People must realize that a crime motivated by racial or ethnic prejudice against one group is a crime against all of us.

Under the leadership of this President, the state of the union is not strong. We are being pulled apart rather than pulling together. Our democracy is suffering from the choices being made, and yet we are offered the same tired excuses and unrealistic analyses.

Any religious organization should be allowed to hire based on their religious preference- but not with federal dollars.

Iraq continues to be an immense disaster, and the President has no apparent plan for getting our troops out.

Our nation's anti-hunger programs need to be strengthened.

The value of tolerance is central to living in today's world - especially in diverse places like the Bronx.

We must honor our country's tradition of openness and continue to welcome new immigrants.

We must make immigration a legal, orderly process to eliminate this issue, not further criminalize it.

As the 109th Congress continues to debate legislation that will affect the lives of immigrants, it is important for us to remember that we are a nation of immigrants.

I know that New York City remains the highest density urban area in the country and by far dedicates more of its own funds to fighting terrorism than any other municipality.

In a country with an overabundance of food, no one should go hungry because of a lack of funds or technical and professional knowledge. We have the food, and we have the networks; we now need to support the providers.

Sadly, this is the same old Republican story of Robin Hood in reverse - tax cuts for the rich while programs for average and low income Americans suffer.

The American people deserve truthfulness, not more political campaigning. The American people deserve a responsible government that seeks to address their needs, not more ideological dogma.

The government can still conduct clandestine searches of innocent people's private information such as library, medical, and financial records. This is wrong and should have been addressed in a true compromise.

The people who have recently come to this country to work and better their lives should be given the same opportunities that our parents, grandparents, and ancestors were given.

The President also talked at length about how well the American economy is doing. Apparently, he got his information on this topic from his millionaire supporters. For the average working family, these are trying economic times.

We must do everything in our power to keep families together, and to use common sense in our immigration laws. Children deserve better than to lose a parent because of an inflexible law.