Political Quotes

“my home State of Oregon has long been known for being innovative in a variety of important public policy areas. The Oregon Health Plan, for example, is a pioneering effort. We were the first State to protect our beaches, to go forward with recycling, to look at innovative ways to protect our land, air and water, and we are clearly out in front in terms of welfare reform, a key issue to our citizens at this time. Today, I take the floor to talk about how Oregon would like to lead the country once more, this time in the critical area of juvenile justice. It is very appropriate that this matter be pursued at this time because, according to the National Center on Juvenile Justice, 47 out of 50 States have legislation in their State legislatures that would literally wipe out the State juvenile court system. It is not hard to be surprised about why these kinds of things are happening, because we know that our citizens are angry about the juvenile justice system in our country. For example, there are many who come to my townhall meetings and say, "Ron, 20 years ago we left our car doors unlocked, we left our windows open, and we were safe. But today, it's not that way any longer. I'm an older person, and I'm concerned about going out after 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I'm frightened.”