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For the first half of my adult life, I was a Democrat.

Alphonso Jackson

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Alphonso Jackson
Age: 79
Born: 1945
Born: September 9
Former United States Secretary Of Housing And Urban Development
Politician
Marshall
Texas
Adult
Democrat
Adults
Half
Firsts
First
Life

More quotes by Alphonso Jackson

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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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After leaving law school, I intentionally said that I never wanted to hold a job more than six years.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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In 1965, I marched for equality.
Alphonso Jackson
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The dream doesn't lie in victimization or blame it lies in hard work, determination and a good education.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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And what most people don't understand is the bulk of business in this country is small business.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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So, I have the responsibility of making sure that HUD functions and runs well.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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Progress for black Americans depends on good schools because education is the last great equalizer.
Alphonso Jackson
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I think serving your government is the greatest thing in the world.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson
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I was soon drawn to the Republican Party because I realized that it truly, not just rhetorically, believed in equality.
Alphonso Jackson
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Being poor is a state of mind, not a condition.
Alphonso Jackson
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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.
Alphonso Jackson