Joe Cunningham: “many have spoken about the destruction of the welfare system. I think Republicans and Democrats alike can view this as…”

“many have spoken about the destruction of the welfare system. I think Republicans and Democrats alike can view this as not destruction but the rebirth of a failed system. Ninety percent of the American people believe that the current system has failed, and we need to work on it. Republicans do not have a key on the welfare system plan. We produced in the House of Representatives a bipartisan plan. It passed this House. In the Senate, Senator Dole worked and passed a bipartisan welfare plan. They did that twice, bipartisan. And both times the President vetoed it. Then the Governors of this great country all got together. They said that if Congress cannot do it, let us have the Governors, that have got the direct responsibility in their States to take care of it, produce a plan. And they did so. In a bipartisan manner, Republican and Democrat Governors worked together, produced a plan and the President would still not sign that plan. Even today, the Governors are working, again, to come up with a plan. I would say that I used to teach in Hinsdale. We had three great schools: Hinsdale, Evanston, and Newtrier. Just a few miles away there are miles and miles of Federal housing. I would say to my colleagues, those children do not carry books. They carry guns. Their ideologues and their role models are pimps and drug dealers. What chance, what opportunity, what portion or even the pursuit of happiness do those children have? next to none.”