Political Quotes

“it is often said, I think accurately, that what differentiates human beings from most other animals, most other mammals, is the extraordinary ability of human beings to learn from experience. Yet on the floor of the Senate this afternoon we have heard eloquent statements opposing this current amendment that indicate that experience is of no value to some Members and to some of their arguments. Mr. President, 25 years ago the predecessors of the opponents to this amendment repeatedly stated on the floor of the Senate, as well as in the hearing rooms of the Senate, that to require more fuel-efficient automobiles and small trucks was to endanger the safety and the lives of the American people and to sentence them to driving in subcompacts and sub-subcompacts. There are only two differences between the circumstances of the argument in 1974 and the circumstances of the argument in 1999. The first of those differences is that all of the arguments of those who opposed setting higher fuel efficiency standards for automobiles and small trucks made in 1974 were proved dramatically to be in error.”