Grant: Education reform next heated debate thetowntalk.com The Town Talk:
"As I listen to the stupefying debate over national health care I can't help but wonder whether we will get as contorted by the coming debate over education in this country."
That debate is inevitable as well. It will surely come next as a consequence of congressional submission to big money and halfway political compromises. When the middle class and states are forced to assume more of the costs of health care the dollar shift will be found in education cuts.
That's always the way of it.
It will be difficult enough to shift more costs to local school districts, but even more so for higher education where the rate of cost increases rival those of health care itself.
I hear opponents of serious health care reform brag that we Americans have the best in the world. But a number of studies don't even rank the U.S. in the top 10 countries in the world for quality of life on factors that include health care, social safety nets, education, crime, etc.
While American universities still stand out as the best in the world, there are challengers.
The asterisk behind our boasts about health care and higher ed leads to the footnote that reads: "This is true but only for those who can afford it."
As a people, we made the decision long ago that public education was a key element in the growth of the country and the success of democracy itself. We have been challenged repeatedly to live up to those goals and we are approaching such a challenge once again.
It would be helpful if the rhetoric over health care would take into account how decisions we make will impact the rest of the economy over time and to education in particular.
"As I listen to the stupefying debate over national health care I can't help but wonder whether we will get as contorted by the coming debate over education in this country."
That debate is inevitable as well. It will surely come next as a consequence of congressional submission to big money and halfway political compromises. When the middle class and states are forced to assume more of the costs of health care the dollar shift will be found in education cuts.
That's always the way of it.
It will be difficult enough to shift more costs to local school districts, but even more so for higher education where the rate of cost increases rival those of health care itself.
I hear opponents of serious health care reform brag that we Americans have the best in the world. But a number of studies don't even rank the U.S. in the top 10 countries in the world for quality of life on factors that include health care, social safety nets, education, crime, etc.
While American universities still stand out as the best in the world, there are challengers.
The asterisk behind our boasts about health care and higher ed leads to the footnote that reads: "This is true but only for those who can afford it."
As a people, we made the decision long ago that public education was a key element in the growth of the country and the success of democracy itself. We have been challenged repeatedly to live up to those goals and we are approaching such a challenge once again.
It would be helpful if the rhetoric over health care would take into account how decisions we make will impact the rest of the economy over time and to education in particular.