Malcolm Wallop: “yes there are problems in education. Federal Government control is not the solution to these problems. We cannot…”

“yes there are problems in education. Federal Government control is not the solution to these problems. We cannot belittle the troubles that plague our children's schools, but a $400 million Federal Band-aid is going to fix nothing and harm everything. Goals 2000 will not fix education but it will complicate it. The most likely result of this new Federal intrusion will be irreparable damage to the entire education community in this country. Our schools need our help. Our students are facing problems and situations today that none of us ever encountered. But by and large they are more the fault of Government policy. Many public schools are facing dramatic difficulties, and the congressional knee-jerk reaction is: ``If only we give more money, everything will be fine.'' Mr. President, that is simply not true. Money can help a world of woes, but it won't buy quality. Like virtually every other sector in this country which the Federal Government touches, the educational structure is flabby from Federal pork. This legislation comes as a surprise. All I have been hearing about during my years here in the Senate, in public life before coming to Washington, was that Americans want less Federal intervention in their lives--not more. And here we are talking about giving the Government even more control over the basic education programs of our children. This bill is yet another step in the Federal Government's takeover of education in general.”