Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, here is something that will grab you. It was reported this month that Goldman Sachs, the favored Wall Street firm that has way too much special access in this city and that got bailed out by the American people to the tune of billions and is now handing those over in bonuses to their executives, has paid a net effective tax rate of 1 percent. You heard me right--1 percent, Goldman Sachs. When most small businesses and corporations in this country are paying at a 35 percent tax rate, Wall Street's elites still don't carry their fair share. Imagine that secretaries, nurses, firefighters, cleaning crews--the middle class of this country--pay at a higher rate than Goldman Sachs. Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs, Mr. Lloyd Blankfein, harvested over $140 million in salary as head of that firm. When he was asked, Well, isn't this a bit too much? His answer was that he's doing God's work. I call that blasphemy. This is fundamental economic injustice in America, and the American people know it. They're voting their frustration. They expect Congress to listen to them, not to continue to reward Wall Street's overprivileged scions at their expense. Bill Moyers Journal (By Bill Moyers) The ancient Romans had a proverb: ``Monday is like sea water. The more you drink, the thirstier you become.'' That adage finds particular meaning today on Wall Street, which began this New Year riding a tidal wave of bonuses in a surging ocean of greed.…”