Well, welcome again.
I've spent a number of years being taken as a bit of a thorn in the side of some of the largest corporations in this country. I've been labelled a bank basher, not a big friend of big pharma, and certainly not a friend of big oil.
I have a question that goes to both of you, and it will relate more to the realities, I think, that we're confronted with. I'm sympathetic, and I think my party has demonstrated this.
Mr. Benson, you and I will have a chance to talk again this afternoon.
I wanted to underscore what, in your view, would be the practical reactions of corporations in this country if they now have to factor in this bill in terms of existing employment. This is to both of you, and in particular Ms. Clark-Stewart.
In other words, given international realities that didn't exist 20 years ago...packing up and leaving, we didn't have the regulatory protections that we once had in this country. What would stop a corporation....?
Never mind the issue of bonds for a moment; set that aside, recognizing what this would mean in terms of the bottom line impact. What would this mean for jobs across the country today?
I mean, yes, it's great to say we would have these pensions, but is it not the practical reality that companies may just start to cut off some of their employment or suspend future employment opportunities?