Salina ? Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich emphasized life-long learning and called for a $134 billion annual investment in job training.

He said that’s how much the country spent on unemployment last year.

Gingrich, a conservative Republican, and retired U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, a Democrat, spoke Friday at the annual meeting of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.

Bradley said improving U.S. schools is made tougher by the lack of national standards. He said that even with the federal No Child Left Behind law, each state was left to set its own standards.

The Salina Journal reported Bradley drew applause when he called on society to value teachers more, and pay them more, but then added the need for accountability.