Jim Bunning Quotations

We're making progress on resolving the concerns of a few senators,

We have heard a lot of talk from professional sports leagues that they would do something to clean up this mess, but so far it has been just that: a lot of talk, ... Hopefully Congress' action will light a fire under their feet to come to an agreement before we do it for them.

Maybe if he didn't have a government car and driver and had to pay for his own gas like ordinary folks, or if he lost everything he owned in a hurricane, he would be a bit more compassionate,

If they would take seriously the bills before the Congress and negotiate some kind of settlement that is close to the bills in the House and in the Senate, then I think major league sports and their unions could get away without having legislation passed by the Congress, ... I don't see that happening.

I believe the majority of Americans don't want a chief executive who spends more time huddling with lawyers than he does performing his job. People don't want this travesty to drag on.

I and my colleagues will be watching very closely, and if things unravel, we still have tough legislation we can move through Congress.

I and millions of fans think that's pathetic, ... It's obvious to everyone in this room that baseball and the players only act when Congress threatens you.

But what matters now is whether the agreement is followed as it has been outlined to me, other members of Congress and the public,

Basically, he says, 'In your face. Twenty games, take it or leave it.' That's completely unacceptable to the Congress,

Baseball and the players only act when Congress threatens you, so why should we believe you are serious now?

For whatever reason, you just can't get your act together and get the job done, ... I and millions of fans think that is pathetic.

For whatever reason, you just can't get it done, and you can't get your act together, ... I and millions of fans think that's pathetic.

I think their records should all be wiped out.

It is going to be up to the players, ... And I don't think too many of them will risk playing with fire.

I will not be able to support his nomination on the Senate floor.

Marriage matters to our society. Mothers and fathers both matter to children. Only a man and a woman have the ability to create children.

I think, seriously, that they are under the opinion that we will not act, ... We tried to explain to them that we are going to act because of their failure to do so, and I don't think it's sunk in.

I think it will continue from now until the end of the campaign,

Well, the World Series has come and gone, and they still have not come to an agreement, so we're going to move ahead in Congress, ... It's my opinion that Major League Baseball and the players union will not come to an agreement that's satisfactory.

We'll leave it there and see what the other major league sports do, ... We are very anxious to rid all professional sports of any ... steroids or amphetamines.

We plan to find out if these major league sports are going to do anything. If they give us the excuse that they're tied in to collective bargaining agreements and they can't do anything, ... then it's up to Congress to change it and make it the law of the land.

We don't want the bill, but if they can't get together, they're going to get a bill,

This offers the fans, I think, the almost certainty that there will be nothing but baseball to worry about. The focus will be on baseball and not on labor unrest.

Difficult times require difficult decisions. But supporting this bill shouldn't be a difficult decision.

see what the other major league sports do. ... We hope this agreement by major league baseball will stimulate the other sports to stiffen their penalties.

reading is essential to the development of our children.

Any records that may have been achieved while these players were on the juice should be stricken from the books forever.

This is the 35th time you have appeared before a committee that I sit on, ... I think I'm finally beginning to understand your statements and answers, which probably means it's time for one of us to go.

This is about the integrity of the game and particularly the kids.

They never take the step that you need to take to let people know that this is absolutely unacceptable, and that's to throw them out for life.

They are eager to resolve this quickly and not be seen as the protectors of athletes taking steroids that cheat the fans and most importantly and above all else harm our children. Because in the end, this is really all about protecting our kids who look up to these players as role models and try to emulate them.

This is what I had hoped for all along, for the two private parties to come to an agreement on their own without Congress having to do it for them, ... not as tough as I would like.

It's a wonderful project because it helps patients and their families at a difficult time,

It's safe to say I'm skeptical. We'll still be in session after the Series.

It's unfortunate we've come to the point where Congress has to take action but the leagues and the players have left us no other choice,

The new visitor center at Big Bone Lick State Park will provide an important cultural attraction in Northern Kentucky that will further establish it as a tourist destination,

The bill that I voted for said that the Bureau of Labor Statistics, if it's in their wisdom to put a cost of living in, it's OK, ... But they haven't done it.

It seems as though there are Members in this body who want to filibuster just about everything we try to do, whether it is stopping judicial nominations, the Energy bill, or this Medicare bill.

It's very important for our kids. Like it or not, these athletes serve as role models for our children.

The war against terror is every bit as important as our fight against fascism in World War II. Or our struggle against the spread of Communism during the Cold War.

In light of the hurricane devastation inflicted on the people in the Gulf Coast and its impact on our economy, it is foolish to be raising rates again, ... The price of fuel is surging upward, and Americans simply don't need another rate hike in the middle of a crisis -- they need relief.

I know there are 20 economists out there who could do the job.

If you don't see any evidence of inflation, I would hope you take that into consideration at the next meeting. You don't have to raise rates just because many expect you to do so. Low interest rates are not necessarily a bad thing.

I hope now that the other sports leagues take note of baseball's lead and toughen up their own penalizes, too,

Hopefully Congress' action will light a fire under their feet to come to an agreement before we do it for them.

He proceeded to tell me about the 1964 season and how we blew the pennant.

A loving family provides the foundation children need to succeed.

But let there be no misunderstanding. The war against terror is every bit as important as our fight against fascism in World War II. Or our struggle against the spread of Communism during the Cold War.

The perception is that baseball's players' union is protecting players to use steroids and other illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

A loving family provides the foundation children need to succeed, and strong families with a man and a woman - bonded together for life - always have been, and always will be, the key to such families.

Today, Medicare provides health insurance to about 40 million seniors and disabled individuals each year. The number is only expected to grow as the baby boomers begin retiring.

No company fails in communist China, because they're all partly owned by the government.

We no longer have a free market in the United States, we have a government controlled free market.

From watching the news one would think the Iraqis want us out of their country. But an overwhelming majority of Iraqis support our involvement there. Our freedom is contagious and we helped liberate them.

The activists will not stop in trying to impose their extreme views on the rest of us, and they have now plotted out a state-by-state strategy to increase the number of judicial decisions redefining marriage without the voice of the people being heard.

We must send the message that if you use illegal drugs, you will pay the ultimate price by not playing an entire season. And if you get caught again, you will be banished for life.

The family farm is the foundation for who we are as a Commonwealth. And for over a century, the family farm in Kentucky has centered around one crop: tobacco.

The hard line is for the good of the kids,

The line-item veto can serve as a useful tool for the president to help cut wasteful spending and is essential to keeping our fiscal house in order.