Congressional Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Congressional Speech - Essay Example For too long we have witnessed the erosion of the power of the people. We, the people, are America. It is time we stand again and make our voices heard. Public education and its financing is paramount to our future and to our place in the world. I believe it is our role on the world's stage to play the lead in innovation and change for the good of mankind. America is falling behind in science and the arts. We lag behind in those areas in which we once dominated. We have been witness to the slow erosion of student scores as well as to the funding of our educational system. House Speaker Tip O'Neill once observed that 'all politics is local'. We all understand that education, too, is a local issue. We understand that our state, our cities and our neighborhoods have the ultimate responsibility for funding and the making of decisions. We would not have it any other way. But the federal government has a significant role in the process as well. The federal government funds local schooling in the neighborhood of ten percent of its budget (ed.gov 2006). While it is not the role of our government to wag the dog of public education, we have the right to expect the issuance of standardized guidelines within which we can all operate our school districts, refining as we see fit, taking into account that which is best for our children. We have a right to expect the very highest sta