Political Quotes

“I think it's interesting to note that there are three returned Peace Corps volunteers here today, one Democrat, two Republicans. In the Congress, there are three of each, three Republicans, three Democrats. But, more importantly, our appetite for public service was not whetted just by Peace Corps. It certainly broadened our lives. I joke with people. I never crossed Main Street in Syracuse from the east side to the west side until I was 16 years old. I went to college, went into the Peace Corps. The world got a lot bigger. I have come back, and I have met people in every walk of life who were Peace Corps volunteers. I suspect the same will happen with AmeriCorps volunteers. In fact, 90 percent, almost 90 percent of former AmeriCorps volunteers come back and volunteer on their own. They continue to provide, to work in public service. They continue to support organizations in their own community. This is a citizen-building organization. So few of our young people today focus on what they can do for their country. This is a great way to get them to focus on it. It's $250 million, a lot of money, but it's an investment. You hear that a lot, but you can see the investment. Whether you agree with our politics or not, you can see the investment paid off, in that individuals like ourselves from very different backgrounds wound up here at the highest level of public service.”