Political Quotes

“we have had extensive discussion in this Chamber with regard to the National Endowment for Democracy, not only this year, but in other years. I do not rise to prolong that debate unnecessarily. Members have considered the subject, and both chairmen of the subcommittees in this Chamber have been most tolerant in allowing those of us who have concerns about the endowment to express them and to draw the problems we see to the attention of the Members. The Members have acted responsibly in moving to not increase funding for the endowment. This amendment addresses the endowment in a slightly different way. All Members applaud efforts to expand democracy around the world. Many of us, though, have been concerned about the way the funds allocated to the endowment have been spent. One of the original ideas for the endowment articulated when this measure was forwarded by President Reagan to Congress was the suggestion that this should not simply be a Government handout. Rather, that it ought to be an effort to involve the energies and the ideas of many of our private institutions in the efforts to expand democracy around the world. That is a sound idea and an enormously helpful one. One of the concerns that I have had is that the money would be spent in ways other than these institutions would spend the money if it were their own. People do tend to spend other people's money differently than they would spend their own assets.”