Political Quotes

“I come to the floor to note a sad anniversary. Friday, March 1, marked 6 years since the tragic death of a 12-year-old Maryland child named Deamonte Driver. I have spoken about him many times since his passing, which happened just weeks after I came to the Senate. The death of any child is tragic; Deamonte's was even more so because it was entirely preventable. He died from untreated tooth decay. It started with an infected tooth. Deamonte began to complain about headaches in early January 2007. By the time he was evaluated at Children's Hospital's emergency room, the infection had spread to his brain, and after multiple surgeries and a lengthy hospital stay, he passed away. The principal at Deamonte's school, Gina James, remarked, ``Everyone here was shocked. They couldn't understand how he could have a toothache and then die. We sometimes give the little kids candy as a reward; well, for a while they stopped taking it because they would say, `if I get a cavity, will I die?' '' Because Deamonte did not get a tooth extraction that would have cost about $80, he was subjected to extensive brain surgery that eventually cost more than $250,000. That is more than 3,000 times the cost of an extraction. After Deamonte's death, more Americans began to recognize the link between dental care and overall health that medical researchers have known for years. Former Surgeon General C.…”