Barney Frank Quotes

Social Security not only helps Americans enjoy a secure retirement, it has also kept millions of Americans out of poverty.

I don't know of a Democrat - whether they're a conservative, a centrist or a liberal Democrat - that doesn't think that it's important to have quality jobs that pay decent wages so that families can support themselves, so that they can have the dignity of being able to afford health care, put money aside for pension, buy a home.

The American home, a steady job, an opportunity for the children to go to school properly nourished is the way to combat communism.

American poverty is darkened by lonliness: poverty in so many poor countries …. Is brightened only by community. Helping people gain other people to lean on—not just offering cheaper health care and food stamps, tax cuts and charter schools—seems essential to making the American dream work …

The key to a vibrant middle class is an abundance of jobs that pay enough so that workers can provide for themselves and their families, enjoy leisure time, save for retirement and pay for their children's education so they can grow up and earn even more than their parents.

I do think that people deserve a basic economic floor so the bottom doesn't fall out under them.

I'm not a single mom with two jobs, trying to get by, every day. I have much more support than most women, around this world, and I have the financial means to have a home and help with care and food.

Social security has enabled people to retire with dignity and overwhelmingly not be in poverty. We have to keep it solvent.

And one thing we want during this war on terror is for people to feel like their life's moving on, that they're able to make a living and send their kids to college and put more money on the table.

Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty.

If you're willing to put in the work, the idea is that you should be able to raise a family and own a home, not go bankrupt because you got sick, 'cause you've got some health insurance that helps you deal with those difficult times; that you can send your kids to college; that you can put some money away for retirement. That's all most people want. Folks don't have unrealistic ambitions. They do believe that if they work hard, they should be able to achieve that small measure of an American dream.

Everybody aspires to an affordable home, a secure job, better living standards, reliable healthcare and a decent pension. My generation took those things for granted, and so should future generations.

Social Security is not just the foundation of America's retirement dignity and security, it ensures the economic stability and strength of our families and our state's economy.

I learned early on what debt means, how vulnerable it makes people, what the security of owning a home means.

If you live in a good neighborhood, you drive home and there's a bank. There's grocery stores and big houses - but no motels. What that tells you psychologically is you protect your money and buy good things for your family to eat in your nice big house.

The worst thing we could do is impose time limits and then expect people to sink or swim once they move off welfare.

The health of a nation is not just about its consumption expenditures …. one of the things that makes America such a great nation, and why so many people aspire to this American ideal of middle-class security, is that it's about more than that. It's about more than how much you can purchase with the dollar. It's about this feeling of security and about being able to give your kids a better life than you had. And that is really the foundation—one of the major founding principles of our country

I believe in a safety net. I believe one of the responsibilities of the Federal Government is a safety net.

The financial security of all Americans - their retirement savings, their home values, their ability to borrow for college, and opportunities for more and higher-paying jobs - depends on our ability to restore our financial institutions to sound footing.

You want to continue with the social safety net: the good, the bad and the ugly parts of that, you have to have a vibrant economy. You have to have growth of the economy.

Working people of this country want economic security. The worst possible thing you can do for those families is bust the public finances, have some welfare system this country can't afford.

A stable and affordable home is fundamental to economic security.

A guaranteed basic income has the potential for making civic organizations, families and neighborhoods much more vital, helpful and responsive than they have been in decades.

What we need is a safety net that lifts people out of poverty - that helps them earn a good paycheck so they can support themselves.

We must also recognize that the American Dream includes being able to provide and care for your family without fear of losing your job in the process.