It's about education, stupid!

[Mythsaje]

Education provides opportunity. Education provides economic growth. It serves no one well, least of all our country as a whole, for people to accrue massive debt in order to gain education. College tuition rates are a scandal--they block whole segments of our society from improving their lot in life and becoming more productive tax-payers.

This administration is doing EVERYTHING it can to lower the rate of opportunities for Americans to improve their options. They PRETEND to care about education (No Child Left Behind) but only if it doesn't cost money (better spent on killing brown people, apparently).

Education isn't a cure-all, but it's certainly better than the alternative. The young need to be motivated to succeed, to learn all they can, to continue on to college or trade schools and gain the opportunity to better their lives. Other countries are quickly out-stripping our productivity because so many of our high school graduates are barely literate, and those that aren't can't afford the time or expense to continue their education. And nothing worthwhile is being done about it.

More money for books, less for guns and bombs! Teach the Children! Remake America! Reinvest in our Children! Seek, Learn, and Grow Strong!

It's ALL about education. Everything else is window dressing.

[Asgaya Dihi]

1. Couldn't agree more

It's a vicious circle sometimes, at the moment I've got two kids that I'd really like to see in college so I'm doing everything I can to see that done. I should probably see a doctor though, haven't in years and don't really plan to though. The kids do fine, I do without.

I doubt I'm alone, there's a lot of people out there making hard choices between necessities, not between options. We were supposed to be the richest country in the world, wtf?

[Horse with no Name]

2. Totally agree

It is amazing that my daughter who graduates from High School this year really doesn't have a good background in Social Sciences.
I came across some books the other day that I am going to hang onto because I have no confidence that our children/grandchildren will be taught what they need to know in case they have to fight to take over this country again someday.
I want to be able to TEACH my granddaughter what she needs to know and not rely on a school system that is geared towards teaching her how to fill in circles on standardized testing.
They are fabulous books titled: "High School Subjects Self Taught" edited by Lewis Copeland. It is a 4-volume set and is dated 1967.
Volume 1 is History, Geography and Economics
Volume 2 is English, The Arts, French, Spanish, Latin
Volume 3 is Mathematics (Algebra, Plain Geometry, Solid Geometry, Trig), General Science, Astonomy, Geology
Volume 4 is Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physiology, Psychology, Sociology

It is a wonderful set. I paid $1 for the entire set.:)I'm going to be looking for some modern pre-Bush History books (I have no doubt things will start disappearing down the memory hole).
I am going to be prepared to be able to teach her and my other Grandchildren (if I have them) if it comes to that.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Have to convince the grown-ups of this....

... so they can pass the value down to their kids.

Too many are at least implicitly of the opinion that education is a waste of time for the elite.

[NorCalDem]

4. In a perfect world

schools would have all the money they needed and the military would have to hold a bake-sale to buy a bomber :D