[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H8639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN SUPPORT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF ALL OUR CHILDREN

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, from the early days when the 
word was, ``Go west, young man and young woman,'' and as the wagons 
circled in the West, the one-room schoolhouse was a symbol of 
opportunity for Americans. Those new Westerners, those pioneers, wanted 
to make sure that all of our children had the opportunity to be 
educated.
  But, Mr. Speaker, what do we have today? We have our Republican 
friends pulling the plug on public education. Whom do they have as a 
guinea pig? Washington, DC, with the misguided proposal for 2,000 
children, in a city with multitudes of children, some $3,200 voucher as 
a bribe to accept this thing called vouchers.
  It is easy to escape from boosting the quality of public education, 
easy to escape from reinforcing the teaching of math and science 
throughout this Nation, easy to escape from rebuilding the 
infrastructure of our schools, fixing leaking roofs. The whole idea is 
to pull the plug on public education.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, we will not stand for it. I am here to say that I 
stand for public education and the education of all of our children.

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