Political Quotes

“Madam President, this past week we observed in this country Workers Memorial Day--when we pause and remember those Americans who lost their lives on the job. For generations hard-working people have left their homes every morning or for second or third shift to earn an honest living, to provide for loved ones, to put food on the table. For generations too many would leave for their jobs but return home from work injured or in far too many cases not return home at all; they died operating heavy machinery on late-night shifts; they died working in coal mines; they died building roads and bridges; they died in far too many cases from lack of basic fire safety, ventilation systems, and lighting. I have shared with my colleagues before that over the years many times I will wear a depiction of a canary in a bird cage on my lapel that reminds me why we honor these workers and why honoring these workers' lives matters. One hundred years ago, a mine worker took the canary down in the mine in a cage. If the canary died from toxic gas or lack of oxygen, the mine worker quickly left the mine, understanding that he had no union strong enough to protect him nor a government that cared enough to protect him. In those days 100 years ago, when they took the canary in the mine, the life expectancy for a child born in this country was only 45 or 46 years.…”