Political Quotes

“let me first commend my good friend from Georgia for his efforts to bring attention to the significance of the current education situation in the United States, and in particular, for emphasizing some of the shortcomings in our educational system and what we can do to change them. I am very pleased to join him in this effort. Mr. President, I would like to talk about issues concerning education and the attitude of constituents with regard to what they see as insensitivity by the Federal Government. They look upon education as a responsibility that should be shared, with the primary concern resting with the parents, the educator, and then moving into the community as a whole and the school boards, as opposed to a centralized dictate from faceless and nameless bureaucrats in Washington, DC, dictating an educational system which suggests, "one size fits all". When I go back to my State of Alaska, I consistently hear about the state of education--not only in my State but as it applies in our country today. I think it is fair to say that the American people are extremely concerned that, despite annually spending hundreds of billions of dollars at the Federal, State, and local level, our education system to a large degree is failing. The simple fact is that 78 percent--I am astounded at this--of all 2- and 4-year colleges offer remedial courses in math, reading, and writing; 78 percent.…”