Melvin Watt: “I understand. Let me go on ahead and make the second point, that is the slippery slope argument, because what I see…”

“I understand. Let me go on ahead and make the second point, that is the slippery slope argument, because what I see happening is as soon as we put this majority requirement in here the next step down the road is going to be to jack this up to a three-fifths majority rule which I spent so much time arguing against in yesterday's debate. But the other point I want to make, and I will yield as soon as I make this point, is that even with a majority rule situation, these national standard laws are typically designed, look at the civil rights laws, the OSHA laws, various and sundry Federal standards that have been set, have been designed to protect people who have less influence in the process, children, minorities, workers who have been injured on the job. And typically they are not the kind of people who are going to have the kind of influence in the process when this comes to a vote again on the House floor to exert that kind of influence in the process. So, it gives me no comfort when my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say, ``Well, this does not mean anything.'' Well, if it does not mean anything, why are we passing it? I cannot understand that argument.”