mr. harkin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: mr. president, i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: the quorum call will be success spended. mr. harkin: i ask unanimous consent elizabeth levins and mary pope be granted floor privileges for the duration of today. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. harkin: mr. president, i want to talk today about a subject that has immense implications for america's future. in fact, i often talk about it as being perhaps the darkest cloud hanging over the future economic well-being of our country that no one ever really talks about and it's been hugely ignored and that's the issue of retirement income. and what people are going to do when they retire in the future. i've been focused on this for several years. my help committee has over the last two or three years had 10 hearings on this issue. we have met with a lot of the investment community and retirement benefits community to take a look at what's happening and to see w

mr. harkin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: mr. president, first awb that lawrence arki -- awns i ask unanimous consent that lawrence arkensian be granted floor privileges for today's session. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: mr. president, i've come to the floor today to speak about my two recent fact-finding trips to cuba. during the first trip, which was an incredible journey cross the nation of cuba, i had conversations with cuban citizens, farmers, doctors, nurses, students, just a very broad cross-section of the cuban citizenry. also some government officials, too. the second trip was -- involved a one-day visit to the u.s. detention center at guantanamo bay. first i'd like to begin with details of my first trip which took place during january's recess here in the senate. first, i want to publicly thank ambassador cabanias, the cuba cuban -- well, i guess since we don't have an embassy, he has the rank of ambassador but he is in char

mr. johnson: madam speaker, at this -- this amendment harkins me back to the time when -- harkens me back to the time when my kids were young and i was trying to make sure that they would not jump into something where one of their schoolmates might be being bullied and then they would jump in on the part of the bully or just participate in the antagonism against the victim and i told them not to pile on. this amendment is a classic case of piling on. it would add an eighth requirement for the initial regulatory flexibility analysis specified by the bill. the agency would have to provide a detailed statement describing any impairment of the ability of small entities to have access to credit. the bill already requires agencies to consider all indirect costs which would include this issue. this amendment would allow yet another ground for a regulated entity to challenge a rulemaking. title 3 does nothing to help small businesses and other small entities reduce compliance costs or to ensure agency compliance with the r.f.a. instead the bill simply imposes -- or this amendment would impose ano

mr. rogan any questions. i would certainly be reticent to have a conversation with you as a comedian. i was fully prepared to be shown up by you but it really bothers me that senator harkin is even more funny. >> that kevin spacey line was great. [laughter] >> i don't know whether i will ask you a question or not. this probably is the question and let me put this in the record as a question for dr. collins at nih. as i was listening to the testimony it occurred to me it would be useful for me to understand whether the prevalence of alzheimer's is increasing or is that just a factor of us living longer? i don't know the answer to that but i assume that has a significant cost consequence so are you expecting greater costs in the future as a result of longevity and then just scientifically on every search basis has alzheimer's been with us and to the degree that it is today and it's now that we live longer and therefore it's not that we are physiologically changing. it's just that we live longer and therefore the evidence exists? i don't know whether that's a question for you.are hurd but before i forgot my question i wanted to make certain i got it in front of dr. collins.