Political Quotes

“I thank the distinguished gentleman from Maryland. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 50, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act. This act boasts an Orwellian title that attempts, I think, deception of the public into believing that it is simply an innocuous attempt to enhance transparency for the public and State and local governments while masking the true nature of this act which--make no mistake--is a subversive legislative assault of public health, safety, and environmental protections. This bill is simply an effort to throw a wrench into the rulemaking process, ensuring that private industry is provided privileges and rights above any other stakeholder in the process. In many respects, H.R. 50 represents the ``Mitt Romney principle'' on steroids, for it appears that in the minds of some of my colleagues, not only is it a fact that ``corporations are people, my friend,'' but under this measure, they appear to be embracing an ethos that treats corporations even better than people. My longstanding principle is that I will never defend the indefensible, and regrettably, this bill provides private corporations with an unfair consultation over every other stakeholder in the regulatory process, and that is indefensible.…”