Charles Rangel: “Mr. Chairman, I come from a city that I am so proud of, but we have more than our share of problems when it comes to…”

“Mr. Chairman, I come from a city that I am so proud of, but we have more than our share of problems when it comes to crime and drug addiction. The reason I have such a heavy heart is because from these poor communities, those that have access to a decent education and are able to get the tools to be able to negotiate through life, some have been able to make some major contributions to our communities, our city, our State, and indeed, our country. So many of us that come from these very same communities have been able to have the privilege to serve right here in the House of Representatives. One of the greatest things in being an American is not how much money one has, not how much wealth one has, but how much hope one has. When one comes from a poor community and is forced, through racism and economic circumstances, to see poverty every day, and one does not have hope nor believe one has an opportunity to get out of it, then sometimes one looks at drugs and abuses drugs and alcohol, figuring that one has nothing to lose. Our young people really deserve better than that.”