Byron Dorgan: “I will add a few comments to the comments offered by Senator Pryor from Arkansas and the comments offered by Senator…”

“I will add a few comments to the comments offered by Senator Pryor from Arkansas and the comments offered by Senator Daschle, the minority leader. We have this morning seen a work crew of seven U.S. Senators trudge to the floor of the Senate and dutifully describe that all ills in America, present, past and future should be laid at the doorstep of the current President of the United States, President Clinton. I listened to see if I could find the ultimate charge, maybe that would be that the President is responsible for the Andromeda Galaxy that is racing at 4,500 miles an hour toward the Milky Way, of course, which is where we live. A galaxy three times the size of ours is racing at us 4,500 miles an hour, and most estimate, I think there is no disagreement, that when it hits us it will destroy our galaxy and us in about 4 to 5 billion years. Perish the thought. But if there is a Senate at some point in the future, someone will come and probably try to lay that at the footsteps of the current incumbent President. They did not quite get that far this morning, but close, close enough. The proposal this morning was we should cut the 4.3-cent gas tax. That may get done. I am not crazy about the gas tax because I come from a State that is a large State with very few people. The gas tax costs us twice as much per person as it costs people who live in New York because they do not drive as far as we do for much of anything.”