Political Quotes

“I rise today to offer a modest amendment that will make a major difference to thousands of young men and women who chose careers in community service. As is well-known, the rewards of a community service job are not the salaries. Few choose teaching in Head Start, working for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, or a career in nursing with the expectation of riches, big houses or luxurious vacations. In fact, for too many in these fields the salaries are substandard and pension and other benefits are questionable. The rewards come from knowing at the end of the day that they have made a difference in the lives of children and others in their communities. Many of these careers require post-secondary education, and today, higher education means debt. In 1995-96, total federal student loan debt rose to over $24 billion dollars; $264 million in my home state of connecticut. Nearly 7 million students borrowed to meet the costs of college. Mr. President, I believe we must do more about this problem of rising student debt. Not only are students deterred from pursuing rewarding, community-related work, but they and their families are also being scared off from pursuing the dream of higher education at all. This undermines our economy and nation as a whole; it is clear we will not be able to meet the challenges of the next century without harnessing and nurturing the talents of all Americans.”