Paul Tonko: “If I might add to that, I think also--and history will show--that it was a partnership with big interests. It was with…”

“If I might add to that, I think also--and history will show--that it was a partnership with big interests. It was with Big Oil, with big banks and with the big insurance industry. In the beginning stages of the Bush Presidency, we saw some of the attempts there for trade contracts, for contracts with China. When we look at the investment, when we look at the job market, it can be broken down into three elements--agriculture, manufacturing, and financial services. Well, it appeared as though the manufacturing was kind of pushed aside. We didn't see the kind of execution of these trade contracts to favor manufacturing. Instead, somehow, they were gripped by the special interests of big banks, and they ruled in these contracts that were developed. So I think that, you know, history will show that manufacturing didn't have a high priority with these groups. When you see the emerging technologies, when you see the innovation, the American innovation, there were many small businesses that were continuing to grow, which could have prospered with the appropriate treatment from Washington--policies, programs, resources--and that just didn't happen. Then we saw the further relaxation of regulation with the financial services sector. So tools were being developed to intentionally circumvent regulation, to relax regulation--perhaps avoiding an aggressive approach with drilling deeper in the Gulf States.”