Political Quotes

“thousands of people come to Washington, DC, each year to learn about the history of our country and the legacy left to us by the great men and women that have built the strongest, most powerful nation the world has ever known--the United States of America. Our country's finest hours have been ones where prejudice and discrimination have been acknowledged and addressed. The key to our overcoming and addressing discrimination has been education and understanding. The most recent debate over the FDR Memorial is an opportunity for our country to once again beat back discrimination. Discrimination is not always blatant. Discrimination also includes exclusion. I strongly believe that portraying FDR in a wheelchair in one of the three statues that are being built as part of the memorial would be an incredibly powerful statement to all who visit this tribute to a great, vibrant, forceful leader. The fact that FDR had polio and spent most of his waking hours as President working in his wheelchair does not change any of these truths. In fact, FDR's disability was a great source of his strength. A main tenet of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was to ensure that the Federal Government plays a central role in enforcing the standards established in the act on behalf of individuals with disabilities. In this effort, I hope that the FDR Memorial Commission will depict President Roosevelt as he was--a great, courageous man who had polio and still led our Nation.”