Political Quotes

“Mr. President, no single issue dominated our deliberations more than the subject of illegitimacy. Republican or Democrat. Liberal or Conservative. I believe nearly every Senator emphasized the need for our society to curtail the dramatic rise in illegitimacy--or else face the tragic consequences. Given our near universal expression of concern and the overwhelming urgency of the situation, the logical question became: What steps do we in Congress take to combat this vexing problem? A number of proposals were presented for the Senate to consider. There was the family cap: Essentially denying additional benefits to mothers already on welfare for any additional children they have. There was the issue of denying any assistance at all to unwed teen mothers. And there was the illegitimacy ratio bonus which would provide additional financial assistance to States which successfully lowered their out-of-wedlock birth rate. My general philosophy when it comes to an issue such as welfare reform is to give the States maximum flexibility in designing and operating their own programs.”