In the third of a four part panel this weekend at the Rockefeller Center, three governors addressed the issues of education and the environment in the fiscally restrained 1990s in honor of Nelson Rockefeller, who produced an admirable record on environmental and educational issues during his tenure as New York's governor.
Maine Governor John McKernan Jr. joined former New Hampshire Governor Walter Peterson '47 and former New York Governor Hugh Carey on Friday in a discussion moderated by Government Professor Lynn Mather.
McKernan introduced the subject of environmental protection by predicting the 1990s will be a "green decade." He added that "there will not be political constraints, only fiscal constraints" to future environmental initiatives.
Carey advocated increased spending on the environment, specifically using modern technology to counteract pollution.
In addressing education, Peterson said "equity in education" should be the focus of this decade's policy. "How can we truly have excellence in education without corresponding equity?" Peterson asked.
McKernan pointed to the nation's failure to provide educational opportunities for those who do not make it to the nation's four-year college system.
This segment of the population is "the true determinant of the standard of living," according to McKernan. If the country allows a rift to develop between the educated and uneducated, "the whole fabric of America will be threatened."
Carey's specific economic recommendation for future educational policy was to commit "four percent of the [Gross National Product] to education."
