 Among the many important provisions in the energy bill are the creation of an estimated half million new jobs, increased oil production, blackout protection, controlling fertilizer costs by stabilizing natural gas prices and enacting new efficiency benchmarks. |
| It does seem fair to give them the option of a better return. |
| While there are many influences on gas prices in America, I believe the passage of a national energy bill will help relieve this burden on our country. |
| In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our nation has been put under considerable fiscal pressure. |
| Insurgents throughout Iraq continue to threaten our efforts and pose a danger to stability in the region. They fight not for their country, but rather against ours. |
| Specifically, the growing threat that sexual predators pose to our Nation's children and their families represents an area where our criminal justice system has failed the American people. |
| America's health care system provides some of the finest doctors and more access to vital medications than any country in the world. And yet, our system has been faltering for many years with the increased cost of health care. |
| We are putting more and more power into a system which is less and less able to carry it reliably. |
| The beliefs expressed in the Declaration of Independence remain a standard for our nation today. They also remain a standard for those nations across the globe striving to achieve democracy. |
| The American economy has always been driven by the entrepreneurial nature of its citizens, and blocking access to affordable health care will only suffocate growth within the small business sector of our economy. |
| We haven't had a good energy policy in this country for decades and we're trying to get one. |
| I believe it is incumbent upon Congress to act aggressively to ameliorate fear and help our country take the essential steps that will make our communities and lives safer. |
| The Declaration of Independence is a sacred part of American history. |
| More than seven months ago, our country learned that the horrors portrayed in Hollywood's make-believe world could actually come to life before our very eyes. |
| As the cost of gasoline rises and our dependence on foreign oil continues to increase, the effect of sending over $100 billion each year to OPEC nations hurts every American. |
| While not widely reported, our victories in Iraq are plentiful. National elections, a democratic parliament and the drafting of a constitution are just some of the victories throughout this embattled country. |
| The current system punishes communities which make the investment in creating landfills, only to have them filled by states which refuse to adequately address their waste issues. |
| In addition, each barrel of oil we save through conservation further decreases our dangerous reliance on unstable Middle East oil. |
| Americans in all places and levels of government have begun to consider the areas where we need to prepare ourselves from future threats, including the latest weapon: bio-terror. |
| The fact is, almost every year since the founding of these United States, our government has lived beyond its means. |
