i can tell you as the chairman referenced in his remarks and mr. cummings in his. i am acutely aware as a governor for the state of new jersey that much divides political dialogue that makes it difficult for us to get things done. this cannot be one of them. i read the obituaries that are happening regularly in our state. in none do they designate whether the person who died was a republican or a democrat. they are a son or daughter, husband or wife. a mother or father. so i hope that what we try to do in the commission and this committee is trying to do today will help to give this problem the ability to rise above the partisanship we have in our country today. it is true this is the greatest and broadest public health epidemic of our lifetime. everything else pales in comparison to the breath of this problem. it is everywhere in america. 175 people are dying per day. for someone who comes from where i come from, the most powerful analogy is that this means that we have a september 11th every 2.5 weeks. every 2.5 weeks. i want to ask all of you and this committee.