Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, the provision that this amendment seeks to strike reeks of tobacco, it reeks of special interest, and it reeks of injustice. I think that this rider, and of course there has been considerable competition through the years, but it is truly the most disgusting that I have seen since this same crowd came to this same House and snuck into a bill for small business tax relief, $50 billion in a tax credit for the same tobacco industry, so disgusting that once it was exposed, they had to back off and remove the provision. Indeed, that action is one of the only bits of action that this House of Representatives has taken during the last 6 years to deal with that plague of nicotine addiction that kills thousands every day in this country. To those who say turn to the legislative branch instead of the judicial, Americans can look at what has happened in the last 6 years and rightly say that the tobacco industry has a stranglehold on this House. Sometimes we can prevent it from doing more wrong, but we have been totally unable to overcome the tremendous strength of the tobacco industry over the current leadership of this House to do anything affirmatively for the 3,000 children that every day will become addicted to tobacco.”