Political Quotes

“every State wants to incarcerate more violent criminals. The question is simple on this; that is, do we give the States the money to do it. Under the formula in the base bill, under the best of estimates, only three States, Delaware, North Carolina, and Arizona, would be eligible for the money. Mr. Chairman, I have a Governor in my State who is very tough on crime, the newly elected Governor. He would not be getting a nickel of money to build the more prisons that he promised in his campaign under this formula. We know that for a fact. I would say what he is going, Mr. Chairman, is, quite frankly, taking some people out of jail, but because the bar that the gentleman has set is so unrealistically high that the Governors of most States, after all, 30-some-odd of the Governors are Members of the gentleman's party, would not be able to use the money at all, so the issue, Mr. Chairman, is not who wants to incarcerate. Just about every State does. My State does, and I do. The issue, Mr. Chairman, is will the formula in the bill or a block grant that automatically gives the money better serve the State in doing it?”