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Tonight I am watching as the House of Representatives is preparing to pass the most sweeping legislation in several generations. I have been participating in the activism that has been needed to get this legislation through so many dramatic stops and starts along the way towards this historic night. My heart is swelling with pride to see the completion of a minimum safety net for the American people. It began with the New Deal which was passed under Franklin D. Roosevelt and gave us Social Security with the Social Security Act in 1934 and continued with Lyndon B.Johnson's Great Society which gave us Medicare with the Social Security Act of 1965.
Tonight's health care reform bill will complete the Democrats' promise to the American people to guarantee that each citizen has access to quality health care at a reasonable price. Although the bill in its current form tonight may not address all the issues that exist currently , it gives Congress a starting point from which to launch further improvements in the future. Medicare in its infancy was not perfect, either. However, it has been improved with time and careful amendments. I have confidence that the Democrats will be able to take this bill and create something that will offer all Americans freedom from worry about access to good health care and devastating health care bills.
Yes, it's a new day in America! The final race has been run, and the last crown has been won. Our country will be once again a haven for entrepreneurs and small businesses because they will be able to afford health insurance once more. Those on Medicare will see their prescriptions become more affordable. Gradually, we will re-claim the optimism of an earlier period of America's history when the Middle Class was vibrant and strong, and there was hope for upward mobility. This bill is just a step along the way to that dream.
Stay tuned!
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