Political Quotes

“It is a courageous answer to really an unanswerable question. But we have to answer this question, because time and time again the American taxpayers are asked to reach into their pockets to replenish the losses of others in a disaster. Our hearts go out to the people of California. It is not easy for me or for them to ask the question. We have a great deal of compassion. We saw the suffering. We saw the suffering, and we commiserate. But when it happens time after time at the same intersection, the same slab of concrete, and we see it on the television, it is a legitimate question to say how many times must we rebuild, no matter what the engineers may do to improve the codes. There is just a recognition that this is highly vulnerable. The beaches in my State are washed out periodically with the hurricanes. Yet, they go back and build the houses and expect to have the Federal taxpayer repay them.”