In 1776, British economist Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations, a book that laid out the principles that modern economies have operated under for centuries (with the exception of the Reagan Revolution years of 1981-2021). In addition to arguing for a strong domestic manufacturing base and high taxes on the wealthy, Smith pointed out that one of the things that most directly constitutes the wealth of a nation is its educated workforce and well-informed populace (as a result of that education).
From Thomas Jefferson creating the first tuition-free American college (the University of Virginia), to Horace Mann’s advocacy of public schools in the late 19th century, right up until 1954, this was an uncontroversial position. It’s why every developed country on Earth has a vibrant public school system and — with the exception of the US since Reagan ended free college in California — most developed countries offer free or near-free college to their citizens.
But in 1954, the US Supreme Court upset the education apple cart by declaring in their Brown v Board case that “separate but equal” schools, segregated […]
I think our fatal flaw as a culture is a combined unholy trinity of: white supremacy, religious extremism, and a conception of individual freedom that amounts to unlimited greed without any communal responsibility, i.e. sociopathology. These 3 things have been co-evolving for 400 years with the MAGA movement the culmination. Note it’s too incoherent to be called an ideology; rather its a set of subconscious conditioning triggers that authoritarians like Trump and now media algorithms have figured out how to exploit for the basest, short-term gain. The best analogy I can think of is the Pied Piper leading his followers closer and closer to the cliff edge but just as unaware of what’s happening as they are.
My father was a Professor of Educational Theory in the 60’s, and I think he would roll over in his grave if he could see what is going on now. Thanks to Governor Brown senior’s progressive concern for education in the 70’s I went to Berkeley for $150.00 a semester, and California saw an explosion of intellectual creativity as a result of higher education’s accessibility to all. Now……….well, Berkeley is not $150.00 a semester any longer. And America, which has been famous for its intellectual, creative, and artistic contribution to world culture is declining as the population, frankly, dumbs down. Recently I met a young man in his 20s who did not know what “ecology” was.
It’s not just school children who have fallen behind so terribly in English and math skills. (They also know practically nothing about history, geography, and a good deal of science). But surveys have shown how poorly adults reading ability has lowered—-maybe 4th or 5th grade! The early settlers to this country, in creating a republic and a democracy, realized that education was to the key to this nation and , thus, public schools were free and actually students had to attend. My take on what has happened stems from when the GOP took over many state legislatures, plus a few presidents. Prior to that, legislatures funded higher education at 80% and now it’s maybe 10%. What resulted was a nation of graduates who had so much debt that they couldn’t qualify for homes, cars, etc. and it took decades to pay off those school loans. Thank you, GOP, you know not what you do!!!! Terri Quint
Cuba seems to put out so many doctors that they supply many South-American country’s doctors, because in Cuba they do not have the problems we do!