Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, the death toll due to mental illness continues to climb. Yesterday we lost another 118 lives to suicide, and this brings the total lives lost since passage of H.R. 2646 to 7,670. We lost another 959 lives to mental illness, bringing the total of lives lost to 62,355 since House passage of my bill in July. If nothing is done today, then tomorrow we will lose more. By Monday, another 2,800. I hope my colleagues in the Senate are moved to action by this continued loss of lives, which is preventable. But if it's popularity, approval ratings, or upcoming elections that our friends are worried about, my friends should know that most Americans believe the country is losing ground in dealing with mental health. In fact, 83 percent of the country thinks so, according to a national mental health survey. Mr. Speaker, how high does the death toll need to climb before the Senate decides to act? We only have a few legislative days left in September. We can either spend that time reading more obituaries or news clips of tragedies or passage of H.R. 2646. It is absolutely clear that America wants us to act now. The question is: Will the Senate finally act and bring treatment before tragedy? ____________________”