Vernon Ehlers: “I thank my fellow physicist for yielding. I rise with great pleasure to support this amendment. For 12 years I have been…”

“I thank my fellow physicist for yielding. I rise with great pleasure to support this amendment. For 12 years I have been fighting within this chamber for improved math and science education, and I am delighted to see other individuals offering similar amendments, and that I am not the only one doing so. I congratulate the gentlewoman from Washington State. This is precisely what we need. We must address this issue if we are going to remain competitive. I recognize full well that we are at this time quite competitive; but the Chinese and the Indians 20 years ago started a program to teach their children math and science. They did it well, and they have now become major competitors of us. If we do not get on the ball and once again get to the top in competing with them on math and science education, so that we are producing scientists, engineers, technicians, and mathematicians who can compete worldwide, then we will lose the competitiveness battle. I am absolutely delighted the President had proposed the American Competitiveness Initiative. This amendment will be an important component of the President's initiative, along with the other things we have done in this bill and in other bills to improve math and science education in this country. So thank you again to the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding me time. I commend him and the gentlewoman from Washington for initiating this amendment.”