[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 117 (Thursday, August 18, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 18, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE CRIME BILL

  (Mrs. CLAYTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, we are talking about crime again, and, 
yes, it is a matter of who we like and who we think is correct. I think 
that children are important. I think it makes more sense to prevent 
crime than to spend $24,000 in my State to incarcerate people, and in 
the Federal level alone it pays $20,000. For those who will say it is 
fiscally irresponsible, Mr. Speaker, I will say that is nonsense.
  So, I want to be a voice for reason. I want to be a voice for logic 
and say, ``How best should you spend $24,000? Should you spend it on 
basketball? Should you spend it on education? Should you spend it on 
preventing young people from becoming criminals? I would rather spend 
$24,000 on a basketball team that produced taxpayers, contributing 
citizens, than to spend $24,000 a year draining on the society and no 
productivity at all.''
  Mr. Speaker, I say, ``Let's make sense. Prevention is a part of that 
strategy, just as incarceration.''

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