We need a revolution in child care--every kid in this country, as is the case in many European countries.

Do you agree that our current system is a disaster?

We are going to lose that, aren't we? We are going to have to rethink that.

I don't know how we can expect kids to do well in school if the first 4 or 5 years of their lives, they don't have their intellectual or emotional needs addressed.

In our country, we have by far the highest rate of childhood poverty of any other country on Earth.

I think we are at the cusp of transforming our energy system. Energy efficiency is at the heart of that.

I would hope, Mr. Chairman, that we can fight as hard as we can to put money in weatherization.

For every dollar we spend on that, I think in terms of job creation, in terms of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, in terms of saving fuel, I think it's a dollar very, very well spent.

I'm very proud to say--and I argue with Barbara Boxer about this a bit, but we think Vermont may in fact be leading the country in that direction.

I think if you are going to talk about education, there are millions of kids who are 10 years old who understand they aren't ever going to go to college because they cannot afford it.

Scandinavia actually pays you to go to university. You get a subsidy for your living costs.

By raising taxes on wealthy individuals.

We put them in jail rather than investing in child care and an education.

In this country, to go to a good college costs maybe $50,000 a year at a time when many working families do not make $50,000.

We do not want to be the only country where our educational standards can not compete with the rest of the world.

for the first time in 36 years, seniors and disabled veterans and persons with disabilities will not be receiving a cost-of-living adjustment, a COLA on their benefits. The argument for that is that they are not seeing inflationary costs…

the amendment I want to speak on is No. 3353. This amendment is extremely simple and it is extremely straightforward. At a time when millions of senior citizens, veterans, and persons with disabilities have slipped out of the middle class…

as senior citizens and disabled veterans all over this country know, this is the first year since 1975--36 years ago--that there will not be a Social Security cost-of- living adjustment or COLA. In my view, the fact that people in need…

Tomorrow I intend to call up an amendment within the discussion of the jobs bill which I think will have significant impact on the lives of many millions of our fellow Americans. As you know, this year for the first time in many decades…

I think people who have watched the extraordinary Olympics in Vancouver noted that a lot of the participants, a lot of the outstanding athletes came from the State of Vermont. The world watched as Hannah Kearney of Norwich won the first…

White-Nose Syndrome is a wildlife health crisis of grave concern to Vermont, the larger Northeast, and the nation.

I would hope that he would allow us, not for our sake, but for the sake of tens and tens of thousands of people, to get those checks out. Let's come back and continue that debate. You have raised the right issues. These unemployment checks…

For the record, the sum was $350 billion over 10 years, not $1 trillion. The trillion would have been the complete repeal of the estate tax. But nonetheless, $350 billion benefiting the top three-tenths of 1 percent is a sizable chunk of…

I thank the Senator for yielding. We have talked about the fact that unemployment today and economic suffering is probably greater than at any time since the Great Depression of the 1930s. But I wonder if the Senator from Illinois is aware…

I find it remarkable, picking up on the point the Senator from Oregon made a moment ago, here we were talking about $1 trillion over a 10-year period to benefit the top three-tenths of 1 percent. I don't recall hearing anybody saying: Hey…