Pete Stark

“ I stand before you eager to learn and ready to help make the laws of the greatest country on Earth reflect its values: fairness, justice, and a guarantee that working men and women, parents, students, seniors, the disabled, and the disaffected, every American, has the right to a seat at the table of opportunity. ”

“ A public servant is never more in tune with her constituents than when she is first running for the office. While holding over 60 community meetings across my district this year, the most common question was, "When will we get out of Iraq?" It was asked by voters across the spectrum: veterans, students, parents, the prosperous, middle class, those still working towards their piece of the American Dream.
The process to bring the troops home must begin immediately. The President wants to stay the course, and a man who wants to replace him suggests we could be in Iraq for a hundred years. ”

“ And, Madam Speaker, as passionate as people are about getting out of Iraq, they are also worried, about their jobs, their houses, and their futures. I got an earful from taxpayers outraged that the Fed bailed out Bear Stearns while neighbors are losing their homes to predatory lending practices. A man in a union hall put it simply: "When will our government care as much for Main Street Americans as Wall Street speculators?" ”