Political Quotes

“I rise, however, to raise another issue. I think that the Coast Guard bill is a good one, but I raise a concern that has adversely affected the Chicago area, which I represent. For many years the Coast Guard Air Station helicopter facility located in Glenview, IL, patrolled southern Lake Michigan, an area with a high volume of recreational traffic. Recently that facility was relocated to Muskegon, MI, more than 100 miles away. Under the current setup, it takes a helicopter twice as long to get from Muskegon to the Chicago area as it did from Glenview. Some authorities have contended that moving the unit out of the Chicago area has dramatically compromised the safety margin for those persons who frequent the lakefront. A recent Chicago Sun Times article reported that during the past year, 26 people have died on southern Lake Michigan as compared to 4 deaths during the previous year. It has been observed that the number of deaths on southern Lake Michigan have continued to spiral upward since the Coast Guard's decision to relocate to Muskegon. Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that the U.S. Coast Guard will reevaluate this move, which is possibly responsible for a number of senseless deaths.”