George Voinovich: “if there is one thing that this Senate can agree on wholeheartedly is that we, as a Nation, need to invest in our…”

“if there is one thing that this Senate can agree on wholeheartedly is that we, as a Nation, need to invest in our children's educational future. There is no other issue that hits closer to home for America's families. But even as we recognize the importance of education, we must realize that close to home is where education works best in America, and simply spending more and more Federal dollars on more and more Federal "one size fits all" education directives will not, by itself, make our education system perform better. When this body voted to pass the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, I did not vote for this bill. I could not vote for this bill in good conscience for two reasons. One, the bill fundamentally usurped control over education from those closest to the students. Education has been and should continue to be a State and local responsibility. Additionally, the excessive spending within the bill provided unrealistic expectations. Over the course of my 36 years of public service to the people of Ohio, I have developed a passion for the issue of federalism, that is, assigning the appropriate role of the Federal Government in relaxation to State and local government. Our forefathers outlined this relationship in the 10th Amendment: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. Education is one such responsibility.”