Ike Skelton Quotations

Modern medical advances have helped millions of people live longer, healthier lives. We owe these improvements to decades of investment in medical research

In addition to relieving patient suffering, research is needed to help reduce the enormous economic and social burdens posed by chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Farmers in Missouri and across the country must comply with a variety of federal, state, and local regulations as they grow the crops and raise the livestock that we depend on to feed the nation and the world

In fact, because of their connection to the land, farmers do more to protect and preserve our environment than almost anyone else. They are some of the best environmentalists around.

Congress must make it clear that common animal waste will not expose farmers to liability under Superfund, while ensuring continued action to clean up legitimate hazardous waste sites around the nation.

The number of attacks on the American and allied forces is at the highest level since the insurgency began despite the increase of America combat operations and the introduction of some 40 new Iraq security forces and battalions.

Better treatment and detection methods have also improved the survival rate for people with cancer, and for the first time in history, this year the absolute number of cancer deaths in the U.S. has decreased.

The goal of NIH research is to acquire new knowledge to help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat disease and disability, from the rarest genetic disorder to the common cold.

Our country will not stand for any political plan that includes amnesty for insurgents.

During the 2000 election, the current administration told our military, help is on the way. That is clearly not the case. The administration has failed to request the funds needed for the defense of this Nation. We must give the Army what it needs.

Today nearly every combat brigade located within the United States would report that they are not ready for duty. They are at the lowest levels of readiness.

That the Iraqi Government is considering a political deal granting amnesty to insurgents who have attacked or killed American service members is not just shocking - the idea of amnesty for insurgents is an outrage.

It is vital that Iraq and the United States together send the clearest possible signal that those who commit acts of violence against American military forces and American civilians will not be rewarded with amnesty

The crises in North Korea, Iran, the Middle East, show how quickly things can change and how they can go wrong. We must be prepared. And right now the Army is not.

The Government of Iraq also owes a debt to the American and coalition forces who are fighting the insurgency and helping put that country back together after decades of repression.

The insurgents are Baathists and Sunnis in Iraq who have as their goal a separate and distinct one of toppling the government that is there and creating their own.

We have global interests, potential threats from elsewhere, North Korea, Iran, Taiwan Straits and the like. We must be prepared for any future threat. That is why it is important that this be a transition year, 2006.

Meaningful oversight must include proper scrutiny of all U.S. detention facilities, whether those facilities are located on U.S. or foreign soil.

I am furious that the Iraqi Government would even consider giving a green light to the criminal insurgents who attack our troops.

Guard units in the U.S. are suffering severe equipment shortages which will affect their ability to respond to emergencies in their home States, such as Katrina.

Our military's unmet needs are at record levels. We are seeing the costs and strains of sustaining a military at war.

We need an immediate supplemental appropriation right now -- for seamen hours, flying hours, training, for combined, for joint exercises, for backlot and real estate maintenance, for family housing. All of these are necessary right now. Otherwise a bunch of the efforts of the military will be shut down.

We need an immediate supplemental appropriation -- right now,

The Army is stretched thin and there is a potential that we could break the force if we are not careful.

We have very, very fine air traffic controllers, men and women. They do their job, they do a fine job, and there's no sense in our trying to bend to their culture.

Those who are terrorists with their genesis in Afghanistan have a goal of creating a fundamentalist Muslim caliphate all across the Middle East.

We were told that everyone's doing OK. We don't have to worry unnecessarily.

Advances made possible by NIH research have delivered better medical outcomes for those who suffer from many common health problems.

As a matter of fact, we are sustaining a battalion's worth of casualties every month wounded and killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For each 1 percent pay raise it is about a $600 million, so a billion dollars won't cut the mustard.

For each 1 percent pay raise, is about $600 million -- so $1 billion just won't cut the mustard.

It's been a long ride ... to get us to this point in the base-closure process. This journey has been more difficult than it needed to be.

I hope to pass the security of Iraq over to the Iraqi forces and redeploy our forces, having left behind a secure and stable Iraqi parliament. Hopefully we'll be able to drastically reduce our forces there.

In the three years since our nation began operations in Iraq, more than 2,500 Americans have been killed and more than 18,000 Americans have been seriously wounded.

In the three years since our nation began operations in Iraq, more than 2,500 Americans have been killed and more than 18,000 Americans have been seriously wounded

Guard units in the U.S. are suffering severe equipment shortages which will affect their ability to respond to emergencies in their home States, such as Katrina

All of these are necessary right now. Otherwise, much of the efforts of the military will be shut down,