11 Quotes by James Oberstar

would not be a step forward. At best it would be a step sideways.

There is a sense of airline financial relief fatigue among members, who feel that we have already rushed to the well on their behalf with post-Sept. 11 support and it's now up to them.

If we elevate security without addressing the industry's liquidity, there will be no aircraft for the public to board,

With more than 5,000 people killed and 100,000 injured in truck-related crashes each year, we strongly urge that you refocus the agency on its core mission of 'safety as the highest priority.

Our nation's water/wastewater infrastructure is literally crumbling beneath our city streets. The hidden problem for America is 70 to 100 year water and sewer lines that don't have the capacity to respond to today's population growth and vastly increased water use and reuse.

This nation has been at war, ... Airlines are the front line of that war. We wouldn't think of contracting out our army to protect us against an open foreign invasion. We shouldn't think of contracting out responsibility of defending the internal United States against covert attacks.

Without direct financial intervention by the federal government we could soon see the financial liquidation of the airline industry, ... That is a very serious problem.  Aviation represents 10 percent of our gross domestic product. That's $700 billion dollars of a $7 trillion economy and the underpinning of mobility on which our whole economy depends.

We cannot legislate good judgment into the minds and hearts and souls of pilots, but we can erect some strong barriers.

This merger and the others that follow will mean fewer choices - due to reduced competition, higher fares and likely, a serious deterioration in service, I am very skeptical that the merger of these two 'customer service-challenged,' organizations will improve this already dismal situation.