Political Quotes

“an important part of what makes livable communities is a broad concept of what constitutes the infrastructure that constructs them. That means both the natural environment as well as the built environment. And most important, it also means our people. Today I would like to focus for a moment on one of the most important parts of the human infrastructure in a livable community, our young people. They are a key part in our community in Portland, Oregon, not just young people at work learning to prepare for their future careers but making real accomplishments as they go. This week in Washington, D.C., one of my constituents, Jennifer Fletcher, from Grant High School, is being honored by Seventeen Magazine for her volunteerism. Jennifer is one of those extraordinary young people, although only 16 years of age, who has focused in on things that will make a difference in her community, I think in part inspired by a movie that was shot at her high school, ``Mr. Holland's Opus,'' a Richard Dreyfus story about how a music teacher was able to inspire a community to make investments for its future. Jennifer has done something that would make any screen writer proud. She has founded ``Arts Alive'' in our community in response to funding cuts for arts programs at their schools. ``Arts Alive'' is dedicated to providing funding for these schools, and she has exhibited extraordinary creativity in how to go about it.”