[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 63 (Wednesday, May 9, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H2064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EDUCATION BUDGET AND VALUES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Toomey). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about education, 
the budget, and something those of us in North Carolina call North 
Carolina values.
  Mr. Speaker, we have often heard that the projected budget surplus, 
assuming it materializes like predicted, is the people's money. Of 
course it is. It is the people's money. We agree on that. It should be 
spent on the people's priorities. The budget must reflect the values of 
the American people. It must affirm their long-term dreams and help 
them meet their daily needs.
  This Congress should invest in a better future for the American 
people. We must build the human infrastructure. We need for an economy 
that creates the opportunity for prosperity for all Americans who are 
willing to work for it.
  We must invest in long-term research in science and technology and 
engineering that will yield a long-term benefit but may not be seen as 
benefiting a short-term political gain. But it certainly will produce a 
strong economy down the road.
  We must invest in education and lifelong learning so that Americans 
will have the most skilled work force in the world and continue to 
exert global economic leadership. We must repair the torn farm safety 
net so that farm families will have the opportunity, not only to 
survive, but to thrive.
  Unfortunately, this House today passed along party lines a budget 
full of missed opportunities and misplaced priorities. Do not get me 
wrong. I strongly support responsible tax relief for working families 
in America. But this budget will run our economy in the ditch, and it 
will turn us to the days of large budget deficits, economic stagnation, 
high unemployment, and, yes, inflation.
  I come from North Carolina, and we say North Carolina values call for 
balancing your budget every year and responsible policies. But this 
budget sends us on a river boat gamble with America's future.
  Mr. Speaker, the other day I visited Anderson Creek Elementary School 
in my home county in North Carolina, and I saw the good work they are 
doing every day to prepare for a bright future in this country for 
those children. We are blessed with some of the most wonderful teachers 
and staff and dedicated parents and, yes, bright, hard-working students 
at Anderson Creek.
  They are going like gang busters on a program we call Key to the 
Future. It is a reading award we give out each year. Here are some of 
the totals, and I would like to share with my colleagues what good work 
is being done on the ground out there where teachers work every day.
  At Anderson Creek, of the 683 students enrolled this year, 500 one of 
those students have read more than 100 books on their own with their 
parents in the evening. In the kindergarten class alone, they read 
24,883 books. In the first grade, they have read 37,514 books. In the 
second grade, the students have read 40,130 books.
  As a former county commissioner, State legislator and two-term 
elected State superintendent, it does my heart good to see local 
communities throwing themselves into the education effort. It holds so 
much promise for a bright future for these children and for all the 
rest of us.
  Mr. Speaker, the folks in Anderson Creek demonstrated the kind of 
priorities that Congress ought to be adopting. We should forgo the 
short-term appeal of an easy path and choose, instead, the right path. 
It takes vision and hard work, but in the end, the payoff is well worth 
the effort.
  We missed an opportunity today to put money in the budget for school 
construction. I will talk about that at another time. But those are the 
kind of values that the people of North Carolina sent me to Congress to 
represent, and those are the values this Congress should embrace when 
making important decisions on the budget, taxes, and appropriations.
  Today's vote was, unfortunately, a big step in the wrong direction. 
But, hopefully, Congress will get its priorities straight and enact 
policies that honor what I call North Carolina values and reflect the 
kind of priorities that the American people truly want and expect us to 
deal with.

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