My 2c on education
February 5th, 2010This may surprise a lot of you, but I’m pretty Left-wing when it comes to education. No, not in the politically correct bullshit that the Left espouses, but funding.
It’s really common sense. Educated people make more money than non-educated people. People who make more money pay more taxes. So increasing education increases tax revenue.
Common sense, right?
I’m well aware this country has overspent. Hey, I was against the Iraq War from the beginning. I was against the corporate bailouts from the beginning as well and if I’m not mistaken, I posted not one, but three articles against them. I’m against foreign aid. I’m against America being the world’s rent-a-cop. I’m against the military industrial complex and really think America should get out of just about every foreign entanglement we’re in while every home have a machine gun or a shotgun. Very simply - YOU are our military and our defense. Works for the Swiss. Count how many times they’ve been conquered.
I’m also for cutting welfare to only Vets and people with severe handicaps, and a temporary solution to those who had bad luck. Two years tops for welfare recipients.
I’m for throwing out all the illegal immigrants as they take more than they give. Saving 50c on a head of broccoli isn’t worth the resources they drain + the damage they do to our schools and our jails.
Do all those things and you’ll save a ton of money.
But don’t cut education. It’s our future.
Go get “Shame of the Nation” from the library. It will really make you think long and hard about what our government (state, local, and federal) have done to destroy education in the years since Brown vs. the Board of Education.
Laura - That book looks interesting. Read about it on wikipedia.
One comment, we need manufacturing back in this country. If anything is hurting minority communities, it’s the manufacturing jobs (that I must say are both good jobs and important jobs) have gone overseas. So I think that may be one reason that sets off the snowball effect where education has been taken down. I’ll have to read the book though.
i’m late getting here but to add my 2 cents…
i agree we should not cut funding to education but i don’t like the federal arm twisting that comes along with their funding. state and local control is more appropriate. NCLB is a disaster. i watched some really fine local curricula absolutely gutted so they had time to do all the fucking test prep bullshit. a prime example in the local elementary schools was a thematic units (combining social studies and science) that is no longer taught. it was an extended unit on local history. the kids learned so much from precolumbian history, geology, agricultural practices, colonial history, cultural background, state history and how that fit into the larger national history. it was a really excellent example of local educators coming up with a FANTASTIC curriculum that ignited real interest in their students who learned so much from it. additionally in a rural area which is experiencing a huge influx from urban areas it was a unifying experience for students who gained some pride in their home whether they were born here or moved here later. now, they spend their time learning how to fill in bubble sheets instead. yeah, now there’s a shift that was oh so helpful in improving education.