Political Quotes

“Abraham Lincoln once said, ``The declaration that `all men are created equal' is the great fundamental principle upon which our free institutions rest.'' As a Senator representing the distinguished land of Lincoln, I take seriously our Nation's promise for equality, particularly when it comes to health care. I rise today as a strong and proud cosponsor of the Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act of 2007--an important piece of legislation, long in the making, and long overdue. Not since 2000 has our Congress made a concerted effort to address the health of some of our most at-risk populations--people of color. In these 7 years, we have not seen a substantial improvement in the health status of people of color. Cervical cancer, a disease that can be greatly reduced by effective health care, is five times more common among Vietnamese women in the United States than it is among Caucasian women. African Americans with diabetes are seven times more likely to have amputations and develop kidney failure than are Caucasians with diabetes. In Chicago's Latino community, you will likely find one in two Latino children who are obese, a condition that often leads to the onset of diabetes. In the hospitals of East St. Louis, it's likely that African-American babies die at more than double the rate of White infants.”