Political Quotes

“last year our Nation's economy was briefly held hostage by an attack on American soil. We have overcome that challenge and are now charging ahead in the right direction. It is this kind of American resolve that has built this Nation into the thriving world power it is today. However, recent developments on the West Coast have created a different kind of crisis but no less damaging to America's economy. On Sunday, September 29, the Pacific Maritime Association, PMA, locked out workers in twenty-nine West Coast ports for more than a week in response to a reported work-slow down by members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, ILWU. Last week, President Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act that ended the lock out allowing workers to go back to work and negotiators to work through these problems over the course of an 80-day cooling-off period. I applaud the President's action. However, I am concerned about conflicting messages being sent by the ILWU and the PMA. More importantly, I am concerned about the lack of interest either party, management or labor, has regarding the economic fate of America's workers and America's agricultural economy. The economic impact of this labor dispute has temporarily crippled our Nation's economy. This dispute has threatened America's national health and safety. In many economic sectors, jobs were lost, workers were sent home and Americans will temporarily pay higher prices for consumer goods.”