Political Quotes

“Mr. President, Nelson Mandela once said there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children. Every child deserves a fair chance. If we fail at taking care of our children, we fail at everything else. So the stakes are high as we work to reform the No Child Left Behind Act. Too many children are left behind. The Every Child Achieves Act is a step forward. I thank Senator Alexander and Senator Murray for working so hard on this bill. It is bipartisan, and it is an opportunity for real progress in educating our children. My dad used to say get it done, but get it done right. When we say ``every child succeeds,'' we have to mean it--every child, including those in the poorest and most vulnerable communities. That is what we must do. This is the bill we must pass. I am cautiously optimistic, but I would remind my colleagues, we cannot keep playing catchup. I have met with child well-being experts in New Mexico and across the Nation. They are very clear. Early intervention is key. For too many children, there are too many hurdles and too little hope. Our commitment has to begin early and has to stay the course. In New Mexico, almost one in three children lives in poverty. One in five goes to bed hungry. We are ranked next to last in education, last in overall child well-being. That is absolutely unacceptable. The future of my State, for our children and for our economy, depends on changing it.…”