[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 26458]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               PATH TO SECURE FUTURE IS A GOOD EDUCATION

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, every American child deserves a secure 
future, and the path to the secure future is a good education. But too 
many of our Nation's most disadvantaged children are having their hopes 
and dreams dashed by failing schools.
  It is time for a new approach. It is time to give these kids a chance 
to get out of the schools that are not working and get into ones that 
are. And it is time to recognize that no matter how much money we 
spend, our Nation's worst schools will never meet their responsibility 
to the students as long as the Federal Government ensnares those 
schools in red tape.
  The Democrat solution is to keep spending more and more money on a 
failing system. The Republican solution is, spend the money, yes, but 
to reform the system as well.
  In the coming weeks, the House will have the opportunity to rekindle 
the flame of hope for those children whose only hope lies within the 
schoolhouse walls, and I hope we will do it.

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