“The problem is that this budget, there is no investment. This budget doesn't really represent, doesn't advance the cause of these children. If anything it is a retreat.”
“We have got to stop saying that we want to do well by children and invest in education and invest in job training and then essentially retreat from that,”
“We cannot be accountable to the citizens of our country if we go into closed session or secret session and the people in country are all of a sudden cut out; that would be a terrible thing to do in a representative democracy.”
“Where are the resources to make sure that all the children in America have the same chance to do well? And when they don't do well on this test, or the schools don't do well, where are the additional resources to help them? Not in this bill.”
“This is a class issue. These are poor people we're talking about. None of us ever are put in this situation. President Bush, whatever happened to compassionate conservatism?”
“Bankruptcy has been a safety net not just for low income people, but for middle income people as well, ... It is being shredded. I think all I can say is, we'll just have to see how history judges us.”
