Education: The Key that Unlocks the Golden Door of Freedom

The title for this post is a quote from George Washington Carver.  It is true in every sense of the phrase because if there is one thing that levels the secular playing field, it is education.  Education makes even those that hate you have to respect you.  I always encourage my students to pursue advanced degrees to open up more options for them as they enter the workforce.  Education is an equalizer.  I can remember going to graduate school and getting some pretty nasty looks and overhearing some even nastier comments regarding my status.  This came from students that were not of my ethnicity of course.  Token, special, minority, affirmative action...you name it, they (not all) thought of it and displayed it either verbally or through their actions.  As I matriculated and my level of knowledge increased and rivaled that of my counterparts, while the comments may have still been made, they HAD to respect me which in the end nullified the comments.

In this election cycle, we keep hearing the Republicans harp about entitlement programs such as welfare and food stamps.  I won't get into the "who gets more" debate.  I understand that the reason that the numbers are higher for whites is because they outnumber us in population.  I wish those entitlements like tax loopholes and tax breaks and Cayman Island accounts to hide taxable revenue were also shut down too.  Then we wouldn't be having such a vigorous debate about the "rich" versus the "poor" because everyone would be paying their fair share of taxes...in an ideal case. 

One misconception that Republicans love perpetuate is that blacks are ALL on welfare or on some type of entitlement program.  I would  totally disagree.  While there are some sectors of the black socioeconomic strata that rely heavily on these programs, they do not represent all of black America.  Furthermore, when you look at the numbers of people that are actually on welfare and look at their educational systems...you see a distinct connection between their socioeconomic status and their educational status. 

I would argue that instead of trashing entitlements, Republicans need to go against the party norm and start to build up education. Rick Perry, who I am elated about no longer being in the race, wanted to SCRAP the ENTIRE Department of Education. Stop raping the educational system by constantly cutting the education budget and constantly cutting educational resources.    In doing that and by creating a robust educational system that actually teaches students to become learners and not numbers for AYP, you have essentially created a more competent and competitive workforce!  People that can find gainful employment and have the critical thinking skills to actually think BEYOND the test will not need welfare or food stamps or any other entitlement.  But, what always happens is the educational systems in low socioeconomic sectors are always the worst when it comes to funding, teacher quality, facilities and overall quality.  All of these factors create a setting where learning is not promoted and students see NO meaningful end to the educational process.  What you end up with is a permanent underclass that are only educated enough for low wage jobs.  In my mind, I am sure that this is the intended result of trashing the educational system but I am going say that enough is enough.

Republicans cannot continue to talk out of both sides of their necks.  If you are going to get rid of entitlements, then you better have an alternative.  If you are going to continue to curtail educational services then get ready for the entitlement rosters to explode.  The ADHD generation is growing up and there are no jobs for them nor are they educationally equipped to go any further than a diploma.  What will it be Republicans?  You can't have it both ways.  Stop stepping on education and start equipping tomorrows leaders.