Kit Bond

Many people, including myself, are highly skeptical of the PPIP program.

Without forcing the banks to clean up their balance sheets... we are simply postponing their day of reckoning.

Throwing billions of taxpayer dollars at the banks without cleansing the toxic assets is simply throwing money down a rat hole.

Are the enforcement initiatives that the IRS has announced this year coming at the cost of taxpayer service?

Unless we take some steps to deal with too-big-to-fail, we're going to have a moral hazard.

Unfortunately, the administration has failed to develop or execute a credible plan to cleanse the toxic assets that continue to choke our financial institutions.

If we get in a position of monetizing our debt, we will face an unprecedented disaster and go the way perhaps of Argentina.

Economic and financial experts are telling us that economic recovery cannot occur or be sustained until we address the root cause, the credit crisis.

It cannot be emphasized enough that a well-functioning credit market must be restored for economic recovery.

We've seen some positive signs of green shoots, but there are some wondering whether they will wither away due to continuing problems in the housing sector, consumer debt remaining high, significant de-leveraging occurring in the financial…

A lot of us in the heartland are wondering why you are treating failed banking institutions differently from General Motors and Chrysler?

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. As I mentioned earlier, General Schwartz, I have some very real concerns about the intermediate term plans and, to be honest, what I see as a lack of intermediate plans.

It has been my long-held belief that our military should procure the most capable tanker possible for our airmen using a fair, open, and transparent acquisition process.

If this budget were carried out, we would be down to one.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

We want to work with you on that.

I certainly appreciate your speaking about the need to protect the defense industrial base, because if we go down the same path that our fine ally Great Britain has gone, their industrial base was allowed to atrophy, so they can no longer…

To the Commandant, congratulations on the excellent job that you have done in al-Anbar.

To me it looks like you've made a bad bet if you have not proven something that can take its place and you're cutting it off.

Your reference to dealing with the PTSD and the traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is so important, is something we're going to have to continue to address.

I hope in the QDR there's some realism that strikes and that you do take a look at the costs.

It is a great story that has convinced many people, as they now see how it resolves.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Yes, on this subject I do have a lot to say.

Throwing billions of taxpayer dollars at the banks without cleansing the toxic assets is simply throwing money down a rat hole.

Unless we take some steps to deal with too-big-to-fail, we're going to have a moral hazard.