Political Quotes

“it was 11 years ago that I introduced a bill called the DREAM Act. Just this last week, I was back in Chicago to attend a fundraising dinner for a group I really respect. It is called the Merit music program. About 20 years ago, when a lady passed away, she left a legacy to the Merit music program, and the legacy said that the money she was leaving and any money that was raised should go into the public schools of the city of Chicago to offer young people a free musical instrument and music lessons if they were interested. This program has been an amazing success. It turns out it has created an avenue and opportunity many young people never dreamed of having, and some of them have talents that are incredible. I was there at their dinner last week when the violinists came in--kids from all over the public schools of Chicago--and they did a magnificent job. They feel so good about themselves. They develop a talent, and they have a 100- percent college placement rate from the Merit music program. There is a linkage there. I know the Senator from Colorado, who has taken over as our Presiding Officer, knows this, as he was an educator in the city of Denver. Many of these kids for the first time realize that they are worth something, that they can do something and do it well. And it is that confidence and pride that not only takes them through the experience of playing music but the experience of life and the experience of the classroom.…”