David Thomas: “we are, of course, poised this week to take on one of the most important issues we will face during this year. That is…”

“we are, of course, poised this week to take on one of the most important issues we will face during this year. That is the issue of education. As we talk about issues over the country and as we take polls, education is the first issue the American people are interested in, and very understandably so. Certainly there is nothing more important to us than education. I think nothing is more important than the future of our country with respect to the training of our children who obviously will be the leaders of the country. I am looking forward to that. I think certainly there are many things that can be done and that Congress can do. Clearly, in my view, the principal responsibility for public education lies with the States, with the communities, and the decisions that are made with respect to the schools ought to be made primarily based on the needs of those schools as defined by the local leadership. The role of the Federal Government then is one that is always debated in the Senate, and properly so.”