Political Quotes

“we have just learned within the last few minutes that a decision has been made on Capitol Hill to eliminate the Summer Jobs Program for this year. That decision was made by Republican leaders who have decided that it costs too much--$40 million. We have to sit back, from time to time, and measure the relative cost of decisions we make. If we are going to say to literally tens of thousands of young people across America that there will not be a Summer Jobs Program, what price will we pay for that decision? For many of these kids, it means there will not be an opportunity for the first time in their lives to have a real job, a real learning experience in the workplace. In this country we are prepared to pay whatever it takes when we sentence someone to prison. In Illinois, it costs about $30,000 a year to keep someone in prison. That failed life that led to crime and conviction ends up costing us $30,000 a year. Is it too much to pay? No, we will pay it. But when it comes to jobs for kids during the summer, the Republican leadership has decided it is too much to pay. How about school dropouts? When kids drop out of school, they not only ruin their own lives but often affect the communities in which they live. These are the kids hanging out on the street corners. These are the ones who may never have a job. These are the ones who become chronic statistics in our society. We will pay for those statistics one way or the other.”