Political Quotes

“Thank you. I have been listening, partly presiding, but I have been thinking about this question of why is it there is such a sense that we need to do something called a stimulus package, where we are talking about $100 billion going into an economy that is $14 trillion, and it's a modest amount. Why is it that there is such a sense that this stimulus is needed when in fact, by historical standards, unemployment is actually relatively low. We had bad news. It went from 4.7 to 5 percent. But the historical average is well above 5 percent. The reason there is such anxiety is the reasons my friend from Kentucky and all of you have mentioned, that this has not been a rising tide that lifts all boats. Most people, even those who are employed, have not had wages that have come close to keeping up with their bills, and that has been intensified, of course, with energy, buying gas, buying home heating fuel, paying for your college education for your kids, and medical bills. The story that the Speaker told about that young family with medical bills is painful, but it's true. So what you have had is this economy that is simply not working for average people. So what do we have an opportunity to do? A stimulus package is something that is concrete. We don't offer it as something that is going to 'solve' the problem, but it is going to show that there's a cop on the beat.”