Mark Souder: “It is ironic. Sometimes here we look more organized than we are. I was going to speak on the drug issue. I did not know…”

“It is ironic. Sometimes here we look more organized than we are. I was going to speak on the drug issue. I did not know the President was going to be sending over right before me his initiatives and comments. This is a particularly critical time in Congress as we look at decertification questions and the cooperation of foreign countries in the drug issue. We are going to face many issues in this Congress that are very important, the education issue; rebuilding our national defenses, particularly in missile defense; trying to preserve and save Social Security; trying to make sure taxpayers can keep their own money; trying to work with the health care problems we have in this Nation. But drug abuse remains on the street, in our homes and in our neighborhoods, one of the most critical problems we have. We have heard much over the last months about the moral crisis that our country is facing. And we do, indeed, have a tremendous moral crisis from top to bottom of our society. There is only so much we can do here in Washington related to that. One, we should lead by example. Two, we should try to strengthen those institutions, whether it is in the Tax Code or in different programs, that strengthen families and promote strong family values and moral virtues in our society. But in one area, in drugs in particular, the government has a direct compelling and active interest.”