Political Quotes

“Mr. President, organizations such as the National Telephone Cooperative Association are able to help provide new and innovative methods to bring modern telecommunications service to rural and remote areas around the globe. Such initiatives, particularly those that encompass a grass-roots, community-based approach, are key to economic development, business creation and income generation. They enhance economic stability, create jobs, improve agricultural production and further the development of democratic processes and traditions. The committee has, in the past, encouraged AID to work with organizations like the National Telephone Cooperative Association to bring modern means of communication to rural areas. Cooperatives foster community involvement and help to build civil society--important steps along the path away from a socialist, government-controlled economy toward a free-market economy. These programs are just the type that we should be promoting in the Ukraine and other NIS states, where any growth in the private sector represents a challenge to the government and encourages sustainable income generation and economic growth on a local level.”