[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       GOVERNMENTS ARE FOR PEOPLE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 13, 1999

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, in Yugoslavia, the popular belief strong 
cold-blooded leaders are best for the social order has again brought 
many innocent citizens to the hell of war. The question is why do 
civilized, educated people allow sovereign predators like Slobodan 
Milosevic to lead them into catastrophe and destruction? There are no 
easy answers to this question--and Serbia is far away and mysterious to 
most of us. But closer to home, in too many governors and mayors in 
America we see the glorification of the strong, cold-blooded leader. 
Elected executives who recklessly cut families from the welfare rolls, 
deny food stamps and obscure the right to medicaid exhibit the same 
temperament as national dictators. Across the nation elected officials 
are refusing to utilize the special health care program for children 
(Child Plus); they are also refusing to spend available funds for day 
care and job training programs. No one in American public life would 
use the phrase ``ethnic cleansing'', but a member of the New York Times 
editorial board once proudly sanctioned the concept of ``planted 
shrinkage''. Governments are for people. Cities exist to make life more 
enjoyable for the residents. Police are hired to protect the populace, 
not to serve as occupying armies. These should be self-evident truths, 
however there are governors and mayors who have forgotten the reason 
for state governments and the purpose of cities.

                       Anthem Of The Strong Mayor

     O say can you see
     Perfection beckons me
     Power Mayors show no pity
     Traffic is the purpose of a City
     Parks are not for dogs
     Kids are worst than hogs
     Playgrounds breed infant crime
     Welfare mothers are a menace
     Keep seniors off the street
     Incontinence is never neat
     Short skirts are a sin
     Cops bring holy violence in
     O say can you see
     Order is sweet rhapsody
     Great revenues we bring
     With the parking ticket sting
     We fill your days
     With quota tow-aways
     Auto bahs big and trains on time
     Progress with efficiency rhymes
     Traffic is the purpose of a City
     Power Mayors show no pity
     O say can you see
     Perfection beckons me.

     

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