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AUGUST 15, 2000

Following is a transcript of remarks made by Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island remarks on Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California. Kennedy is the co-founder of the Native American House caucus of the Democratic National Party and included this remark on Native Americans:

In this election, and beyond, we must ask ourselves whether we can afford to give our Native Americans--our Native Americans the dignity that they have so long deserved, and have yet to get. Under Republican [sic] leadership, we will make sure our Native peoples get the dignity and justice that's coming to them. Under Republican leadership, that is an impossibility.

Full text of his remarks:

Thank you. I am honored to represent the great state of Rhode Island, and I want to thank my constituents from the 1st District there, for giving me the opportunity of representing them.

The last time the Democrats held a convention in Los Angeles, we nominated a candidate who looked to the future. It's been 40 years since President John F. Kennedy, my uncle, received the Democratic nomination for president of this country.

Now we must look to the future in this election, and we must ask ourselves whether we can meet the challenges that it holds. We must ask ourselves, as a nation, whether we can build enough school rooms to house the 1.5 million additional children that are going to be occupying school space in the next 10 years.

Under Republican rule, the answer is a no. Under Democratic rule, we will work to hire an additional one million new teachers, to build new classrooms, and to make sure every school room is fitted with a computer for every child.

In the next few years, when our population doubles and our senior population is over 20 percent of our overall population, we must ask ourselves can we meet the security needs of our retirees? Well, if you're a Republican Congress, the answer is no. However, if you're a Democratic Congress, paying down the debt so that we can meet our obligations under Social Security and Medicare, while providing a prescription drug benefit, the answer is yes we can, and yes we will.

In this election we must ask ourselves whether, in our future, we can reduce the gun violence that takes the lives of 35,000 Americans every year, and 13 children every day in this country. Under Republican rule, the answer is an obvious no. Under Democratic rule, we will close the gun show loophole, we will pass common sense gun-safety legislation, and we will protect America's families.

In this election we musk ask ourselves whether, in the future, whether we are going to be good stewards of our environment, whether we are going to protect our forests from clear cutting, whether we are going to protect the air that we breath so that more children don't succumb to asthma and die every year because of a preventable disease such as asthma. Under Republican rule, the answer is no. However, with Democratic leadership enforcing our environmental laws, not only can we protect our air and save our forests, but we will.

In the future of our global economy, we must ask ourselves whether we can ensure a workplace that's safe, whether we can ensure a safe and living working standard. Under Texas Governor George W. Bush--he would like his minimum wage to be our minimum wage. His minimum wage is $3.85 an hour. Is that the kind of minimum wage America wants for its workers?

Well, that's what we'll get with Republicans. But with Democrats, we'll raise the minimum wage, we'll provide a safe place for workers to go to work, and we'll work to ensure livable standards across the board.

In this election, and beyond, we must ask ourselves whether we can afford to give our Native Americans--our Native Americans the dignity that they have so long deserved, and have yet to get. Under Republican [sic] leadership, we will make sure our Native peoples get the dignity and justice that's coming to them. Under Republican leadership, that is an impossibility.

In order to make this country the kind of place that lives up to its principles and fairness and justice for all, we need to carry on the fight of John Kennedy, we need to carry on the fight of Robert Kennedy, we need to carry on the fight of Martin Luther King Jr., we need to carry on the fight of Caesar Chavez, and we need to take back the House of Representatives, we need to elect Dick Gephardt the speaker of the House, we need to elect Joe Lieberman the next vice president, and we need to elect Al Gore as the next president of the United States.

Thank you very much.

Relevant Links:
Representative Patrick Kennedy - www.house.gov/patrickkennedy
The Democratic National Convention - www.dems2000.com
The Democratic National Committee - www.dnc.org
Al Gore 2000 - www.algore2000.com

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