Political Quotes

“I too would like to rise to congratulate the chairmen of this committee and the subcommittee and the ranking members of the committee and the subcommittee because this is how it should be done. Those of my colleagues who think this bill will pass rather easily today without much trouble, that is true. But there has been a whole lot of hard work, a whole lot of compromise, a whole lot of commitment to getting to home plate and scoring the run. I congratulate those. I think a lot of other committees in this Congress could watch and observe and do better. America will be challenged in my view in the years ahead to provide the workers with the opportunities to receive the technical education they need to meet tomorrow's jobs. As I view factories, and I try to tour at least one or two a week in my district, they are changing. If we are going to remain a strong manufacturing nation, and I think we must, I agree with the gentleman from Ohio, if we do not maintain manufacturing in this country, we will be a second-rate nation. We have to have workers with a whole lot more skills than were needed just a few years ago. Today we are taking a step, not all the steps we need to take, but we are taking a major step. When we combine 60 programs into 3 block grants and allow the local folks, the States and the local community groups, to decide what is needed and how to do it, we will be much more successful.”