Burgess Owens: “I hope that this amendment sponsored by the gentleman from Vermont is not just another ceremony where we are talking to…”

“I hope that this amendment sponsored by the gentleman from Vermont is not just another ceremony where we are talking to the wind. I think that the American people, the polls have shown the American people are gradually beginning to understand where the waste is in government. The waste is in the defense budget and we are not doing anything to help national security. National security right now, the primary component of national security is education. How well-educated our Americans are will determine where we go in the future with respect to our military might, our commercial might, right across the board. A better educated population is what is needed to guarantee that America will be the leader in all areas for the future. Mr. Chairman, $13.5 billion, we are talking about. Let us stop for a moment and consider the comparative costs. Five percent of the defense budget comes out to $13.5 billion per year, $13.5 billion. One can buy a lot of computers for schools for $13.5 billion. One can wire all the schools in America for $13.5 billion. We have shown that one of the goals of Congressional Black Caucus budget is to have every child eligible for Head Start, actually be able to go into Head Start by the year 2002. Well, we could get there right away because it would only cost $11 billion to cover every child eligible in America for Head Start.”