Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the nomination of Patricia Smith, currently commissioner of labor for the State of New York, as the Solicitor of Labor. We just had a vote where, again, 40 people tried to block the nomination of a key position at the Department of Labor. This is a position that matters to workers. It is a position that matters to the middle class. It is a position that has remained unfilled for 1 whole year. It has been 1 year since President Obama has been sworn in. This is one of the top officials of the Labor Department. It is a department which, frankly, the Bush administration didn't put much stock in. The Bush administration didn't much care about enforcing the rules about labor, didn't much care about putting government on the side of the workers in terms of worker safety, in terms of wages, in terms of all the things a Labor Department is there for--to make sure people are rewarded for their labor; that people who work with their hands, people who work with their brains are compensated for the fruits of their labor. It is such an American success story, of people working hard, getting ahead and being compensated for what they do and sharing in the wealth they create for their employer through pay and benefits. That doesn't seem to be the way 40 Members of this body look at the world. The Solicitor of Labor is the third-ranking leader at the Department of Labor.…”