U.S. Senator Chris Dodd

Mr. President, I wanted to take a few moments today to speak about a wonderful and inspiring event.

Mr. President on June 1, 200,000 Americans from across the country; blacks and whites, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, male and female, liberals and conservatives came together to stand up for the rights of our nation's most vulnerable citizens -- America's children.

I applaud the efforts of all those who came to Washington to make a principled stand for the rights of children. But as the Hartford Courant noted, "the world's most prosperous democracy shouldn't require a rally to focus on deprivation of its young."

Children don't vote. They don't have a political action committee. Instead, they must rely on the benevolence of adults to assure that they have the tools and opportunities to succeed. Unfortunately, it seems we as adults are failing to hold up our part of the bargain.

Consider the enormous adversities facing our youngest Americans. One in five children in this country is mired in poverty. Every day, 2,600 American children are born into a life of poverty. And children remain this nation's poorest group of Americans. Every day, 15 kids are homicide victims. Every 90 minutes, a gunshot ends the life of one of America's children. When our nightly newscasts and newspapers focus on the most heinous violent crimes committed in our nation it is children who seem to often be the perpetrators.

Additionally, more than 8,400 of America's young people are victims of abuse or neglect. Another twelve million lack health insurance, and child care workers toil at the bottom of U.S. wage scales.

The evidence is clear that children in our nation face innumerable difficulties. But, events of the past weekend demonstrate that there exists in our nation a groundswell of support for a political agenda that protects children. Two hundred thousand Americans came to the Mall in Washington because they believe that everything we do in Congress should help, not hinder, the growth and development of children.

They came to Washington because they believe that America should never shirk its commitment to providing health care for children. They came to Washington because they believe that children have a right to play in streets and on playgrounds free from the scourge of guns and drugs. They came to Washington because in a time when education is essential to succeeding in the global economy of the 21st century, they believe that every child must have the opportunity of a good education.

These are not, and should not, be partisan issues. And, it's with great dismay that I see some on the right attacking the intentions and goals of the organizers of Stand for Children. They claim that the event was simply an excuse to increase the size of government. I couldn't disagree more. As Marian Wright Edelman, head of the Children's Defense Fund and organizer of the march said, "We do not stand here advocating big government. We stand here advocating just government."

I certainly agree that government is not the answer to all of the problems of America's children. It can't steady the hand of an abusive parent. But, it can help to protect the child. Government can't teach a child a skill. But, it can provide educational opportunity through Head Start, good public schools or student loans.

It can't save a child's life. But it can take murderous assault weapons off the street and throw criminals in prison. Government can't put food on the table. But government can help provide child care, raise the minimum wage or provide economic opportunities so that parents, on their own, can focus their energies on making a better future for their children.

Only in our nation's communities, neighborhoods and homes can we truly create an environment conducive to the good of our children. But these cost-effective, common sense measures invest in our children's future and they should enjoy bipartisan support.

I've long supported child care initiatives in Congress, such as the 1990 Child Care and Development Block Grant and the Family and Medical Leave Act. And each time, members from both sides of the aisle have joined in co-sponsoring and supporting these measures.

Because, children's issues are not partisan issues. They are American issues and they affect each and every one of us. Stand for Children is a clear demonstration that we need to go beyond the rhetoric of protecting our children's future to concrete and unequivocal action.
I urge my colleagues to heed the call of the 200,000 Americans who came to Washington this past Saturday and make a similar stand for children here in Congress.