Paul Rosenzweig

I would not support sunsetting every provision of every law, for precisely the same reasons that you've just alluded to, that it gives us the opportunity for a big Christmas tree to be grown in the midst of Congress. In the context, however, of this vital issue, the balance between civil liberty and national security, one that I think is, frankly, the most important legal issue, domestic legal issue facing this Congress this year—more important than Medicare, more important than Social Security. The importance of getting it right and the importance of keeping Congress engaged is, in my judgment, sufficiently great that artificial mechanisms like the sunset are, I think, to be used cautiously, judiciously. Also, to be candid, I think on this type of provision, there's pretty unlikely there are going to be a lot of Christmas trees. As Patriot—as the next PATRIOT Act goes through, nobody's going to put a tax break on—I hope. (2003) source Unverified