Political Quotes

“I really did not plan to participate in this debate today, but as I thought about it over the weekend, I kept thinking that there probably will be more heat and more emotion than facts. And I thought perhaps I could start it by simply calling some of the facts to my colleagues' attention. The first thing they probably will hear is that this is anti public education. I can assure my colleagues, never under my watch will anything occur on the floor of the House that is anti public education. I would imagine 80 or 85 percent of us have graduated from public schools. I spent my first 12 years there. I also spent 22 years as a public educator. So I want to make very sure that we do not start out with the business, well, this is anti public education. Our problem is, as I have said many times, 75 percent of our schools do well, 75 percent of our children do well in public education. In that, 25 percent, with some schools within those school districts, they do well. However, in the 21st century, we cannot have 75 percent of our children getting a quality education; we have to have 100 percent. Why? First of all, we are in a very competitive world. If they cannot play a leading role, then we cannot as a society, we cannot as a country, continue to be the powerful Nation that we are. Secondly, we cannot allow 25 percent of our children not to have a quality education if they are ever going to get a piece of the American dream.”