Edwards education plan to cost $7 billion
Edwards unveiled his education plan Friday.
DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) - Speaking with reporters after outlining his plan for education reform, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said his proposal would cost an estimated $7 billion the first year and would "escalate over time."
The Democratic presidential candidate said the funding would come from taxes that are not currently being collected, particularly capital gains taxes because "brokerage houses are not reporting capital gains."
A significant portion of Edwards' education plan includes provisions to overhaul "No Child Left Behind," but when asked why he is criticizing NCLB now after having voted for it back in 2001 as a sitting senator, Edwards told CNN said that NCLB was a good concept, but that President Bush has "failed to fund it." He also questioned the effectiveness of the law's testing requirements.
"My nine year old Emma Claire finished third grade in public school this past year," he said. "She spent half a year preparing for the integrated test ... She had a terrific teacher, but it was clearly intrusive into the learning process."
In addition to NCLB reform, Edwards is also calling for universal preschool for four-year-olds, increasing teacher pay, and creating a national teacher university.
Related: Edwards calls for 'West Point' for teachers
-CNN Iowa Producer Chris Welch
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Good, a candidate with an edu. plan! All our children deserve the best education because without it they only have back breaking work to look forward to. With Edwards they will get and education and healthcare. (His healthcare plan the one Hillary is claiming is hers)
education is worth 7 billion... it's worth 8 billion... and it's worth 80 billion. Until America gets it, we will go nowhere.
Great. That will be 7 billion spent for the purpose to educate our children and improve the quality of live in America. A better life starts at home – here in America.
unrealistic.
Costs to.., "escalate over time."
Hey Kool-Aid! OH! YEAH!!
This is the Democrats solution for everything. Bigger government and bigger tax bills. If you've got a job, they've got a tax plan for you. Everybodies rich in Kool-Aid land..
I'm a fiscal conservative, but if there's one thing I wouldn't mind seeing the Democrats waste my money on, its education.
Surprised his wife didn't make the announcement for him. She seems to be hitting a lot of talking points recently.
Funny...all these programs never seem to come with a tax increase – theres always this secret stash of unclaimed money.....now...either someones lying or...well..that was it...someones lying...(just for laughs....check out Hillarys Universal Healthcare – its also a freebie....amazing....she needs to tell the Canadians....they are paying a 60% tax rate)
Bush failed to fund it??
John, sweetheart, the executive branch doesn't control the budget and expenditures, the legislative branch does.
Of course, when the majority of the publically-educated people in this country are functionally illiterate (they can't balance a checkbook, can't understand the concept of simple interest, can't read a map, can't locate a country on a map and simply refuse to learn the difference between "there/their/they're"), you couldn't possibly expect them to know the difference between the three branches of the U.S. Government and their respective responsibilities.
This is exactly how J.E. gets away with making a statement like this with no one calling him out for it.
And of course, the teachers unions aren't about to actually start teaching these concepts. If they did, the public might actually wise up, stop supporting unions and stop voting for Dems. An ignorant populace is easier to control. "Here kiddy, kiddy, kiddies... who wants a government hand-out?"