Tom Harkin Quotes (69 Quotes)


    Would anyone advocate that we take the fences off the playground for elementary schools and just let kids run around in the streets ... By the same token, why would we allow schools to sort of poison our kids with junk food.

    Some Republicans are on the wrong side of the issue, obviously. There may be some more that are just holding back, but when push comes to shove they will vote with us.

    The first Farm Aid concert helped tremendously to draw national attention to the many thousands of family farmers fighting for survival,

    What this pandemic could do to us as a people is even more threatening than what a few terrorists could do, even a few terrorists with a nuclear device.

    We don't require our astronomers to explore the heavens with 19th century telescopes, and we don't require our geologists to study the Earth with a tape measure. If we are serious about realizing the promise of stem cell research, our biomedical researchers need access to the best stem cell lines available.


    These votes are going to be counted in Florida. If they're not counted now, they are going to be counted next year under Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, ... If the truth comes out next year that in fact Al Gore did win Florida ... what is that going to do for the esteem and the respect of the Supreme Court of the United States

    Maybe our bill is not perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than what the House did.

    For the benefit of the United States, for our country, I believe Mr. Rumsfeld has to resign.

    Today, only two groups in the United States have total immunity from lawsuits foreign diplomats and HMOs, ... We believe it's time to end diplomatic immunity for HMOs. Holding them accountable is the only way to guarantee that you get the health care your family deserves.

    We as a nation have an obligation to help rebuild, but that doesn't necessarily mean just like it was.

    so that my constituents and others will know how and why I reached my decision. I have nothing but disdain for and objection to the closing of the Senate doors on this vital matter of impeachment of the president.

    For the good of our country, the safety of our troops, and our image around the globe, Secretary Rumsfeld should resign, ... If he does not resign forthwith, the president should fire him.

    The President must stop gambling with taxpayers' money and get the country back on the path of fiscal sanity.

    This is exactly the wrong time to be lowering the wages of workers

    We are all human. We all make mistakes -- even a president. Most Americans share my belief that it's in our best interests to put this behind us and move on,

    Trust us' is not something the administration can say after Katrina, ... I don't think Congress is in a mood to trust. We want plans. We want specific goals and procedures we're going to take to prepare for this.

    It's the midnight hour. We have to get moving on it now, not next year, not after some study group in the White House bangs this thing around for another three months.

    He has to go. Nothing, I think, less will suffice, ... It's not enough just for Secretary Rumsfeld to say that some people in the lower ranks are responsible for this -- this goes all the way up.

    If we are serious about combating the childhood obesity epidemic and improving child nutrition, then everyone must chip in -- parents, schools, and yes even Congress.

    No one ever wore the title of 'senator' better and used it less.

    While President Bush's tax give-aways for the rich are pushing us further into debt, he compensates by increasing the out-of-pocket costs to our veterans.

    What's happening is you have a few right wing ideologues in the House aiming at Castro and hitting our farmers.

    This was a half-baked and ill-advised plan from the beginning, ... Thankfully, the public uproar from the plan resulted in it being put off. I will watch closely to make sure this plan isn't repackaged and rolled out again in the future.

    If Congress is aware of the problems facing poor people in America, cuts in hunger assistance programs should not be part of any deficit reduction package,

    As we Iowans say, Howard Dean has his head screwed on right.

    This study should be a wake up call to all Americans, and specifically to those of us in Congress who have stood idly by as more and more junk food inundates our schools,

    I've seen how medals awarded in combat can help tell a child the story of a lost parent or grandparent. These medals can say that these men and women gave their lives in service to their neighbors and to their nation -- and that this nation is a grateful one, ... Today, we say on behalf of every American, thank you.

    Obesity now contributes to the death of more than 360,000 Americans a year. The incidence of childhood obesity is now at epidemic levels. Alarm bells are going off all over the place. But our government has done virtually nothing.

    You could get into a quagmire that would ... not be a dignified ending to this sad chapter and would not add enough evidentiary value to outweigh the negatives that would be produced with a lengthy trial, ... Fox News Sunday.

    I like and respect each one of them, but for me one candidate rose to the top as our best shot to beat George W. Bush and to give Americans the opportunity to take our country back, ... That person is Governor Howard Dean.

    It's hard to believe the objective is better service when on its face, this plan to shutter nearly a fourth of Iowa's county offices will lead to more driving, greater inconvenience and less service,

    Having a plan on paper does nothing to protect us, ... Next month is too late. The United States is woefully unprepared for this, and we must get started immediately.

    Compassionate conservatism is like trying to heat up an old house with warm thoughts. It might make you feel good but it doesn't stop you from freezing,


    When I first heard about it, I said, 'Oh no, not again.' The Kennedy family ... you talk about star-crossed. They've done a lot of good things, but, my gosh -- they've had a lot of tragedy in that family.

    I have some real grievances on this issue, ... We have pushed for years to get a natural gas pipeline built from Alaska to the lower 48 states. If this administration had four to five years ago begun saying 'we are going to get that pipeline built', we would be a third of the way done. There are huge natural gas reserves up there. However the natural gas industry in Texas and the Gulf Coast don't want that thing built. We have plenty of natural gas up north - we should have pushed to get it down here.

    The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has determined that our bill will cost about an average of 1.19 a month, ... So, for less than the cost of a Big Mac, you're guaranteed that the medical decisions that affect your life and the lives of your family are made by you and your doctor, not by HMO accountants.

    Dana Reeve has already faced more than her fair share of adversity, but I know that she will face this latest challenge, as she has the others, with strength, dignity, courage and grace.

    I believe we are not far from a day when a nation or organization will possess both biological weapons and the will to use them.

    I do not believe there is any need for this to be dragged out in the media yesterday, today, and now into the weekend. This could have been completed Thursday night and the district court could have reviewed the case.

    She was a citizen in the best sense of the word. She caused things to happen in our society that made us a better, more caring, more just society.

    This sends all the wrong signals to the troops, ... Rush Limbaugh has a point of view. I mean, a dedicated, right wing point of view. That's fine. That's fine. But you should balance it on the other side also. Especially when it's being funded by other people's money.

    Parents still lack basic information on the calorie and fat content on the meals that they and their children eat at restaurants.

    America's health care system is in crisis precisely because we systematically neglect wellness and prevention.

    It's woefully inadequate, in terms of taking a look at the promising therapies that people are taking today,

    When we debate the impeachment of the president of the United States, this is something that affects every citizen of this country, and I believe they have a right again to witness that debate and to witness how and why we reach those decisions.

    feeling of embarrassment and being ashamed our government was not responding more forcefully.

    This independent analysis from the GAO confirms that, without some protections, everyone loses,

    US farmers should not have to compete with foreign governments in international markets.

    Alarm bells must be rung, ... The warning signs are there and we have to start preparing. The time for planning and thinking about it is past. We have to do something immediately.


    More Tom Harkin Quotations (Based on Topics)


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    Benjamin Franklin - Robert A. Taft - Marcus Porcius Cato - John Hancock - Joe Lieberman - James Roosevelt - James Baker - Helmut Kohl - Donald Rumsfeld - Bill Lipinski


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