Kevin McCarthy Quotations

There are two different types of leader. A person can either be like a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer will tell you what the temperature is. A thermostat will not only tell you what the temperature is, but it'll move you to the temperature you need to get to.

Our government has failed us. From the billion-dollar bailouts to the 'stimulus' package that failed to stimulate to the government takeover of health care, you cried 'Stop!'... but the Democratic Majority in Washington has refused to listen.

I like to be around people, so I ended up being roommates, right? I had a house. I lived with four guys.

When I think of the future, I think of my 15 year old son Connor and my 12 year old daughter Meghan. I worry about their future because your kids are as important to you as mine are to me. And I am unwilling to leave our children with so much debt.

We pledge to you that we will create jobs. End economic uncertainty and make America more competitive. We will cut Washington wasteful spending and reduce the size of government. And we will reform Congress and restore your trust in government.

Life in the restaurant business can provide a start in the working world for young people or a stable living for many Americans and their families.

My belief is you have one chance to make a first impression.

It's not easy for the average family to ensure that their child receives a quality education. And the federal government is not making it any easier.

A lot of times, people just want to be an individual. But if you really want to win, at the end of the day, it's not about you just achieving something. Everybody can achieve more if they work together.

How we fund transportation in this country is broken. You all pay a gasoline tax, right? Well, cars go farther, we get electric cars, and so on. And then we do more with the money than just build roads. We do bike lanes and mass transit.

Black holes destroy any objects that happen to fall victim to their gravitational pull.

I want a leader that sets out a path. I want one that doesn't just talk about cuts, but talks about the shining city on the hill. We're only going to get out of this problem if we grow this economy.

When it comes to tyrants, dictators and terrorists, strength and the threat of force is the only language they understand.

After hearing from my colleagues, I have decided to run for Speaker of the House. Let's work together to make a difference for our country.

America is nation of people striving to make life better for themselves and for their families.

America needs education reform on all levels to expand quality schools, build on past successes, and lower college debt.

As any small business owner knows, starting a business is not glamorous work.

As conservatives, we know our principles, and we also know the best ideas do not always come from Washington.

Being whip is working with members, educating them, and trying to move legislation forward.

Energy is the issue I care most about.

Every American, whether Democrat or Republican, agrees that job creation and affordable energy will be crucial to our economic turnaround.

I believe any time that both parties are talking, it's a good thing.

I believe in a free market of ideas and not shying away from debate.

I believe the Constitution matters: that it's not just a few pieces of paper.

We are lowering our future revenue estimates modestly, which causes a slight decline in our earnings-per-share assumptions. Our fourth-quarter earnings estimate now is $1.45, down a penny, and our 2001 estimate is $4.90, down from $4.95.

We're going to have to control the spending of government.

We're going to do tax reform to let people keep more of what they earn, grow an economy, and be able to save for your children's future and buy a new house.

We know Africa does not have the same medical treatments as we do.

Working at a restaurant is a tough gig.

The only way that I can do better than someone else, maybe they're better at something else, but they'll never beat me at work.

Many times, we spend so much time on policy, but we don't explain how the policy affects and makes the heart even grow bigger. And I think that's a place that we have to look inside.

Many times, the Senate talks of things and never gets anything through.

Most accountants will tell you the majority of small businesses run as an S Corporation.

My family was not Republicans. I'm the youngest. I came to this party based upon choice.

Politically correct speech will not defeat the enemy.

If we engage in a conflict that we know this is a threat to America, we should make it so one-sided that it gets over very quickly.

I don't come from an Ivy League school or anywhere else.

If elected Speaker, I promise you that we will have the courage to lead the fight for our conservative principles and make our case to the American people. But we will also have the wisdom to listen to our constituents and each other so that we always move forward together.

For years now, long before I became House majority leader, I have been passionate about foreign affairs because I believe that anyone who leads in Washington must appreciate the significance of America's role in providing for global security and prosperity.

For restaurants that have a minimum gratuity charge on large groups, the IRS will now count those tips as regular wages rather than traditional tips that we are all familiar with when we dine out. Ask any server, and they will tell you that this will directly affect their day-to-day lifestyle.

I don't view myself as a team manager, but a team captain. I'm part of the team, but everybody else as well.

Fortunately, there is a project that will create jobs, provide direct investment in our economy, and move us closer to our longstanding goal of becoming energy independent: the Keystone XL pipeline.

He talked about putting out a framework for the next 20 years. Now the whole debate will be, what reforms can there be so that the money gets used efficiently, and then how do we pay for it?

What you really want to do is sit down and find a place that you can control government spending and raise more revenue.

He was in control for the whole game. We try to take each at-bat as a battle, and he won the majority of them (Thursday).

Keystone will deliver 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada, North Dakota, and Montana to Gulf Coast refineries.

I think it's undignified if you don't do your job.

I think the sooner we get it done the better off we are, the greater trust the public will have,

I think there's an ability to make an immigration system that works.

I think there are changes in the environment. There are a lot of items to contribute to it.

I support them. My parents were immigrants, they came to this country and they made their life, and I have respect for them coming to America and being open on Sunday, when Americans are now closing their doors and choosing not to work.

Outside of the family, education is the greatest determinant of social mobility.

My wife Judy and I have two kids: Connor, 17, and Meghan, who is 14. My wife and I no longer worry about what we become - we are worried about what our children become.

I will tell you that the special relationship that America has with the Israeli people transcends any of the politics.

Management did endorse year-year EPS growth in the fourth quarter, and further improvement in 2006 vs. 2005, which is saying something in today's environment,

(The) 2006 outlook appears less robust than we would have thought.

That was thrown on us, so we'll look at it and see which way we go about doing it.

Most likely it was the snow on the power lines, or a tree on the power line.

Most demand weakness seems concentrated in the consumer markets, but we are beginning to hear rumblings of commercial spending cutbacks as well.

We know the Constitution gives the purse strings to the House.

We have the best-trained military in the world.

The problem of local communities saying they're not getting money fast enough, that's an old issue.

We are committed to doing trade, tax reform, infrastructure. All we need is someone that wants to work with us.

Unfortunately, when you get to the on-ice part, you get a lot of accidents because people can't skate all that well. We've had some broken bones and some injuries there, because a lot of these people have never been on skates before.

When gross public debt exceeds 90 percent of GDP, economic growth tends to decline considerably.

The facts are clear. Obamacare is failing the American people.

When kids start school, families often have little choice over where they can go. Sometimes, children are forced into a failing school simply because their parents live in a certain district, and that school is the only option.

We can't be afraid to call the enemy what it is: Radical Islamic terrorism.

Too many people in Washington care about power institutions, not caring about changing the lives of everyday Americans.

You cannot be the leader of the free world and sit on the sidelines and tweet and think you're going to get the job done.

Together, we can create something new, something bold, and something to act as a check and balance to Washington's out-of-touch agenda.

We have to defend America and be strong.

The principles that should guide American foreign policy are simple: the world is safer when America leads, only strength ensures peace and freedom, and America must stand with its allies and challenge its adversaries.

You have to reform the visa program. The chain migration system doesn't work. You need a guest workers program.

Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping.

Every sandwich I sold, the city got more sales tax, the state got more. But they came in and they would want to give me a ticket because I have a sign outside trying to get more business, right?

Competitive issues, missed product positioning, and underperforming divisions hurt the quarter, ... Unfortunately, it is not clear that any of these concerns will clear up by the first quarter of 2001 if not even later.

I started a deli when I was 19 years old. Kevin O's. The sandwiches at Kevin O's were a little like Subway before Subway - fresh baked bread. My best seller was turkey with cream cheese and artichoke hearts. I just made it up.

The simple truth is that the implementation of Obamacare has hurt Americans and their health care more than it has helped.

The thing that we tell - that I tell - members is, 'Vote your district. Vote your conscience; just don't surprise us.'

Reagan was president and had Democrats control the House and Senate, and they reformed the tax code. Clinton was president, and he had Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole; they reformed welfare and balanced the budget.

The one positive was that the company was successful in reducing channel inventories to 5.5 weeks, down from 11 weeks two months ago. Low end-product demand remains the problem.

Dell needs to quickly decrease its reliance on desktop revenues (currently 48 percent of total sales), and establish a presence as an enterprise supplier (currently 19 percent of total sales). A successful transition will take time and money, and could lead to further revenue and earnings shortfalls.

Despite support from a majority of Americans, a majority of the House of Representatives, and a majority of the Senate, Keystone XL is stuck - stalled by special-interest politics.

Apple introduced several way cool products at Macworld. We believe these new products and others still in Apple's development labs will provide upside to revenue and earnings potential for Apple during the next two to four quarters.

You meet a lot of good people and a lot of real new hockey fans, which is good. You see all kinds of walks of life. It's a neat cross-section of a lot of different people.

The whip's office is almost more educational - educating members on the bill itself, listening to members ahead of time.

There's a staircase on the first floor of the Capitol that I walk every day. It's made of marble, and as you walk those steps, you think of those who've walked before you. You think of the challenges that the country's faced.

I try to drive my office more as a start-up of ideas.

It's the old Washington fiscal game of Jenga. You try to build as much debt as you can take, as much tax as you can take, until you topple the entire economy.

Everybody has a say, everybody has a voice, because everyone that comes to the House had about 750,000 people they're representing . And you want those voices heard.

The best thing for the American public is that we do our job. That Washington changes. That the Senate and the House get together and fix their differences and find common ground.

I started my first business when I was 19. I learned a valuable lesson as a small business owner. You are the first one to work, last one to leave, and last one to be paid.

I try to remind the people it's the only sport played with two artificial limbs. You have a stick in your hands and skates on your feet. ... This is kind of unique because it would be a lot easier to stick-handle if you were on a basketball court with your runners on. Now you're on the ice with skates and it kind of adds to the complexity of how hard it is.

Once our country is fully engulfed in a debt crisis, our economy will be torn apart, and every American will be a victim of the federal government's failure to prevent this disaster.

It's regrettable that we're going to spend local property taxes on schools the state would otherwise fund. As I understand it, we don't get back that money.

Servers make very little in regular wages and largely rely on tips to pay the bills and budget for weeks ahead.

Small businesses already struggle to compete with big businesses that enjoy the luxury of a tax code filled with corporate loopholes.

Small business creates more jobs than large corporations.

I'm a conservative. I believe in the idea of freedom and liberty, but more importantly, look at my voting background. I voted against bailing out Wall Street. I voted against, never voted for, a tax increase.