Angie Craig: “I rise today to address once again the education of our children. This week we have been debating S. 2, the Educational…”

“I rise today to address once again the education of our children. This week we have been debating S. 2, the Educational Opportunities Act. More importantly, we have been debating a difference in philosophy between Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats have stood before us and proclaimed that Republicans want to weaken the Federal stranglehold on our education system. The Democrats have stood before us and accused us of wanting to turn power from the beltway to parents and teachers. Well, Mr. President, I plead guilty. In fact, let us examine exactly what Republicans want to do. We want to reduce overhead costs to put more money into the classroom, make States and local districts more accountable, and provide greater flexibility for teachers and parents to make the decisions which affect their children. Anyone who has itemized taxes, applied for an FAH loan, been in the military, or just dealt with the Federal Government knows how stifling the paperwork can be. People all across this country make a fine living helping people deal with Federal bureaucracy. So, it is easy to imagine how a school district can devote half of its administrative staff to administer the 7 percent of its budget that comes from the Federal Government. Just imagine how much paperwork you have to do to send money to the Federal Government. Now imagine how much that would increase if they were giving you money--and then imagine if you were receiving millions of dollars a year.…”