Political Quotes

“I applaud the efforts of Senator Franken and Senators Durbin and Warren and Jack Reed, who will speak after me, for their efforts on dealing with the terrible burden of debt that far too many young people in this country face. We know it is bad for them. We know this is a burdensome, onerous debt. We know it is bad for their families. In many cases, mothers and fathers cosign these loans and have to put off other kinds of things they want to and should do in their lives. We know what it means to those families and to the economy and those communities where these students come out of college with huge debt. They cannot buy a car. They cannot buy a home. They cannot start a business. In many cases they put off getting married and starting a family because of debt. None of this is good. Think back a generation. I heard Senator Klobuchar speak today on the floor. She went to what we consider in this country an exclusive, very expensive university. She scrounged together, her teacher mother, her father--I was in the Presiding Officer's chair as she was speaking. Her father is a reporter, a journalist, columnist, as my wife is. He did not make a lot of money. It was difficult to come up with tuition, room and board for Amy Klobuchar, a young 18-year-old student then, but they were able to do it. I looked back at my wife who graduated college 30- plus years ago, the daughter of a maintenance worker in a powerplant, a union member, 35 years in the union.…”