Political Quotes

“I do not have to convince any Member of this body that the American people are outraged by the extremely high prices they are currently paying for gasoline. I am sure that you are getting the same calls that I get in my office in Vermont. As we all know, these exorbitant prices are a serious drag on our economy. They affect small business and farmers, they affect airlines and the trucking industry, they affect middle-income people who drive to work every day and are seeing their wage increases going into their gas tanks. This is a serious national problem. Now, I understand that there are differences of opinion in this body about long-term solutions to this crisis. We have debated that over the last couple of days. I personally believe we have to take a hard look at OPEC, the cartel which today functions directly in opposition to international free trade law. I think we have to deal with the increased concentration of ownership in the oil industry, and I think the time is long overdue that we have to break our dependency on fossil fuels and move to sustainable energy. But whether one agrees with my long-term solutions or not, there should be no debate about the need for us to come together now to provide immediate short-term relief to the American people who are hurting from high gas prices.”