrageous.

We care a lot about patents.

I also wrote to the FTC asking them to examine the abusive assertion tactics and to bring enforcement actions.

The retail industry contributes $2.5 trillion to our Nation's annual GDP.

I'm on the Judiciary Committee and chair the antitrust subcommittee.

We're such a great country. We have so much to be proud of. People that come to this country and stay. We have to protect it.

I worry about that, Senator, and I'm sure you do, too.

Many, many studies show, as Senator Alexander eloquently said, that we're losing our global competitiveness.

And I tell you, Senator Alexander did such a beautiful job of describing that.

Because my state is down to 5.1 percent unemployment. We have job openings.

Is there some ideal target that you would like to see for Federal support of R&D as a percentage of GDP?

I think our state is ahead of the curve, as you know we are the home of many major Fortune 500 companies including innovative companies like 3M and Medtronic and we have a very high number of women in the workplace.

And Senator Rockefeller, I know you understand EPSCoR quite well, and Senator Thune, as well.

I believe the evidence shows that that is very possible.