Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I want to salute the leadership of the gentleman from California [Mr. Riggs] and certainly my dear friend, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer], and those on the Committee on Appropriations for having the vision and certainly the innovative spirit to recognize the importance and the invaluable work that charter schools are, the invaluable impact, really, that charter schools are having in communities around this Nation. I certainly thank the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] and the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Porter] and the leadership on the other side for readily accepting this amendment. But I would say to all of my colleagues, particularly those on the other side of the aisle, that the exuberance and certainly the feeling of victory and triumph that saturates both sides right now, I would hope that we would also pay some close attention to some of the other challenges that many of the school districts in this Nation are facing. I speak from the Ninth District in Tennessee, Mr. Chairman, where many of our students even today are being let out at noon because they have no air conditioning in their schools. At 7 a.m., classrooms where they are trying to teach algebra and basic English and basic science, the temperature is stifling, 96, 97, and 98 degrees. These are our future leaders, our future public policy leaders, our future pastors, our future policemen and firemen.”