On the recordMay 4, 2011
I thank the distinguished gentleman from California, and would say to him what a contributor he has been to really improving the lives of all Americans. I have enjoyed coming to the floor and engaging in important discussions on behalf of our colleagues. Really, we are speaking to our colleagues. And we hope that all of those that are represented by the many colleagues here would realize, when we are on the floor, we are trying to help set policy to improve the lives of Americans. We traveled just 2 or 3 days ago to another exciting venture, and that was of course the set time for Endeavor to launch into space. And I think it connects very well. I enjoyed meeting your wife and having discussions about how great America is, and as well knowing that our dear friend and colleague was able to travel, Congresswoman Giffords, and that a Texan, her husband, was going to be the commander of Endeavor. We looked forward to it going. But I mention that because of course many of the astronauts are military personnel. And I could imagine when President Kennedy challenged us to go into space, into outer space, which seems like a fiction but was real, no later than 1969 we landed on the Moon. This is a great country, and we have the ability to be resilient and persistent. As all of us reflect on where we were on 9/11, and I know that you could say where you were. We were right in this place. We were meeting and huddled around issues. I remember it as clear as day. Small Business.…
