John Breaux Quotes (60 Quotes)

Yes, we have got to quit worrying about fighting each other and trying to figure out a way to work together.

If people in California want to pay extra taxes to have their trash picked up, people in Texas shouldn't have to subsidize it.

I object to you using words like squander and pork. What is pork in one part of the country is an essential project in another part.

If we don't get together we are heading for a major train wreck, which I think would be terrible for the American people, ... Face the Nation.

I think the first order of business after the vote on the articles of impeachment is censure,

You can't have a law that says you have to have all votes in at 5 o'clock tomorrow afternoon and then another law that allows you to have a hand recount that obviously is going to take more than just 5 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. They're in conflict, so a court I think has to resolve that conflict.

Blaming each other does not save a life, does not feed a single family or compensate them in their loss.

I think both sides made a mistake from the very beginning on the issue of how to handle a 1 trillion surplus because both sides in effect said 'my way or no way,' and what we're going to end up with no way.

That's why a tax-reform commission appointed by President Bush is looking for a way to repeal the dreaded tax. Yet the panel, which is due to complete its work Nov. 1, is coming to grips with a much tougher question In an era of already-big federal budget deficits, how will it make up the money the Treasury will lose if the AMT is repealed. We have a concept of where we want to go, ... We just don't have the details.

advance the cause of government in a democracy that is almost evenly divided between the two parties.

People have been searching for the fountain of youth ever since Ponce de Leon, and will probably continue to do so for decades and generations into the future, ... Our job at this hearing is not to kill that hope and desire to remain youthful and healthy as long as possible, but rather the role of the committee is to try and help protect American citizens, particularly the elderly, who are preyed upon by modern-day snake oil salesmen.

Consumers should not fear being defrauded by a dishonest funeral provider who sells them more than they need, or who does not provide itemized prices to comparison shop.

We don't suggest that because San Francisco citizens live on top of an earthquake fault that they should be moved, ... The question of whether New Orleans should be rebuilt, one of the great cities of this country, is not really a question in my mind.

I think some Republicans are trying to act like political magicians and say, 'See me vote guilty but see me vote not to remove him from office,' ... You can't say that he is guilty, then not remove him from office.

I needed to explain that Louisiana's coast accepts the drainage from two-thirds of the United States and, while the necessary levees constructed upstream have prevented floods, they have also contributed to problems downstream.

Both parties have taken a position of 'do it my way or don't do it at all.' Some people think that's a great political issue. I think we're arguing about failure,

I put myself and all the members of Congress in the same boat of things that could have been done better.

As I have said all along, we must rely on Florida's highest court to interpret Florida state laws governing its elections, ... With the Florida Supreme Court justices' decision now in hand, I hope a recount will be concluded in time to meet the federal deadline to select electors.

We don't suggest that because San Francisco lies on top of an earthquake fault that it should be moved.

It's clear that their proposal is going to be vetoed and we end up with nothing, ... The American people don't want us to do nothing but they would like us to do something that's reasonable and I suggest about a 500 billion tax cut over 10 years.

Well, Judy, I would hope in the new year, we could start thinking about politics not like it was the Super Bowl, where you always have to have one team that wins and the other team has to be a loser.

Certainly something that can get passed early on is important, ... I think it's a mistake to come out with the most controversial proposal first.

My home was 25 miles from the gulf, and I did not want to see it become a shorefront property.

We believe this new proposal represents improvement in the personnel flexibility provisions from the original GOP proposal.

But we made a decision based on the fact that we have been up there a long time and that we feel that the seniority is important to the people of Louisiana.

It's proper and appropriate to remind the Chinese about what they get out of solid relations with the United States.

Most Democrats avoided direct criticism of Feingold. I think he voted his conscience, ... It's an indication we didn't try to break arms and insist on a caucus vote.

We've seen this many, many, many times, ... I mean, it's getting to be a punishment for this whole country and for those of us who have to sit there as well.

If it was up for a vote in its current form, I would vote against it,

I am going to work with Tom Daschle. And I'll work with the Republican leaders and the president to try and come up with something that we can all be proud of.

You have a unique opportunity here for the first time to rebuild an American city, ... That means not just the buildings have to be rebuilt, but you have to address the problems of race and poverty and culture ... .

When you have a Senate that is 50 Democrats and 49 Republicans and one independent, it's quite obvious that the only way we are going to get something done is if we work together.

That's a bird with no left wing and no right wing right now.

I was hoping this could get 60 votes to send a good signal to the American public,

I've had feelers put out to me by low-level people in the Bush organization, mostly campaign-type people, asking if I would be interested in serving.

I told them it would be a serious mistake to get a 51-50 vote on this, ... It will affect a lot of things around here, make it harder to get anything done. If they want to change the culture in Washington, that's not the way to do it.

This is the first time that a Republican president has come to a Democratic Senate caucus to talk about his vision of the next four years, and I think there wasn't a lot of substance discussed. It was very symbolic,

I just think it doesn't behoove anyone to target people who've shown a willingness to work together and be cooperative with a cooperative spirit. If anything can kill the effort to work together, it's politics as usual.

The most important speech of this election is ... going to be given by the loser when they concede because it will set the tone for the next four years,

Others who went out of their way to offer help were turned down, such as Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who told reporters his city had offered emergency, medical and technical help as early as last Sunday to FEMA but was turned down. Only a single tank truck was requested, Daley said. Red tape kept the American Ambulance Association from sending 300 emergency vehicles from Florida to the flood zone, according to former senator John Breaux (D-La.) They were told to get permission from the General Services Administration. GSA said they had to have FEMA ask for it, ... As a result they weren't sent.

We do not have to have a trial. The Constitution says that the Senate shall be the sole trier of an impeachment resolution. It gives us the power to do it, but it doesn't demand that we have to,

Their trading relations with us are very, very important, and I think that the United States wants to trade with people they can cooperate with or we can depend on, ... They should be mindful of that as these negotiations continue.

There's plenty of lore, but none of it you can publish in a family newspaper.

There is nothing wrong where we reach a point where maybe everybody could claim a victory. I think it would be good for the American people, which should be our first priority.

a sense of what's happening in Congress and what's not happening.

Any that is why I think any kind of a stimulus package is going to have to help people who are without work, without a job, help them have health insurance.

I am pleased to see that information campaigns, such as the America's WETLAND effort, are getting the message out, and people are beginning to realize that wetlands loss in Louisiana affects us all.

Saddam is saying, 'Look, you can come inspect, but I will tell you where you can go, when you can go and under what conditions you can inspect our country.' And that's not acceptable, ... Fox News Sunday.

And the issues I think are important in Louisiana right now happen to be health care and education. And those are two areas that the federal government can play a very important role. And I think I can be effective in trying to help our state from the Washington scene.

Our struggle is to identify the sources of revenue and the means to obtain the funds.Without funds, all the planning and research studies can't help us.