Political Quotes

“I thank my friend and colleague from New Jersey. When we hear the objection, as we have heard it, we have now three times offered legislation to lift the $75 million liability cap for oil companies, and I have to shake my head as I hear what is being said. The land that is drilled on is Federal land. It is land that everybody owns. It is our land. It is not their land. If you come into my yard and destroy my house, you pay for it because it is not the person who did the damage who owns it. It is shocking when I hear things such as ``arbitrary test''-- arbitrary. Whatever damage is caused ought to be paid for, very simply. So we on this side, our side of the aisle, are united that we need to do away with this cap. The liability is extensive. It ought to be paid for, especially by people who can afford to pay. When you think about it, these companies have to be reminded they are not selling lawnmowers; they are extracting oil from our property. They are making billions and billions of dollars on it, almost shamefully. I look at it and I remember that one time there was an excess profits tax in America. It was during World War II. It said companies that profited as a result of the war, as a result of the crisis, had to pay an extra tax on the profits they made. That is what we ought to be doing now. These profits they make and the damage they create are an unconscionable twosome.…”