Ed Koch

Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Kochwas an American lawyer, politician, political commentator, movie critic and reality television arbitrator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1990...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth12 December 1924
CityBronx, NY
CountryUnited States of America
new-york safe-haven thinking
...the mayor should not be advancing a policy that encourages [illegal] immigrants to think of New York City as their safe haven.
country doors land
Like many others, I'm deeply sympathetic to the huge numbers of people looking to come here today to escape suffering and poverty in their own lands. But as a country, we cannot afford to have a total open-door policy without any restrictions on entry.
country government immigration
...what about the millions of poor in this country who desperately need assistance and services to help bring them out of poverty? Shall they go to the back of the line? and shall those who have made a dramatic illegal entry, who would normally not be entitled to government assistance, or even entry itself, be put at the front?
country children law
The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child. But if we accept them as bona fide political refugees for that reason, doesn't it follow that people living in countries where abortion is illegal (such as Ireland and Poland) should also receive political asylum? After all, their country's policy is forcing them to give birth to unwanted children.
country home people
Unless they can immediately demonstrate a credible fear of persecution, why shouldn't these people be returned at once to the country from which they embarked - whether it be their home country or a stopover point - at the expense of the airline that brought them? All appeals would then be made from the country to which they have been returned.
drinking want pay
If they don't want to pay for it, they can stop drinking it.
believe errors long
Have confidence in your decisions. Make them expeditiously, and stay with them as long as you believe you are correct no matter what others say. However, when you conclude you were in error, do not hesitate to announce the error publicly and change course.
running looks bores
Maybe he just looks good compared to the bores he's running against.
want
I want to come back as me.
issues people firsts
When I was first elected I got 50% of the vote in '77 in the general election. In '81 I got 75%. In '85, I got 78%. No mayor has ever gotten that high a vote. So it was not an issue. Except for people who were very hostile to me. They thought they would injure me.
problem difficult difficult-problems
Don't tell me this is a difficult problem. If it weren't difficult, it wouldn't be a problem.
morning new-york thank-you-god
I wake up every morning and say to myself, Well, I'm still in New York. Thank you, God.
people feel-good rewriting
Should we be rewriting history just to make people feel good? That's not history, that's psychiatry.
exercise rights government
However, they ignore the fact that the First Amendment is intended to protect only against government sanctions for exercising free speech rights, not private actions.