On the recordAugust 4, 2010
I listened with interest to our colleagues on the other side of the aisle come to oppose the amendment that is being offered, and it is surprising to me because, as everyone knows, we are in a very tough economic recovery right now. All of our States, all of our communities, all of our families are struggling to get back on their feet. We have been working for some time now to help get our economy back on track. As I outlined earlier, we have come forward to the Senate floor a number of times with small business bills and other bills to try to move the economy forward, and we have been blocked every time. On this amendment, where we have been trying to make sure that 130,000 teachers are not lost--and it is not about the teachers unions; it is about kids in the classroom. This is about the future of the United States of America. Are we going to punish these students and give them less of an education because of the economic time they happen to be in in the first grade or the fifth grade or the eighth grade? That doesn't make sense to me as a mom or as a former teacher or as a Senator.
