Political Quotes

“I say to my friend from Vermont, the manager of this bill, we need flexibility now and I acknowledge that. But we also need something to address these children who are dropping out of school now, 3,000 children a day. I can tell my friends in the majority, they may table this amendment today or tomorrow--whenever they decide they want to do it--but they better get used to voting on it. Because every time a bill comes up, whether it is missile defense-- it doesn't matter what it is--I am going to offer this amendment. Mr. President, 3,000 children are dropping out of school every day and we have to do something about it. It received 74 votes last year. Let people who voted for this bill last year come and vote against it this year and get it lost in the hole on the other side of the Congress. This bill needs to pass. We have children dropping out of school every day, 3,000 of them, 500,000 a year. Eight-two percent of the people we have in prison are high school dropouts. Do you think that is something we should address, or wait for a 5-year education bill? This is something that people, if they are going to vote against it, they are going to vote against it more than once, because I am going to keep offering this. I do not think there is anything more important we can do than vote on keeping our children in school.”