Patrick Kennedy: “do you not love all this talk about how we are going to get money from these poor people to give money to other…”

“do you not love all this talk about how we are going to get money from these poor people to give money to other constituents who are more deserving? Yet this same Republican majority who is talking about cutting $53 billion from welfare has no problem giving a tax cut of $245 billion over 7 years, better than half of which goes to individuals and families with incomes of $100,000 or more. It seems to me that our Republican friends are against welfare for the poor but they have no problem with welfare for the rich. I do not want to hear my Republican colleagues talk about local control, because I worked in a State legislature and I know what block granting is all about. This mantra of States rights, let the States decides, let the States manage it, in my State of Rhode Island, that is a prescription for disaster. I will tell Members why. Because without the assistance that comes through entitlement programs, the money goes to the States. So the money goes to the State bureaucrats; it does not go to the women and children and the poor people who need the assistance. Once again under States rights, just as it stood 30 years ago, States rights means justice will depend on geography. If you are a poor person in Rhode Island, you will not be treated the same as if you are a poor person in a State like Tennessee, which has got a much better economy than we have in Rhode Island. Finally, my last point is that what this bill does to legal residents is shameful.”