On the recordJanuary 26, 1994
I come here today to commend President Clinton for his vision and eloquence in last night's State of the Union speech and, in particular, for recognizing our urgent need to address the crime problem in our country. The first responsibility of Government is to protect its citizens, to banish the paralyzing fear and violence that crime is visiting upon our country. We are all, by now, familiar with the tragic statistics that have caused us to question what kind of society we have become. Not a day goes by during which we are not reminded again of how crime has twisted and perverted the American dream. Mr. President, the time has come for us to stop lamenting this fact and start taking bold steps to make our streets and neighborhoods what they once were and what they ought to be: safe and peaceful. Step No. 1: We must recognize that as a society, we are doing a shockingly inadequate job of incarcerating violent criminals.
