Rick Lazio: “The debate today is really about the future of our children. It is America's children. We must be concerned not only for…”

“The debate today is really about the future of our children. It is America's children. We must be concerned not only for our own children, but all America's children. Last week on this floor I spoke of the children growing up in public housing in Chicago's State Street corridor. In that neighborhood unemployment is almost universal. More young women become teenage parents than graduate from high school. Guns outnumber books. Children murder children. It is a community filled with despair. Mr. Chairman, the budget we offer today is one filled with hope, hope for a brighter future for all Americans, including the children of State Street and all of our inner cities. The Republican budget keeps us on the path we started last year toward opportunity and economic growth. The 1997 budget endorses the landmark housing bill that passed the House last week, and is designed to give the people at the local level the power to deal with the problems in their communities without being strapped by Federal regulations and bureaucracy.”