Political Quotes

“Mr President, I rise today to express my support for passage of the Pigford and Cobell Settlements. But before I address the need to pass this legislation, I would like to take a few minutes to congratulate the other side of the aisle for keeping their self imposed earmark ban for all of four days. Much like Captain Renault in Casablanca I am sure that my colleagues will be shocked, just shocked to know that there are earmarks embedded in the extraneous provisions that have been added to this bill. When I first heard that these water rights bills were being added to Pigford I assumed they simply contained agreements to settle long delayed disputes over water claims with American Indian tribes. And if that were indeed the case, I would offer no objection and encourage the speedy adoption of this package. But unfortunately that is only half the story. The reality is that these bills are laden down with pork, to use a phrase I know is a favorite of a few my colleagues. In fact, to single out one project in particular, this package of bills will send hundreds of millions of dollars to one tribe in Arizona to help them make snow at their ski resort, improve water flow to their casino and build fish hatcheries to improve local fish production. Now I am not an expert on the specifics of water rights claims in the West or what it costs to build a drinking water system in east central Arizona.…”