Todd Tiahrt: “if you want to improve the quality of computers, how would you go about doing it? If you wanted to see engineering…”

“if you want to improve the quality of computers, how would you go about doing it? If you wanted to see engineering innovations in the car you drive, what do you think might produce them? And if you wanted to see your daughter become a national caliber gymnast, what conditions might lead her to become one? The answer is quite simple. It is called competition. Humans respond in a positive way to competition because competition brings out the best in us. Competition makes us work hard. It forces us to achieve wonders that we never even dreamed possible. Microsoft, Ford, and Mary Lou Retton all responded to competition by changing the way they did things. Windows 95, the Taurus and Olympic gold medals are the products of endless striving, experimentation and the pressure to excel among one's competitors. Surely the education of our children is important, important enough to demand competition in this area of life, as well. It is time to let competition bring out the best in our children's education by giving parents a choice on which school their children attend. After all, Mr. Speaker, our children deserve the best.”