Remarks at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Nov 4, 1996

So you tell me, do you agree with the screamers who were against family and medical leave, or do you think America is better off that you can take a little time off when your baby is born or someone in your family has been sick? Do you agree? [Applause] And would you like to see the family leave law extended so that you can take some time off to see parents go to the teacher conferences at the school or to medical appointments with their family members?

These are the things we have to do. But there is no choice before you that is more profoundly significant than the choice involving education. Today I brought with me the Secretary of Education, Dick Riley, who served with me as a Governor and I believe is the finest Secretary of Education ever to serve the United States. I'd like for him to stand up and be recognized. [Applause] We have worked - for 20 years we have worked, first as Governors, then now here in the National Government, to try to advance the cause of education. Now you have to decide whether you believe there are things we should do together or whether we should just say, "You're on your own."

When Ted Strickland said his opponent had said to the school people in his district, "You're entitled to only so much education as you can afford," I think we ought to compliment his opponent for his candor and his honesty because that is what they believe. But I don't believe that; I believe everybody should have a chance to have as much education as is necessary to develop their God-given capacity. And you have to decide. You have to decide. You have to decide.

Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

The President. You know - remember what John Glenn said? I want a country in which every 8-year-old can read, in which every 12-year-old can log on to the Internet, in which every 18-year-old can go to college. I would be screaming, too, if I wanted a country that took Head Start and Big Bird away from 5-year-olds, school lunches away from 10-year-olds, summer jobs away from 15-year-olds, and college loans away from 20-year-olds. I might be screaming, too. We are not afraid of honest discussion and debate, so we don't have to shout our opponents down. But I might be screaming if I had that kind of record - either that or running and looking for a rock to hide behind.

We're having a good time here today, but this is serious business. Our ability to give every young person in this country the capacity to live up to his or her God-given abilities, without regard to their race, their income, their region, where they start out in life, is central to their ability, all of your abilities to build strong families, strong careers, and strong communities and central to America's ability to maintain its world leadership not only in economic but in military and political terms in the 21st century.

I'd like to talk to you just for a minute - you know what we have done - I want to talk about what we are going to do. First of all, we know that we have the best system of higher education in the world. We know that our schools are doing a great job with a lot of our students, but we also know that compared to many other countries, too many of our students are getting too far in schools without knowing what they need to know to compete and win in the global economy of the 21st century. So here's what I think should be done in the future and what I will work for.