Bob Wise: “I have stood in this well before and challenged those who would stand in the way of a comprehensive national health care…”

“I have stood in this well before and challenged those who would stand in the way of a comprehensive national health care plan that provides guaranteed private insurance for everybody that cannot be taken away. But as I have challenged some, I want to recognize some also, for instance, the physicians from many different organizations that are in Washington today to express their support for a comprehensive health care plan, the Clinton health care plan, that provides guaranteed private insurance. They know what is good for their profession and their patients. The second group I would like to recognize, particularly when we hear all of these claims by some business groups about how this harms them, is Safeway. Safeway Stores, a retailing grocery chain, has put on some of its bags distributed in some of its stores the message, ``Safeway supports affordable health care for all Americans.'' Do they have some incredible percentage of profit that means they can do this when others cannot? Well, the average profit margin for most retailers is 2 rac{1}{2} percent. The average profit margin for food retailers is 1 percent. Yet Safeway has found, as have other food store chains doing similar announcements, Safeway has found what is good for their employees is also good for their consumers. I want to applaud both of those doctors and those businesses that are stepping forward at this critical time.”