Political Quotes

“50 years ago today, in his first State of the Union Address, President Lyndon Johnson committed America to what he called a war on poverty. Over the next several years, America conducted the most ambitions, determined, and successful campaign in history to reduce poverty since the Great Depression. Later today, my friend Senator Harkin, the chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, will speak in detail about the accomplishments of the war on poverty. I hope my colleagues will listen closely. Senator Harkin himself has spent over four decades in Congress working to make sure these antipoverty programs continue to work. We believe on our side of the aisle that we have to be careful in spending taxpayers' dollars. But we also believe in a safety net, a safety net for those Americans who, because of circumstances beyond their control, need a helping hand. I once worked for a man who served in the Senate. He was my inspiration to enter public life. I am honored today to have his Senate seat. He was Paul Douglas of Illinois. He once said, ``To be a liberal one does not have to be a wastrel.'' He went on to say, ``We must, in fact, be thrifty if we are to be really humane.'' I think we can balance both. We can help people who need a helping hand, but we can do it without wasting taxpayers' dollars. So what did this war on poverty of 50 years ago, that has been much maligned, achieve? Medicare. Medicaid. The Head Start Program.…”