Political Quotes

“I did not vote for the Freedom to Farm bill in 1996, because I did not think that the reforms they called for went far enough, if at all, in some cases. I want to say, too, that our agriculture friends here in this body are the nicest people in the entire House. It is incredible, from the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) on this side, to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen), to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Smith), to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt), literally some of the most genuine wonderful people, close to the ground, and they truly represent the farmers' interest in their demeanor and in their civility. But I really am frustrated that this new majority has reformed virtually everything in sight and come up so grossly short on reforming farm programs. Whether it is tobacco, whether it is peanuts, whether it is sugar, this is still an egregious violation of the free market and of the private sector in this country by the government.”