Patricia Schroeder: “I have the great honor of serving on the House Committee on the Judiciary, and this has been a very, very difficult…”

“I have the great honor of serving on the House Committee on the Judiciary, and this has been a very, very difficult year, because we have had incoming missiles from every which way attacking affirmative action. I for one have been a believer in affirmative action, because I remember I could not get into a lot of schools I wanted to get into as a young woman, because even though I passed all the tests, they would say ``Whoops, wrong chromosomes; have a nice day,'' and you went right out the door. So I have been very interested in this debate on affirmative action. Well, I am going to do today what one of the ex-mayors of New York used to do. Mayor LaGuardia used to read the newspaper to people, and I think it is time to start reading the newspaper to people, because one of these incoming missiles against affirmative action came in the form of a vote by the University of California regents. That distinguished panel voted aggressively to back off of affirmative action. To end affirmative action as we know it, and now we know why that group wanted to. They believe in the old Beatles song, ``You get by with a little help from your friends.'' Remember that? ``I get by with a little help from my friends.'' Well, this is what they are all singing.”