Political Quotes

“Let me first clarify something. Madam Chair, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) came to me and told me where he wanted to take the cuts to pay for this. We were both unhappy about it, but we felt that it was so important to do this that we would take it from where we had to and then deal with it later. But let's understand something. There are some new Members here who are either watching in their offices or here on the floor who need to know something. I've been in public office 36 years--this is my 37th year--in the State Assembly in New York and in Congress. I've never seen, except for once, a commissioner or a Secretary or a director of an agency come before me as chairman of a committee, and when I ask them, Do you want, do you need more money, they said to me, No, we don't want, we don't need any money. You know who that was? You guessed it. The SEC a few years ago told us that they didn't want any more money, they didn't need any more money. Why? Because that was during that era when there was the word out throughout an administration not to enforce, not to regulate, not to practice oversight, let it go, the water will clean itself, the air will clean itself, Wall Street can monitor itself. That was the attitude. Now, we're seeing another pattern, and I look at folks on the other side that--you know, we always say this but they know I mean it--who I have tremendous respect and admiration for, but we know, I'm not fooled what the game is.”