Political Quotes

“there is an old saying ``the poor will be with us always.'' And another that ``a person never stands so tall as when he or she bends to help a child.'' When a child is poor, that child is at greater risk of being undernourished and undereducated. My constituents in the Seventh District of Illinois are among the richest and the poorest of the Nation. I am told that I am the longest serving African-American female Member in the history of the United States House of Representatives, and as such, I have for 23 years fought strong and sometimes bitter battles for the benefit of the vulnerable, the disenfranchised, the young, old, disabled, and poor. That is what I hope to be remembered for when I retire from this body at the end of the year. So, I rise today with some reservations about the Tanner-Castle substitute welfare reform measure which really is a compromise for me. I do not like the idea of block granting welfare benefits, but with sufficient Federal criteria and oversight, perhaps they can work. If so, they will be the wave of the future. This substitute requires States to enter into personal responsibility plans with parents who seek to receive this public assistance. As long as this is a two way street, spelling out what the States' responsibilities are as well as those of the parents' it could possible financially protect the families.…”