| Riverside County, CA | March 2, 2004 Election |
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Education is the Basis for SuccessBy Dennis LockhartCandidate for United States Representative; District 45; Democratic Party |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Education is how an individual and a community can measure their accomplishments. Having an education may not be a guarantee for success, but not having an education is a proven way to avoid success. And education is not a priority in the District.In the California 45th Congressional District, there is not one free-standing four-year college or university. There are two community colleges--Mt. San Jacinto Junior College and College of the Desert--and several satellite campuses offering a few classes, but no four-year institutions of higher learning. One of the many negative results of this fact is that the number of college graduates among the general population of the District, only 15.5%, is one of the lowest in the state. And again, that number is only as high as it is because of the excessive number of medical professionals in the Coachella Valley. Another, even more serious result of this lack of a four-year college or university in the District is the brain-drain of bright high school graduates from the District. They must leave home, and the District, to attend a four-year college or university. Some return, but many do not, especially those in medical or legal fields who tend to stay where they intern while in school. These young people are among the most highly-motivated and dedicated people in the District and would be the most instructive role models for their peers, but they leave the District, and take all of their positive influences with them. The District, then, is as much an educational backwater as it is an economic backwater. Attracting and establishing a free-standing four-year college or university, either public or private, would be a priority of mine. It would not be easy--good things rarely are--and it would not happen overnight--good things rarely do--but it would be a goal to pursue even if the only outcome was to make the people of the District more involved in this endeavor. Education can be the single most important means of achieving a better life for the people of this District. It has been ignored in this District for too long. It cannot be ignored in this District any longer. |
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Created from information supplied by the candidate: January 21, 2004 04:32
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