Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to an incredibly important piece of legislation that will provide essential funding for programs which will go miles toward helping every young person in America who has maybe had a misstep reach their potential and achieve their American Dream. As I travel my district, I am so impressed as I meet some of the most incredible young people in north central Florida. These young Americans have the capability of literally changing the world and the capability of bettering their communities and setting a positive example for the youth that will follow in their footsteps. Unfortunately, too many will fall victim to the circumstances in which they were born. Too many will become familiar with the inside of a juvenile detention facility, as the image of the classroom fades from memory, and the all-too-often reality of life behind bars begins to materialize. I want to stress that if this happens to even just one child, that is one child too many. We live in the greatest nation on Earth. We tell our children they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up, yet we know the reality for some is that as these very words are spoken, there is no truth to them. These are the youth who fall subject to the cradle-to- prison pipeline, and it is unacceptable. These are the children in our communities, children who go to school with our own kids and, yes, in some cases even our own children. We have the ability to change their reality. H.R.…”