Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, the claims that this bill will save the taxpayers billions of dollars is total nonsense. According to CBO, the mandatory minimum sentence provision already in the bill will only save the Federal Government $15 million. Not billion of dollars, $15 million between the years 1997 and 1999. Mr. Chairman, we all should take exception with those who claim that nonviolent but serious drug offenders are not violent criminals. Let us just repeat that one more time because it affects you and your children and your home towns. Most of the violent crime committed in this country today is caused by people who traffick in drugs. Forty-eight percent of all men arrested for homicide test positive for using drugs at the time of the arrest. Illegal drug use is the cause of half of family violence. Half of family violence caused by drug use. And most of this violence is directed against women and children. And what about the effect of illegal drugs on young children? The fact is that 30 percent of all child abuse cases, child abuse cases, is caused by parents using illegal drugs. And even worse, infants in this country are now suffering under the pain and violence of the drug pushers that this bill is going to put back out onto the streets, 16,000 drug pushers. The number of drug-exposed babies, newborn infants, has soared in recent years.”