April 9, 1991 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 7739 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS EDUCATION: THE KEY TO tasks in order to collect their welfare wagon, and make it the cornerstone of a new OPPORTUNITY checks. Certainly, requiring the poor to rake War Against Poverty. This time, though, in­ leaves in public parks is preferable to allow­ stead of having the government bureaucracy ing them to stay home all day and watch tel­ fight poverty, we should give the poor, them­ HON. ~.S.BROOMFH[D evision. Yet, workfare programs still do not selves, the weapons to fight their own bat­ OF MICHIGAN provide the poor with the maximum oppor­ tles individually. And the Patriot missile of IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tunity for economic advancement. the new War Against Poverty would be a Let's face it, a poor man isn't going to sup­ high school education. Tuesday, April9, 1991 port himself in the private sector raking Mr. BROOMFIELD. Mr. Speaker, in Detroit leaves or picking up litter along the high­ and other inner cities around the country, our way. These skills are simply not marketable A CONGRESSIONAL SALUTE TO current welfare program has shown more suc­ to employers. A better version of workfare HENRY "HANK" BERNAT cess in maintaining the cycle of poverty than allows participants in the program to sub­ stitute job-training for actual work. These in breaking it. trainees, then, have a much better chance of HON. GLENN M. ANDERSON Matthew Berry, a bright young constituent of finding a real job and moving off the public OF CALIFORNIA mine who is a freshman at Dartmouth, put his dole. Unfortunately, job-training workfare IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES finger on the key to breaking the cycle-edu­ programs still have one major drawback. Tuesday, April9, 1991 cation. America is the land of opportunity, but Participants' chances of finding a steady job without education many Americans continue to are still somewhat limited, as they are really Mr. ANDERSON. Mr. Speaker, even in Cali­ find opportunity's door slammed in their faces. only qualified for one line of work. fornia, we sometimes hear of the accomplish­ The time has come to embrace innovative The best welfare reform program offered to ments of special individuals in far away date is the brainchild of Wisconsin's Repub­ new approaches that unlock the door to op­ places. Recently, my friend, Dick Sim of Irvine, lican Gov. Tommy Thompson. This program, CA, informed me of just such an extraordinary portunity instead of perpetuating generation called Learnfare, requires that teenagers in upon generation of welfare recipients. One person, Mr. Henry "Hank" Bernat, who retired families collecting public assistance go to late last year after 31 years as the football such approach is the Learnfare program, high school until they earn their diploma. which Mr. Berry discusses in the following arti­ Learnfare makes so much sense that it coach at Owen J. Roberts High School in cle, which I commend to my colleagues. should be expanded and implemented nation­ Bucktown, PA. Hank, who truly is one of America's "points [From The Dartmouth, Feb. 12, 1991] wide. A place on the public dole is not a God­ of light," selflessly dedicated himself not just EDUCATION CAN HELP THE POOR given right and should not be granted uncon­ to the game of football, but, more importantly, (By Matthew Berry, '94) ditionally. If we are going to financially sup­ to the students and athletes themselves. He Upon receiving her high school diploma, port able-bodied men and women, then the was, however, not only a highly successful pop music star and noted philosopher Cyndi least we should demand is that their children motivator on the gridiron, but was a leader in · Lauper remarked, "The more you learn, the go to school. A high school dropout is much more you earn." While I honestly doubt how more likely than a high school graduate to the field of education and will continue to be much Lauper learned in high school, her follow his parents onto the welfare roll. Also, an influential member of the community. words ring true because they refer to a fun­ a high school dropout, on average, stays on It is only through the continual efforts of ex­ damental truth. In today's society, one can­ welfare for two years longer than someone traordinary individuals, such as Hank Bernat, not make it in the job market without a with a high school diploma. that we seek to preserve and enhance this high school diploma. Many efforts have been made to encourage country's most valuable asset, its youth. Need­ When a poor teenager drops out of school, poor children to stay in school, but most of less to say, I am confident that Hank will be he or she also falls off the ladder of economic these have failed because while they have sorely missed by those many young people advancement, thus perpetuating the cycle of provided a carrot, they have not utilized the poverty which grips our nation's inner cities. stick. Wisconsin's threat to cut high school whose lives he touched on the Wildcat side­ While many anti-poverty initiatives have dropouts' parents welfare checks is sending lines and in the classroom. been launched over the past 30 years, very dropouts back to school in droves and keep­ In honor of the occasion of Hank's retire­ few have sought to address the important ing at risk teenagers in classrooms. Out of ment, I ask that the following newspaper arti­ correlation between poverty and lack of edu­ 27,000 teenagers labeled at risk by the state cle, as it appeared in the December 5, 1990, cation. of Wisconsin, less than ten percent have edition of the Evening Phoenix of Phoenixville, Most liberals' welfare programs have con­ dropped out of school. This rate is much PA, be included in the CONGRESSIONAL sisted of little more than throwing money at lower than before the Learnfare program was RECORD so that my colleagues may have the the problem. In 1965, President Lyndon John­ implemented. Additionally in the city of son began the War Against Poverty with his Milwaukee alone, 1,200 dropouts returned to opportunity to review it. Mr. Speaker, I am Great Society programs. As many observers school in the first year of Learnfare. sure you will want to join me today in rec­ noted, poverty won the war. The main cas­ The Learnfare program should be expanded ognizing Hank Bernat's many years of distin­ ualties of Johnson's war were, in fact, the so that anyone collecting welfare who does guished service, leadership, and devotion to poor themselves. Wounds inflicted on the not have a high school diploma would be re­ his community and country. I wish him and his poor included the breakup of their family quired to return to school. Even 40 year-olds wife, Dorothy, and their family, continued suc­ structure, general feelings of helplessness, without a high school diploma would benefit cess and happiness in all their future endeav­ and dependence on the government. Various from attending night school. It is never too ors. Great Society programs encouraged poor late for a poor person to make a break with women to have as many children as possible the past and start down the road to economic COACH WHO LOVED "THE KIDS" ENDS 31-YEAR and divorce their spouses so that they could independence. REIGN ATOJR collect more welfare benefits. The War Learnfare is certainly not a panacea, but it (By Todd Shaner) Against Poverty sent the message to the is an essential first step in ending the cycle BUCKTOWN.-To Hank Bernat, coaching and poor that they were not responsible for their of poverty prevalent in our nation's inner kids go together. They go together like Hank plight and the government would provide for cities today. Yes, we have to focus on im­ Bernat and Owen J. Roberts football. them unconditionally. proving the quality of education in the inner But after 31 years, Henry "Hank" Bernat In response to the dramatic and costly fail­ city schools. But keeping teenagers in these will no longer be on the sidelines coaching ure of The Great Society, many conserv­ schools must be our first priority. the Wildcats. The Charlestown Township atives promoted the establishment of Virtually everyone knows that George resident announced his retirement as the workfare programs. Under workfare, able­ Bush is in desperate need of a domestic agen­ Wildcats' football coach at a press con­ bodied welfare recipients perform assigned da. He should jump on the Learnfare band- ference yesterday afternoon at the Owen J. • This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 7740 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS April 9, 1991 Roberts Administration Building. It came In 1969, Bernat installed the "I" formation threat was essential to the success of the al­ after talks with Principal William Faulkner and went to a running game to take advan­ lied forces. The Gunston Hall's sailors per­ and Athletic Director Dave Strock, who tage of Denny Laws' ability. When Laws was formed their duties with professionalism and a Bernat coached in football along with his hurt, he kept the system by plugging in brother, football star Don Strock. Clark Zollars. It was the beginning of several true sense of purpose. There were no tears shed, no unkind words. outstanding tailbacks to play for Bernat.