But for me, that argument is utterly irrelevant. I simply am who I am. I am Emily's Dad, and Mona's husband. I am the American-born son of my parents and grandparents, who come from a village in China called Jilong. And I am a governor whose first priority is life-long education for all the people of Washington state.
Education is the great equalizer.
Education makes hope and opportunity possible for generation after generation of Americans. And education is the most powerful weapon in the long war against prejudice, discrimination, and despair. That's why, in Washington state, we've set new, higher academic standards for all our public school students. This fall, we got our first test results showing just how far our fourth-graders are from meeting those new standards. But we're not going to back away from our new academic standards - not even one inch.