Spring Break
Markey: PHS has a voice in politics
Aaron Hedge
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: News
Congressional hopeful Betsy Markey (D-Fort Collins) told students at Poudre High School Saturday that although they are not yet eligible to vote in Super Tuesday's primary, they can still affect a change in politics locally and nationally.
Answering questions from the students, her son Al Markey among them, she talked to the youth, about the impact of national and local issues on their lives, spending the most time on education, health care, the economy and the environment.
The candidate, who challenges Marilyn Musgrave (R-Fort Collins) for Colorado's Fourth Congressional District seat, said the federal government must fund and regulate education to an extent, but also allow state and local governments the ability to run schools in accordance with the needs of the community.
"Education is one of those issues where we need a lot of flexibility for the state and local governments," she said. "A bottom up approach is better than a top down approach."
She talked about 2001's controversial No Child Left Behind Act and the negative implications it has on K-12 education. Markey said the law should not be extended when it is scheduled to expire in 2011. But if NCLB is reauthorized, she said, it needs drastic changes.
She decried the NCLB provision that requires schools to comply with federal testing standards and allowing the government to punish them even if they just miss the mark.
"(Schools) have made great gains, but they're not quite there yet and they're getting punished for that," she said.
Markey said there should be an incentive program instead of a punishment system.
Addressing health care, she said the industry does provide comprehensive coverage for Americans as hospitals can't refuse care for patients without money, but that it's not satisfactory.
"If your house is on fire, the fire department isn't going to say, 'Oh do you have fire insurance? No? Oh, we can't help you.'" she said. "We're providing health care in a very costly and inefficient way."
Answering questions from the students, her son Al Markey among them, she talked to the youth, about the impact of national and local issues on their lives, spending the most time on education, health care, the economy and the environment.
The candidate, who challenges Marilyn Musgrave (R-Fort Collins) for Colorado's Fourth Congressional District seat, said the federal government must fund and regulate education to an extent, but also allow state and local governments the ability to run schools in accordance with the needs of the community.
"Education is one of those issues where we need a lot of flexibility for the state and local governments," she said. "A bottom up approach is better than a top down approach."
She talked about 2001's controversial No Child Left Behind Act and the negative implications it has on K-12 education. Markey said the law should not be extended when it is scheduled to expire in 2011. But if NCLB is reauthorized, she said, it needs drastic changes.
She decried the NCLB provision that requires schools to comply with federal testing standards and allowing the government to punish them even if they just miss the mark.
"(Schools) have made great gains, but they're not quite there yet and they're getting punished for that," she said.
Markey said there should be an incentive program instead of a punishment system.
Addressing health care, she said the industry does provide comprehensive coverage for Americans as hospitals can't refuse care for patients without money, but that it's not satisfactory.
"If your house is on fire, the fire department isn't going to say, 'Oh do you have fire insurance? No? Oh, we can't help you.'" she said. "We're providing health care in a very costly and inefficient way."
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