mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume .  mr. chairman , i would like to respond to the suggestion about mandatory minimums .  this may be a crime where high sentences may be appropriate ; and if they are appropriate in the individual case , they can be applied .  what the mandatory minimum imposes , whether it makes any sense or not , whether it violates common sense , it still has to be applied .  that is why we get a letter from the judicial conference every time we have a bill before us with mandatory minimums in it , they remind us that the mandatory minimums violate common sense .  we also have the opportunity to review the studies that we have seen that show that mandatory minimums waste taxpayer money , as opposed to other ways that you can sentence .  mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time .  