Political Quotes

On the recordApril 13, 1994
I rise to strongly urge passage of this comprehensive crime bill as soon as possible. Violence is on the rise across this country and the battle against it will take nothing short of a historic response from this Congress. Imagine, if my colleagues will, a country where more than 23,000 people died violent deaths in 1992. Imagine a country where gunfire is a daily occurrence in many neighborhoods and where it is not safe to walk to the grocery store or run some other simple errand after dark. Imagine a nation where a woman is raped every 47 seconds and where gunfire could soon overtake car accidents as one of the leading causes of death of young people. That country is not Bosnia, or Somalia--that country is the United States of America. In eastern Nebraska, we have seen an alarming rise in the number of violent crimes. Just last month, a 94-year-old woman was brutally attacked and robbed as she walked home from the neighborhood drug store in an area that one would normally consider safe. What are we coming too? One of the most troubling things about rising violence is that the character of crime is changing.
Said by
Peter Hoagland
Democratic · Nebraska

Editor's note · Context

Addressing the need for a comprehensive crime bill in response to rising violence in the U.S.

Share

More from Peter Hoagland

Feb 1, 1994

we are making terrific progress on the deficit reduction front. Nineteen months ago we were accumulating deficit at the rate of about $331 billion a year. A month ago that figure was down to $251 billion, and OMB now tells us the deficit…

govinfo.gov
Feb 3, 1994

as we wrestle with this difficult decision today, trying to balance the interests of the taxpayers against the interests of Californians who so desperately need relief, I think we first need to recall the tremendous progress we have made…

govinfo.gov
Apr 21, 1994

Mr. Kerrey's proposal, the Youth Violence Prevention Block Grant, was adopted in the crime bill the other body passed last fall. I would like to encourage this body to ensure that Youth Violence Block Grant is included in the final crime…

govinfo.gov

Other voices in this conversation