I could not watch the entire 45 minute victory speech Senator Obama gave last night, but I did like his idea regarding education. I would offer the Senator these suggestions:
1.) If we're going to pay for four years of education, we should expect four years of service, either at home or abroad, Peace Corp, military, and numerous options for service here, including teaching, nursing, our infrastructure, our cyber structure - skills that we don't even know we need yet.
2.) Don't make it mandatory - If the student doesn't wish to provide four years of service, then the student's parents foot the bill. There's no need to pay Biff's way through Harvard when Daddy has millions.
I realize that some people will say: "Yup, the rich can buy their way out again!"
In all of our conflicts, including the Civil War, rich men, sons and daughters of rich men have given their lives. People from all shades of life have done both: everything they could for their country, or everything they could for themselves.
If we take a step back from the class warfare that's more imagined than real, and ponder on the fact that we share more in common than often supposed, maybe it will get a little easier to find the good ideas that can appeal to and help the vast majority of our citizens. Providing a path to education that never existed before is one of those issues. We may differ in our approach somewhat, but debate and consultation should pave that path as quickly as possible.
Education is the key to our success in the 21st Century and beyond - even if it is mostly taught by my fellow Americans that I have political differences with.
Politics should never be the sole definition of a human being. As I have been reminded and will never forget; the crosses in Arlington don't indicate a Democrat or a Republican, they indicate an American.
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5 comments:
It had to happen sooner or later. Finally something we can agree on. What made this country powerful was the GI Bill benefits given to returning WWII soldiers. They basically got an education paid for by the government. The soldiers returned to college in droves and became engineers, doctors, lawyers etc. The GI bill program coupled with the Moon landing program put the USA in the forefront of technology. How the mighty have fallen since then. Instead of a nation of producers we've become a nation of consumers.
Thanks for the smile Al!
The last paragraph says it all.
Watson is not in the Adirondacks
I know - I have to drive a little less than 2 miles up the #4 road before the sign says "Entering Adirondack State Park". I just figured it was close enough for rock 'n' roll. Besides, if you don't live in Lewis County, you have no idea that Watson is in the "foothills" of the Adirondacks, not within the geographic boundaries of the Adirondack State Park. I started blogging in April of '07 and I'm surprised this is the first time anyone has picked up on that. Good job!
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