Christopher Shays: “This is a bipartisan effort, and it is a recognition that one of the most important things we can do is to have…”

“This is a bipartisan effort, and it is a recognition that one of the most important things we can do is to have preventive programs for our young people. I serve a district with 10 communities. There are three major cities, the cities of Stamford, Norwalk, and Bridgeport, where we have serious juvenile crime problems. If you meet with the chiefs of police of any of those three cities, they will tell you one basic thing: "Give us prevention programs for our kids." I attended a Memorial Day parade in Fairfield, CT, a suburban community next to Bridgeport, CT. The parade route was lined with people and lots of kids. Then came the Indian Princesses, the Indian Guides, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the soccer team, the high school band, the junior high school band. It went on for almost 2 hours. That kind of parade in the city of Bridgeport would have lasted about 10 minutes. I think that sometimes, those of us who live in the suburbs take these extra curricular programs for granted.”