The dream doesn't lie in victimization or blame; it lies in hard work, determination and a good education.
The other part of outsourcing is this: it simply says where the work can be done outside better than it can be done inside, we should do it.
The largest challenge that we face, from my perspective, is the ability to continue moving forward so the agency will have a single mission: that is, to provide decent, safe, and affordable housing.
And what most people don't understand is the bulk of business in this country is small business.
In 1965, I marched for equality.
Being poor is a state of mind, not a condition.
But I do know this: that the two and a half years that I've been at HUD, I am absolutely convinced that some of the best workers in the world are in Federal Government.
The Bush administration is the most diverse in history because the president fills jobs on the basis of a person's capabilities and qualifications, not on the color of his or her skin.
And I always like to stress, it's not a quota, not a set-aside, it's not about race, it's about giving opportunities to demonstrate their abilities to do work with the Federal Government.
As you know, in this country Anglo-Americans are about 75 to 76 percent home ownership in this country, where Hispanics, African Americans are less than 50 percent.
You can't rise as a class. You have to rise individually. It's what many of the civil rights-era people don't understand.
They take pride in their schools. They begin to participate, where, when they are renters, they don't do that. So what we're doing by this program is strengthening America.
And I'm the kind of manager that doesn't believe that you micro-manage professionals. They should understand their responsibility and carry out those responsibility.
I was soon drawn to the Republican Party because I realized that it truly, not just rhetorically, believed in equality.
After leaving law school, I intentionally said that I never wanted to hold a job more than six years.
America is a place where you can be born into a low-income household but still lift yourself up, and it doesn't matter what color you are.
I think serving your government is the greatest thing in the world.
Progress for black Americans depends on good schools because education is the last great equalizer.
For the first half of my adult life, I was a Democrat.
So, I have the responsibility of making sure that HUD functions and runs well.
