Political Quotes

“we remember following the horrific events of September 11, several gas stations around the country raised their prices to $4, $5 and $6 a gallon. Most called that war profiteering, but the overwhelming majority of Americans came together. They gave blood and put out their flags. Many went to New York and the Pentagon to help. Thousands volunteered in their communities. School children collected pennies, nickels and dimes to send to the victims and families. Something else happened in Washington, D.C., not war profiteering in the simple sense of raising gas prices, but a more sophisticated kind of political profiteering. This Congress, lobbied hard by the President and the Republican leadership, first of all gave a huge multi-billion dollar bailout to the airlines, requiring nothing from the airline executives, providing nothing for airline security, doing nothing for airline safety. When many tried to include help in this bill for the 100,000 airline workers who had lost their jobs, Republican majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey) told us now is not the time, that extending government assistance to laid off workers 'was not commensurate with the American spirit.' Then President Bush and this Congress gave billions of dollars in tax cuts and subsidies and rebates to the largest corporations in the United States.”