Political Quotes

“it is remarkable how a relatively short amendment and even debate can be misconstrued. The amendment we have before us that will be voted on in about 30 minutes is less than 10 full lines long. Twice, the senior Senator from Massachusetts has said that it authorizes the States to take 15 percent of the money for administrative purposes, in spite of having been corrected after the first mistake. In fact, in clear English, it states that the distribution will be for school districts in exactly the same form as would be the distribution under Senator Murray's amendment. I don't believe Senator Murray's amendment allows 15 percent to be taken out by the States for administrative expenses. Neither does mine. That is one point that has been made on the other side during the course of the debate. Another--very recently by the junior Senator from New York, and by others--speaks of the tremendous waste and abuse in the use of this money for football teams and the like, which seems to be the inevitable consequence of trusting elected school board members to manage their own schools. A few years ago when we began this debate I made a remark that I repeat now. How is it that voters who are so wise as to choose us to represent them in the Senate will be so foolish and so stupid as to choose school board members in their own communities who will take any money we give them and throw it away on frivolous, noneducational purposes if we allow them to run their own schools?”