Political Quotes

“I just want to say that the abstractions with which we deal with issues like this here are very different from the reality on the streets. On my way back here from Seattle today, I read a long and fascinating article in the New York Times about the cultural differences among various kinds of gangs in the city of Los Angeles. The reporter reports on the particular ethos of black gangs, of Asian gangs, and of Hispanic gangs. In Los Angeles, the Spanish gangs account for most of the street murders, in the number of hundreds every year, but they do have a strong sense of family. And the principal part of the story is about a 15-year-old gang member with a 17-year-old girlfriend who has a 1-year-old child by this gang member. If I may, I will share the last two paragraphs of that story with you, Mr. President. ``He's always staying home now,'' Tanya said hopefully. ``He doesn't want to miss nothing. He's saying, `Can't you just leave the baby with me. I'll watch the baby and you go to school.'' Dreamer is still only school age-- He is 15. Tanya acknowledged, but the young family expects to be financially secure. Her mother receives Federal assistance to care for her through Aid to Families with Dependent Children. And now, Tanya said, she will also receive AFDC assistance to care for her own daughter, who is named Josefina. So here we are subsidizing gangs and gang warfare in Los Angeles. That is why we need to pass this bill.…”