When I think of math, I’m reminded of this story about a young
student. His parents wanted to encourage him to get good grades
so they offered him cash for every "A" he got on his next report
card. One day he came home and he said, "Do you remember
how you offered my money for every 'A' I got on my report card?"
The parents did and eagerly waited to find out how well he had
done. He said, "Well, the good news is you don’t owe me anything."

Earlier this year the President announced a renewed commitment
to teaching students the subjects of science and math. Other nations
have begun to catch us, and the number of scientists &
mathematicians increasingly come from other countries. If America
is to continue to be great, we need to keep producing scientists, engineers, mathematicians, astrologers, doctors and researchers.

I support the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative. The
proposal focuses on bringing math and science professionals into the
classroom and training more high school teachers to lead advanced-
placement courses in those subjects. America’s rise in the world was
fueled, in part, by our technological capabilities. World War II, the
Space Race, the Cold War - all of those events were won, in part,
by the superiority of American scientists. We cannot let others surpass
us as technological leaders.

We all want our children to have a better life than we did. Preparing
our children to compete globally will ensure that America continues
to be a leader in innovation and technology well into the future.