Charles Rangel: “I appreciate this. We all have to agree that it is very unique for someone who has gained such a wonderful reputation in…”

“I appreciate this. We all have to agree that it is very unique for someone who has gained such a wonderful reputation in this House to find higher reasons and better causes in order to leave. In addition to going home every night in order to take care of his parishioners, we talk about family values; but Floyd Flake has really lived it, because he has four children and a wife that he shared his life with while he was here working in the Congress to improve the quality of life for other Americans. We find it so easy to talk about improving the life of the poor, but he was on the Committee on Banking and Financial Services, and he did what he thought was the best thing he could do for poor folks. He did not just talk about poverty but, rather, thought the best thing he could do would be to remove people from poverty. And, being a part of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services, he was able to bring community banks to allow people that lacked the sophistication to have access to the resources so they would not just be getting loans, but they would be able to go into business and provide opportunity for others. We hear all the debate about education, whether we should support the public schools or whether we should have vouchers. He not only talked about the concept but went out and built the schools so that, indeed, people would get an education.”