Political Quotes

“As the Senate once again considers an amendment to the United States Constitution, this time to protect the rights of crime victims, I ask that George Will's column from Sunday's Washington Post be printed in the Record in its entirety. He offers a well-reasoned analysis of the concerns the proposed amendment raises. Tinkering Again Congress's constitutional fidgets continue. For the fourth time in 29 days there will be a vote on a constitutional amendment. The House failed to constitutionalize fiscal policy with an amendment to require a balanced budget. The Senate failed to eviscerate the First Amendment by empowering Congress to set 'reasonable limits' on the funding of political speech. The Senate failed to stop the epidemic of flag burning by an amendment empowering Congress to ban flag desecration. And this week the Senate will vote on an amendment to protect the rights of crime victims. Because many conservatives consider the amendment a corrective for a justice system too tilted toward the rights of the accused, because liberals relish minting new rights and federalizing things, and because no one enjoys voting against victims, the vote is expected to be close. But the amendment is imprudent.”