Charles Rangel quotes:

As a Korean War Veteran, I know too well the troubling nature of war. This is why I will always support a diplomatic answer before military intervention.

Thousands of people may have been killed by hurricane Katrina and many more could die in its aftermath because of the President's refusal to heed the calls of governors for help in repairing the infrastructure in their states.

As a Korean War veteran, I know firsthand and understand the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform.

Honoring the sacrifices many have made for our country in the name of freedom and democracy is the very foundation of Veterans Day.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was indeed a vital instrument of democracy, ensuring the integrity and reliability of a democratic process that we as a Country hold so dear.

The Iraq war took priority over domestic disaster prevention.

Hurricane season routinely strikes the Caribbean harder than the U.S.

The Klan had used fear, intimidation and murder to brutally oppress over African-Americans who sought justice and equality and it sought to respond to the young workers of the civil rights movement in Mississippi in the same way.

Now is the time for the U.S. and the nations of Western Europe who engaged in the slave trade throughout this hemisphere to come forward in a positive way to assist in undoing the harm that was caused by their past colonial policies in the hemisphere.

Meanwhile, our young men and women whose economic circumstances make military service a viable career choice are dying bravely in a war with no end in sight.

Today many Caribbean workers can be found in the hospital, construction, service and hotel industries, but there is also a growing professional sector.

We owe it to the flood victims of New Orleans to give them truthful answers as to why this event took place and to assure our citizens that tragedies like this will never happen again.

We love the ability of the people to influence the actions of decision-makers, of lawmakers and presidents to be removed from or elevated to office by the will of voters, and of the community to connect amongst diverse populations through the ballot box.

If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.

The people who couldn't get out of New Orleans to escape the storm were predominantly Black.

Regardless of the nature of their crime or any rehabilitation that may have occurred, these ex-felons cannot participate in the decision-making process of this great Nation.

At least 23,000 civilians have also died in the Iraqi killing field and the U.S. is stuck in a quagmire.

I am a firm believer that upon release, ex-offenders should be afforded a second chance to become productive citizens by providing rehabilitation and education that will help them join the workforce.

I, for one, would think both about how far we have come as a country and how much further we need to go to erase racism and discrimination from our society.

Respecting our veterans includes providing them the ways and means they so desperately need to reintegrate into our lives and serve us again as productive members of our civilian community.

Without question, conditions in the Haiti are worse since Aristide's removal, and continue to deteriorate.

For a member to say, 'I'm a lame duck' violates political science 101.

It's impossible for us to forecast what's going to happen ten years from now and make a decision today to say what we're going to do.

Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?

As a nation we should commit ourselves not only to the fight against terrorism, but to economic justice, defeat of the AIDS epidemic and vestiges of discriminatory policies of all kinds.

I assume the president's going to say he got bad intelligence... I think that wherever you see poverty, whether it's in the white rural community or the black urban community, you see that the resources have been sucked up into the war and tax cuts for the rich.

A quality education grants us the ability to fight the war on ignorance and poverty.

I was motivated to join in large part because my family needed the money. I would like to say how patriotic we were, but really what motivated me was the excitement my mother would get in receiving a check for my older brother.

Full participation in government and society has been a basic right of the country symbolizing the full citizenship and equal protection of all.

Im sick and tired of politicians beating up on the IRS. We have the best and fairest tax-collection system in the world.

I don't want to respond to rumors that have no basis at all... But I am willing to respond to questions that the public and the press should know.

I've been beat up pretty badly. Pretty badly. Yet at the end of the day, everyone says I'm doing a pretty good job.

Of course things get stagnant; people get too used to their environment, but that's why I'm in my district every week, at meetings with my constituents.

Immigrants have faced huge obstacles to achieving the American Dream, yet have persevered to overcome them.

Encouragement of higher education for our youth is critical to the success of our collective future.

From a high-tech point of view, an agriculture point of view, a goods-and-services point of view, a great deal of [committee Democrats] have no choice except to support allowing America access to these markets.

The promise of the American Dream requires that we are all provided an equal opportunity to participate in and contribute to our nation.

Our immigration policy should be driven by what is in the best interest of this great country and the American people. Comprehensive immigration reform will strengthen U.S. security and boost economic growth.

I really think that most people around the world know how well-intended Americans are.

This country was founded upon the principle that we are all endowed with certain inalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - those rights are what make America great, and they belong to each and every one of us.

Well, I really think that shatters the myth of white supremacy once and for all.

The use of our military in combat should first require declaration of war. I have long called for reinstating the military draft, simply because I believe strongly that a national decision to go to war must also include a broad commitment to share its burdens. Whenever Congress decides to fund a war or other U.S. combat activities, it must provide a means to pay for it-then and there-not later. If we don't have the will to fully share the burdens of war, then we have no right to send our sons and daughters into harm's way.

My president will boldly throw 1 million into poverty.

We all have a large stake in preserving our democracy, but I maintain that those without power in our society, the black, the brown, the poor of all colors, have the largest stake not because we have the most to lose, but because we have worked the hardest, and given the most, for what we have achieved.

I never thought I'd miss Nancy Reagan. There can't be a rating [on the Clinton drug policy] when there hasn't been a performance.

If you got problems like unemployment, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and there's a guy that's always been there for you and for your family, then you say 'He's a nice guy. I don't know where he came from or how long he's been here, but Charlie Rangel's the man.' That's what I'm relying on.

There were no weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein was not involved in the September 11th attack.

The United States is historically a nation of immigrants.

The President is destroying the fabric of America with a combined policy of war, tax cuts for the wealthy, and reductions in spending for domestic needs.

I'm in the kitchen and I'm not walking out.

The challenges African-Americans are facing today are rooted in the system of slavery.

I am running for re-election no matter who runs.

I have a record that I'm so very, very proud of, and no campaign is going to take that away.

I don't know whether the number of any particular Latino group has made or will make any particular difference in the issues that I am concerned with.

The victor will be the one who gets the most voters out.

Reapportionment is not friendly to a lot of communities and it hasn't been too friendly to mine.

My father was absolutely no good.

If you are spending too much, you cut back on spending and you raise your revenues. And that's it.

If there's no relationship with a father who's absent, nobody talks about it.

I'm just glad that my community has faith and confidence in me.

Enough is enough. This is how we get started in Vietnam.