Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Kanjorski-Ridge amendment to the EDA Reauthorization Act. First of all, I would like to thank my friend and colleague from the eastern half of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, [Mr. Kanjorski], for his determination in crafting the tools this Nation so gravely needs to spur economic development and job creation. History has shown us that it is the small- and medium-sized businesses in this Nation that must thrive in order for new jobs to be created. This amendment gives small- and medium-sized companies--especially those just starting out or restructuring--much needed access to information and technologies that they commonly cannot use due their limited size and resources. The information and technologies that we are talking about have been funded by the American taxpayer and should be available to growing American companies to benefit American workers. For just defense research and development, in fiscal year 1994 alone, U.S. taxpayers have invested $35 billion. And the staggering taxpayer investment for all research and development is $70 billion. Through research in Federal laboratories and universities, tens of thousands of patents and technologies have been produced. Unfortunately, American businesses have not had access to nor benefited from these technologies. They are either collecting dust or, even worse, they are being used by our foreign competitors.”