Charles Rangel: “my dear friend Clay Shaw who has worked so hard to protect the children of our great Republic and who made so many…”

“my dear friend Clay Shaw who has worked so hard to protect the children of our great Republic and who made so many attempts to make this a bipartisan effort closed his remarks by saying, ``And who would want to be in a position of defending the status quo?'' Mr. Speaker, the gentleman has no idea what a powerful political statement he made. Because the answer should be, ``Nobody.'' There is widespread feeling in this Congress and in the United States that anybody that can work should be working, and anybody who freeloads is inconsistent with the ideas and the ideals that made our country the great country it is. Nothing gets to a taxpayer more than seeing a freeloader living at their expense and not making any attempt to pay their own way with the dignity that a job brings to them. Having said that, if I understand this bill, this is not just reform because you call it reform. President Clinton said you can put wings on a pig but it does not make it an eagle. Why should I accept the fact that just because it is different, it is reform? ``Trust the States.'' I trust the States. Give them the Federal money, they are closer to the problem. Put in a safety net. Make certain the children are protected. We are not talking about aid to dependent mothers. We are talking about children. Whether you are Democrat, conservative, liberal, or Republican, OMB says 1 million kids are going to be pushed into poverty. Why?…”