Political Quotes

“I want to talk about something very near and dear to my heart: the efforts to eradicate polio. Truly, Mr. Speaker, we are this close to ending polio. Once a widespread global epidemic, it is now only endemic in two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. When I was district governor of Rotary just a few short years ago, we were reporting 17 to 18 cases per year. And I am so excited that we have only had 2 reported cases this year. There is one organization that has led this charge, though many have helped, but Rotary has led this since 1979, literally vaccinating over 2.5 billion people in 122 countries. As a former Rotary district governor, I spent some time this past weekend at Fort Hays State University celebrating Rotary and all we have done, including the celebration of international students and the peace awards that they receive through our scholarships. There is no cure for polio. It is preventable by a very simple vaccine. It is vital that we aid these last handful of countries, get us over the finish line with these resources, and end our fight against polio so we can tell future generations: Like smallpox, polio is no longer in this country. ____________________”