John Kerry: “I simply ask my colleague from Massachusetts--and I thank him for bringing this issue before us-- whether or not he…”

“I simply ask my colleague from Massachusetts--and I thank him for bringing this issue before us-- whether or not he believes, in a moment when people are being thrown out of work, in a moment when the economy is down, and at the same time we are talking about making education the most important issue for Americans, as Americans believe it is--if at that moment it makes any sense at all, when more people are trying to apply to schools, when more people realize the importance of education to get a high-value-added job to move the economy of this country--how can one justify, I ask my colleague, asking students in this country to pay the price of a large number of corporations getting a tax break, of a large number of wealthy people getting a tax break, and making it more difficult for people to secure the very education the President says and others agree is the most important ingredient in not only moving our economy but of good citizenship? I ask my colleague, is there any possible way to justify that as a commonsense policy?”