Political Quotes

“the debate this afternoon is not necessarily about the Legal Services Corporation. It is about the Federal obligation to provide legal assistance to those who need it. And, yes, that is a Federal responsibility. I have no love necessarily for the corporation per se. I think we have made progress in the last year in terms of reforming it to get it out of the advocacy business and into the business of effectively representing the men and women of this country who cannot afford legal services who need help. I do not think it is fair to say that the private sector can pick up this burden. Lawyers in Maine are currently devoting tens of thousands of hours on a pro bono basis, but they cannot shoulder that burden by themselves. I think it is a question of how we provide the resources. To the extent I have any disappointment about this debate this afternoon, it is that it obscures the central question. We cannot afford to stay in a situation where we are either supporting legal services or eliminating it. To me the question is how do we provide the resources.”