Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009 - (Page 14) havens and repealing a portion of the tax cuts passed in the last eight years for families making more than $250,000. Finally, my plan cuts taxes on the net for the economy while maintaining fiscal discipline by cutting spending overall, including by responsibly ending the war in Iraq, limiting payments to high-income farmers, cutting subsidies for private plans in Medicare, reforming student loans, cutting earmarks, ending no-bid contracting and phasing out unnecessary and duplicative programs. Overall, my budget will reduce the deficit relative to its current level and its realistic future trajectory. ACEC: We have a shortage of engineers in this country, with the National Science Foundation and others reporting that America’s colleges and universities are not graduating enough students with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to compete in the global marketplace. What role can the federal government play in addressing this challenge? OBAMA: In a globalized and technology- the financial aid opportunities available driven world, our prosperity and national in science and technology. This will help security depend on our ability to lead first-generation college students who may the world in scientific and technological otherwise receive limited guidance in how innovation. Other nations to finance a degree in sciare now challenging that ence or technology after I will make an leadership, and in respondhigh school. ing we must call upon the I also sponsored an unprecedented talent and creativity of the amendment, which became commitment American people. law, to the America COMto science and I will make an unprecePETES Act that established America’s future dented commitment to sci- by making science, a competitive state grant ence and America’s future program to support sumtechnology, by making science, technolmer learning opportunities engineering and ogy, engineering and mathwith curricula that emphamathematics ematics (STEM) education size mathematics and proba priority. I already have (STEM) education lem solving. We cannot a priority. demonstrated this commitstrengthen STEM educament by introducing legislation without addressing the tion to support a strong STEM workforce broader challenges of improving American and STEM literacy for all Americans. education and other priority issues. With Congressman and physicist Rush My comprehensive education plan is Holt, I helped establish a STEM Scholar- built on the recognition that teachers play a ship Base to prepare more students for critical role in student learning and achieveSTEM careers, creating a web portal with ment. My administration will work closely 14 enGIneerInG InC. January / February 2009 President-elect Obama vows to strengthen STEM education. with states and local communities to ensure that we recruit math and science graduates to the teaching profession. Through Teacher Service Scholarships, a Teacher Residency Program and Career Ladders, I will transform the teaching profession from one that has too many underpaid and insufficiently qualified teachers to one that attracts the best STEM teaching talent for our schools. In addition to a focus on high-quality teachers, my comprehensive plan addresses the needs of our most at-risk children, focuses on strong school leaders and enlists parent and community support. My proposals for a comprehensive “zero to five” program will ensure that children enter school ready to learn. And when they finish school, I will make sure that through the new $4,000 American Opportunity Tax Credit, they will have access to affordable higher education that will provide them with the science fluency they need to be leaders in STEM fields and across broad sectors of our society. n aP Photo/alex Brandon
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