Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4783--a bill that will accelerate the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Chile. As you know, on Saturday, February 27, 2010, a massive, 8.8 magnitude earthquake, one of the largest ever recorded, struck off of the coast of Chile. An estimated 2,000,000 people, including upwards of 1,500,000 displaced persons, have been directly affected by the earthquake, the tsunami, and its aftermath. As the casualties continue to grow, there is a great deal of extensive damage to highways, bridges, apartments, and infrastructure, have led the government of Chile to declare a `state of catastrophe.' Since the initial earthquake, there have been over 100 aftershocks, which include 8 aftershocks registering above a 6.0 magnitude. These aftershocks continue to affect the coast and the rest of the country. According to the United States Geological Survey, Concepcion, Chile's second largest city, was 70 miles from the earthquake's epicenter and suffered some of the worst damage. Thousands of its residents initially remained cut-off from the remainder of the country without any basic necessities, such as running water and electricity. The coastal town of Dichato and its 4,000 residents were among the hardest hit and is 80 percent destroyed. 80 percent of Talcahuano's 180,000 residents living on the Chilean coast were left homeless by the earthquake.…”