Voices
Quotes, before and after, on the House’s blocking of a vote on the crime bill:
“Today’s vote is a vote against . . . those people in law enforcement who stand out day in and day out and try to make our streets safer.”
--President Clinton
“There’s funding in this bill sufficient to hire two new social workers for every cop on the beat.”
--Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-N.Y.)
“Let us not be a helpless giant in response to the demands and the concerns of our people. ... The society that cannot protect the physical security of their citizens is a pretty useless society, whatever else it can accomplish.”
--House Speaker Thomas Foley (D-Wash.)
“With the pork barrel spending in this bill, we could put 360,000 more criminals behind bars.”
--Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)
” There are too many election-year goodies, trinkets and gift-wrapped spending programs piled on it. It now looks like Santa Claus wearing a sheriff’s badge.”
--House GOP Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.)
“There is something wrong when a crime bill takes six years to work its way through the Congres s and the average criminal serves only four years.”
--Hillary Clinton, in speech to police women’s group
“This bill barely mentions victims, but it lavishes billions on criminals.”
--Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.)
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