In a speech before a group of high-school seniors and their parents in Florida last week, President Reagan reiterated his call for 鈥渃hoice in education,鈥� saying parents should be allowed their choice of schools and children their choice to pray.
Speaking to about 8,500 students and parents of Duval County high schools in Jacksonville, Fla., Mr. Reagan called the school system one of the best in the country--one that got to the top without 鈥渓ots of money.鈥�
鈥淵ou didn鈥檛 look to Washington for an easy way out,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou did it yourselves.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the idea behind our support for choice,鈥� he said. 鈥淟et parents choose the schools they believe will best prepare their children for the jobs and opportunities of the future,鈥� not the government.
鈥淎nd while we鈥檙e talking about the American people making choices, not Washington,鈥� Mr. Reagan added, 鈥渄on鈥檛 you think that each morning when you start your school day, you should have the same voluntary choice ... to bow your head to God in prayer?鈥�
The President also fielded questions from high-school students about this week鈥檚 summit meeting with General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. When asked if he felt threatened by Mr. Gorbachev鈥檚 rising popularity, Mr. Reagan replied: 鈥淣o, I don鈥檛 resent his popularity or anything else. Good Lord, I co-starred with Errol Flynn once."--lj
