LIBERTY and the
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
· Education
· Energy, Environment and Economy
Education
Quality education is the hallmark of an enlightened and open society. John Adams once said, "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."
We have forgotten our commitment to education, and to what education can bring to our country.
From the nineteen thirties to the nineteen eighties, this country made a magnificent commitment to higher education for those who had the ability. At one time, talented students went to top flight schools like CCNY and Brooklyn College for free. That generation was the backbone that got us through the Second World War, and through the Cold War. It was that generation that laid the technological foundation for the power of which we are justly proud.
But the right wing has undermined that commitment to education, with predictable results. They have cut back on state funding for education throughout the country.
Tests show American students lagging behind their counterparts in Japan and Europe. And with the erosion of our lead in education has come the inevitable erosion in our technological supremacy.
We need to restore the cuts that have been made in education. We need to invest in the education of our children just as our forefathers did. We need to do this not merely because it is right, but because our security demands it.
In the modern world, the country that falls behind in technology will very soon fall behind in power. In the post-9/11 world, this is something we dare not let happen.
To show my commitment to education, I will make this pledge to you:
As your representative in Congress,
I will pursue policies which will focus on fulfilling the federal mandates already in place, and which will make the United States the most attractive setting in which to study and to perform research -- so that we can develop, recruit, and retain the best and brightest students, scientists, and engineers.
Energy Independence, the Environment, and the Economy
From high gas prices to global warming to an over-dependency on foreign oil, our country faces significant energy challenges. We need an energy policy that takes us in a new direction - the sooner the better.
We need legislation that promotes the innovative development of renewable energy and improves energy efficiency. In the long run, this will accomplish a number of key objectives:
It will bring down gas prices.
It will reduce our dependence on oil, thus improving our national security by making us less dependent on hostile nations with rich oil reserves.
It will grow a whole new industry, stimulating significant job creation and providing new opportunities for rural communities and urban centers alike.
It will protect the natural world for our children's children.
It will help to restore America's place among nations striving together to address a very serious global challenge.
There are technologies available to us that offer real hope for actually doing something to reduce global warming. But it takes money, research, and commitment to develop them sufficiently.
There is a technology, already used by submarines and space capsules, that sucks carbon dioxide out of the air.
There are technologies available that can significantly reduce our dependence on the fossil fuels that cause global warming.
There are also technologies to produce ethanol fuel for cars from corn and other organic products.
I propose that we mobilize all our resources (as we did with the Manhattan Project in the 1940's) to create the solutions to global warming; let's put all the greatest scientific minds together and support their efforts to meet this challenge. The threat posed by global warming is much worse than the threat posed by Iraq. We need a solution so that our grandchildren won't ultimately drown in a flood of biblical proportions as ice caps melt and sea levels rise.
I make this pledge --
As your representative in Congress,
I will support legislation that enables the development of renewable energy that will meet the world's needs while also reducing global warming.
