[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: January 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                MINNESOTANS BRAVE COLD FOR TOWN MEETINGS

  (Mr. RAMSTAD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, my constituents last week gave me a clear 
message to pass on to all of you.
  At three town meetings during the week temperatures plunged to 35 
degrees below zero, over 250 people turned out to express their 
concerns. They want us to take off our Republican hats, take off our 
Democrat hats, roll up our sleeves, and work together in a pragmatic, 
bipartisan way to pass a crime bill and reform health care and welfare.
  The message they sent is clear. They want less rhetoric and more 
serious action from the Clinton administration and Congress.
  They want action now on a comprehensive anticrime bill. My suburban 
district in Minnesota has had 12 murders since last July. My 
constituents want more cops, tough measures against violent offenders, 
more prisons to ensure that violent offenders serve their full 
sentences, and better drug treatment and prevention programs.
  They want action now to reform our broken welfare system. They're 
tired of spending billions on a system that breeds dependency and 
hopelessness.
  They want action now to reduce health care costs without destroying 
the best health care system in the world. My constituents know that the 
Clinton plan is a bureaucratic monster that will restrict consumer 
choice, kill jobs, and add to our massive budget deficit.
  Mr. Speaker, let us listen to our constituents. Let us do it now--and 
do it right.

{time}  1440

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