W. Todd Akin

Now, let me just ask you a question. My friend, you come from the Midwest. You're a commonsense kind of guy. Now here's why this bill is having trouble getting votes, because it's like trying to grab yourself by the boot straps and lift…

So if you are in Canada and you have cancer, what you really don't want to do is you don't want to sign up at the hospital, you want to sign up at the airport for a flight that is going south to the United States so you can get taken care…

Let me see if I can just cut in and restate what you said, because I know that you have an expertise in small business. So you've got a small businessman who's showing a lot of creativity, the sort of innovative spirit that's in America…

So we're really charging them some amount more, whatever their bill was. If it was $100, we're going to add a little extra to that to compensate for the Medicare thing. So now you're driving the cost up for the guy that's really doing what…

So let's just say for instance that we wanted to cut more money out of Medicare. Let's say we're going to take $500 billion. But just theoretically, if you drop the money in Medicare so we're putting less money into it, what's the net…

As I walk across back and forth from the Cannon Building to come to this Chamber, there is a wall in the steam tunnel of all of these different pictures that are painted by our high school students, and one continues to arrest my progress…

What I think I am hearing you say is, as much as you want to knock the insurance companies, the fact that people have insurance and the insurance pays claims, in a way they are the ones that are helping to balance out the cost of health…

So what you are talking about isn't exactly a surprise to us. You've been there, and what you are saying is health care is just what you expect. When the government does it, it is inefficient and it is a tremendous waste. And so to try and…

I appreciate you, Congresswoman. When we were at this last summer, the President said, I want a vote before we go on summer break. And you were pleading the charge last summer, saying, No, we are going to hold the line. Even though we are…

That sounds like it would be very interesting, because we just had 2,200 people come to our town hall meeting today. We should have had our Declaration of Health Care Independence there because you would have had another 2,200 people…

You know, that's the ironic thing about this quote and the reason why we put it on this chart. The President has been saying a lot of things. I think the most truthful thing he said was that, I'm going to bring you change. I think he's…

I'm going to yield to my good friend, Congressman Broun, but I can't help but think that we need somebody who's a songwriter. Do you remember there was a guy in Boston that won a political race by writing that song, ``Charlie the MTA?'' It…

So this is going to be a good deal. Everybody is going to have medical insurance, but you just won't have any doctor to go to see. Dr. Fleming.

I appreciate your perspective on that. I bet you that has got to, even after all these months, has got to really bother those of you who are doctors. I mean you invested I don't know how many years in med school. I flunked fetal pig. I…

Now wait a minute. You have got me all confused, Congressman Gohmert because my understanding is, Republicans--from what the President has said--don't have any ideas. We don't have any bills. Of course he also said that he read our bills…

Well, I appreciate that, Congressman Gohmert. You know, those of us who know Congressman Gohmert--and I know my colleagues do-- know that he has a gift of persistence. And I recall one of his more persistent moments. It was right here on…

One, Do you think it's a good idea to abort little children? But the second question is a conscience question, Do you think it's a good idea to force people to pay taxes and then use those taxes for something that they believe is the…

I appreciate your perspective and particularly calling attention to the fact that this reconciliation is hijacking the entire legislative process. He is willing to do this, to pass this particular piece of legislation. My good friend from…

I think a lot of Americans have come to the same conclusion, government is the problem, and they want a whole lot less of it down here threatening them from D.C.

The more they see it, the more they don't like it. Yet the majority seems to be determined, they have the pedal to the metal, they have the battleship at ramming speed, and they are going to just try and drive this thing through.

I really appreciate your bringing that up. I am just thinking, picture yourself instead of being a doctor as being a salesman, and you are given an assignment that you are supposed to go out and sell something. Say you are the President…

That's an amazing quote, isn't it? We have to pass the 3,000-page bill just to find out what's in it.

It is a pleasure to join you here once again as we get a chance to take a look at Special Orders, and also I am joined by some of my distinguished colleagues. We are going to be looking once again at a subject that has really absorbed the…

You know, when we're running at whatever it is--and these numbers, I don't really believe them, because these numbers are worse-- but 10 percent unemployment, and you dump 5 million more jobs lost on a bill that is already going to cost…

I told my constituents that this bill, first of all, would destroy the quality of health care in America. The second thing it was going to do was it was going to destroy the Federal budget. And that if I were to put this bill on a scale of…