[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1643-E1644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4380) making 
     appropriations for the government of the District of Columbia 
     and other activities chargeable in whole or in part against 
     revenues of said District for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 1999, and for other purposes:

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, school vouchers are the original bad idea 
for the improvement of public education.
  We will hear from the other side that the establishment of school 
vouchers are the best way to reform and improve education.
  This is basically what they are saying. If you provide 2,000 children 
the option to attend other schools, the remaining 75,000 will have 
their public education magically improved. The argument is like saying 
that the best way to improve health programs for everyone is to provide 
options for 3% of the population and by magic, the health care system 
will improve.
  Public schools need our help and our criticism when it is 
appropriate; what they do not need is to have their resources taken 
away for programs which can only benefit a few.
  We will hear that the main motivation for the establishment of 
vouchers is to improve the public schools. This is simply not the case. 
There are people who like school vouchers because they want to take 
their kids out of public schools, not because they want to improve the 
schools, but because they do not like public schools.
  I don't mind this. If you want to do this, it's OK, but do not do it 
at the expense of public schools and do not say you are doing it to 
improve those schools. You are doing it because you don't care about 
the public schools which

[[Page E1644]]

have made America the great democratic nation that it is and which have 
made America the great economic power that it is.
  Furthermore, if you want to experiment with these school vouchers, 
why don't you do it at home? Why must we continue to use the District 
of Columbia as our pet laboratory for everything we like and don't like 
back home. Leave such matters to the people of the District. They 
deserve better than to be told what to do and that their children are 
experimental subjects.
  Defeat this bad idea.

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