[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 44 (Wednesday, April 20, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           CRIME: AN AMERICAN DILEMMA, NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE

  (Ms. LAMBERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LAMBERT. Mr. Speaker, I came to this body as a freshman with the 
high hopes that this body would begin to work together on issues for 
the American people. But I stand in this Chamber today disappointed to 
hear that members of the Republican Party have circled their wagons to 
defeat the crime bill for political resasons. I have in my hand a 
letter circulated by one Republican encouraging members of his party to 
kill the crime bill in order to bring the crime issue back to 
Republicans for at upcoming election issue.
  Individuals who seek to shoot down this crime bill to give their 
party control of the crime issue are stealing from the American 
citizens. Crime is not a political issue. It is an American dilemma.
  I have said before that a return to strong families, individual 
responsibility and a sense of community will defeat crime faster than 
any law. The Republicans have tried to seize ownership of family values 
as well. But supporting strong families, individual responsibility and 
a sense of community is not a political issue either.
  I challenge my colleagues on both side of the aisle to quit squabling 
over who can control issues and to begin fighting to rescue Americans 
from deteriorating values and threadbare moral fiber that leads to 
crime.

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