Political Quotes

“I appreciate the comments of my colleague from Maryland, who has argued so well that the time has come to take a bold step in favor of equality, in favor of fairness in passing employment nondiscrimination. I too rise to speak to the importance of this action. The Declaration of Independence in its second paragraph says, in words that are famous and well-known to all Americans: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Certainly that vision of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is infused into everything we pursue in this Nation in the success of individuals, the success of our families, the success of our communities, and the success of our Nation. The debate on which we are about to embark is deeply connected to this issue because certainly the ability to be free from discrimination in the pursuit of a job and to be free from discrimination in the course of employment is central to that pursuit of happiness. It is central to the issue of liberty. I rise today to say how important and vital this is to millions of Americans for whom discrimination has blocked and compromised the vision laid out in the Declaration of Independence. This bill, this framework for ending discrimination in employment, S. 815, is born with a lot of bipartisan partners whom I wish to thank at this moment.…”