June 2004

US House of Representatives

Representative Barney Frank was the keynote speaker at the 36^th annual convention of the Massachusetts Federation of Teachers. The Congressman wasted no time denouncing No Child Left Behind. Mr. Frank not only expressed his disappointment in the low level of funding for NCLB but even went further proudly proclaiming, "I voted against it!"

"The notion (of NCLB) is that you’re not trying," he explained. "The theory is these teachers aren’t trying and we have to penalize them."

Citing his own involvement in Massachusetts’s politics and educational policies, Barney Frank reassured the audience that in his opinion, "The teachers in MA do a wonderful job." Mr. Frank elaborated that indeed there are "problems with the schools:"

• Society has not given the schools enough resources to deal with the problems at hand.
• Our students are sometimes emotionally, physically, and/or intellectually deprived; yet teachers are required to meet a goal (NCLB) without enough funding.

"Children aren’t left behind in school…they are left behind in their first few years." lamented the speaker.

Mr. Frank emphasized that, over-all, the American public schools are doing a great job. To prove his point he boasted that the USA is the world’s leader in intellectual property, the computer industry, and the entertainment industry. "All (of these) jobs…need education. And if American education is so bad, why are these companies so successful?" he quipped.

Shifting slightly in his speech, the Congressman stressed that America needs more public school teachers and police officers to deal with the problems caused by social dysfunction. Part of this dysfunction, according to Mr. Frank, is a disconnect most citizens have regarding their government. Most people say they want lower taxes and a smaller government. However, when these people are asked specifically what government services they want cut, many say none. "We need to connect the dots," Frank told the assembled teachers.

"I am a capitalist. I believe in free enterprise and I miss it since Bill Clinton left office," gibed Mr. Frank. While acknowledging the importance of the private sector, the congressman stated that the private sector does "not do it all." He called for a shift of money from the federal level to the local.

"Homeland (security) is entirely a public sector policy! Some anthrax was found after 9-11 and the question was asked ‘Is the American Public Health Care System read for bio-terrorism?’ It’s not read for a Friday night!" cried Frank. He stated that we need to provide more resources, personnel, and money to our public health care system immediately. The money ought to come from the increased revenues of the private sector, he said.

Furthermore, as technology advances, fewer people are needed to perform jobs. The result is fewer people are employed by the private sector. Mr. Frank called for more employment in the public sectors. His idea is to take some of the newly created wealth and use it to hire more police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, et cetera.

When asked about why it is necessary to target the wealthy for more taxation, the Congressman referenced Alan Greenspan's testimony before Congress on April 21, 2004. At that meeting Mr. Greenspan said that the wealth we are creating this year rests more so with the owners of capital and than the workers. Specifically economic growth this year is 4.2% but wage growth is only 0.6%. Mr. Frank pointed out that the money is indeed being made; its just not going to the employees.

Concerning jobs, Mr. Frank stressed that the US ought to trade only with nations that comply with our labor laws and that we should exclude foreigner business from the US economy if they do not play by our rules. The Congressman asserted that the current administration want to lower our labor standards to match those of other nations.

After his regular remarks, Barney Frank fielded a few questions. One was about the so-called Windfall Elimination Provision of the Social Security Act. Early in the Reagan administration the Social Security Act was amended to reduce the Social Security benefits to some individuals who also receive a government pension. "No one complained whey you worked two jobs," chided the Congressman, "but now it’s a different story." Representative Frank has filed a bill that would exempt the first $40,000 from the "windfall" provision.

Another question raised the issue of special education funding. "We shouldn't pit parents against each other (for funds)," he said. He called for a the federal and state governments to fully fund the mandates they impose and not have local communities cut one program in order to fund the next.