James Traficant

The Public Record

Quotes by year · 1994–2010886 total · peak 1997 (155)

★ Featured Quote

November 17, 2010

I love America but I hate the government. I love the elected members. I've met many of you and love you all and I mean that. That's not patronizing to get your vote. I don't expect your vote.

— James Traficant

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in America it is illegal to burn trash, but we can burn the flag. It is illegal to remove a label from a mattress, but we can literally rip the stars and stripes off our flag. It is illegal to damage a mailbox, but we can destroy our flag. Beam me up. A people that does not honor and respect their flag is a people that does not honor and respect their country nor their neighbors. Today is Flag Day. I say if we want to make a political statement, we can burn our bras, burn our BVDs, but we should leave Old Glory alone. Every day should be Flag Day.4 sources1999govinfo.gov
I support the rule and I support the bill, and I was very saddened and it is saddening here today to realize that one of the great Members of Congress, Mr. Moakley, is not here, who normally handles this bill. He was a friend of mine, and he was not afraid to be a friend of mine as some other Democrats were. He treated all Democrats fairly, and I think that is a legacy that speaks for itself. An old saying relative to Coach Vince Lombardi at Green Bay is that why did everybody love him? All his players said, everybody loved Coach Lombardi because he treated us all alike; like dogs at times but all alike. And Joe Moakley treated us all alike, the big chairman with all the power and just the little representatives with an idea. I have an amendment for this bill. I am going to support this bill whether it passes or not. I understand there has been a deal made that there is going to be no amendments, everybody is going to withdraw theirs. Well, I have news. I am not going to withdraw mine. My area used to be the third leading steel producing region of the world, and now I have my last steel mill in Chapter XI, with CSC being ready to be dismantled.3 sources2001govinfo.gov
nearly all of the great economic improvement in the country has the fingerprints of one of America's great chairmen, the gentleman from Texas (Mr2 sources1997congress.gov
there has not been one Member that has addressed the legal precedents of the challenge to this motion2 sources1997congress.gov
I would like to start out by commending the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), a fellow graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and a dear friend, for his work on health care. I believe if the Congress would work with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), we would continue to have improvements such as these that will incrementally improve the health-care system of America. I also want to commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), my neighbor, for working with our chairman and for aggressively working on problems of health-care needs for all the people of America. But I do want to encourage the Congress to continue to work carefully with the chairman. The health-care program that he is espousing makes a lot of sense. Mr. Chairman, this is a very simple amendment. It says people who get the money from this bill in the form of grants shall abide by the 'buy American' law which many of them forget to do, and they have to be prosecuted for such evasion. At least we can remind them and encourage them when expending these funds, where at all possible and practicable, to expend those funds in the purchases of American-made goods and services. It makes sense. It is common sense. I would ask that it would be included in the bill.2 sources1999govinfo.gov
let us tell it like it is. The last fast track traded Ma Bell for Taco Bell. Today's fast track will trade more American jobs and dollars and factories to all of Central America for a '48 Ford pickup truck, two loads of pinto beans and three ballplayers to be named later. Beam me up. In addition, I predict we will get another 25 tons of heroin, another 35 tons of cocaine, and a lot more economic development in the form of prisons, I say to my colleagues. Let us have a little straight talk. ``This dog don't hunt. Pull this turkey.'' I yield back the balance of any jobs we have left.2 sources1997govinfo.gov

Nov 17, 2010

And I want to say to this committee, I love America, but hate the government. I love the elected members. I have met many of you and love you all. And I mean that. That's not patronizing to get your vote. I don't expect your vote. But we…

transcripts.cnn.com

Jul 24, 2002

I read an affidavit of a Scott Grodi. He sat through the whole trial. I would like your attention. I got this affidavit today, about an hour before I came here. He was released two days before the trial, his aunt died. He said he wanted to…