Chris Dodd: “I think all of us have become much more highly sensitized to the critical importance of the generation of students in…”

“I think all of us have become much more highly sensitized to the critical importance of the generation of students in our country who are computer literate. It is no longer a question of whether or not that technology and the awareness of it is going to be important. It is critical. I have made the assertion that what keyboards and computers bring to this generation is tantamount to what a ballpoint pen brought to my generation. Any child today not completing elementary and secondary school without being computer literate is going to be totally unprepared for the 21st century economy. This ought not to be a partisan debate in any way. It is a very thoughtful amendment, one that we all can be deeply proud of. We are only some 500 days away from a new millennium, and Senator Levin has offered us a chance to make a difference for young people so that they might be able to acquire these skills. I commend him for the amendment and hope our colleagues will support it.”