Marcy Kaptur: “If you are an independent machine toolmaker, you cannot find that product. It is a very, very serious situation. I just…”

“If you are an independent machine toolmaker, you cannot find that product. It is a very, very serious situation. I just want to put two words on the record to add to this discussion: one is ``recession'' and another is ``repression.'' In terms of recession, if we think about the recession that we are crawling our way out of, and some parts of America are still in, what triggered it? Rising oil prices for imported fuel. People have forgotten that. Before September 11, we were already struggling with a hammerlock on this economy; and then after September 11 when the OPEC countries and some of the other oil exporting countries got worried, they lowered prices. Then they are coming back up again. This is a very manipulated price scheme, and that was proven by the Federal Trade Commission in some of the initial investigations done as we entered this recession. The American people should remember that rising petroleum costs and imports, the rising costs of imports, can really kick this economy in the shins.”