As one that works in public education, I’m probably a bit biased. But it seems absolutely insane that we are not focusing in on education as one of, if not the, top political issues in this election. ED in ‘08 has been trying to draw attention to the issue, but they have not succeeded so far. It seems that the attention will come only if something shocking occurs to bring education to the forefront, or if the issue is presented succinctly enough to resonate among enough people. I would prefer choice two and I think, as much as I don’t like to credit him, that Thomas Friedman may be the person to do it. ( I don’t like to credit him mainly because he’s so good at describing the obvious, and I’m jealous I did not do it first). Over the last few weeks he has provided commentary that touch on the critical need for intellectual capital. He appears to be very in tune with the issue and that was evident in his June 29 editorial in the New York Times.
Friedman argues that the central issue of this election, inevitably, will not be about Iraq and will not be about gas, but about fundamental domestic matters. While he never expressly discusses education, he discusses the importance of rebuilding and reinventing our domestic priorities. And what is more central to that than public education?
If the old saying — that “as General Motors goes, so goes America” — is true, then folks, we’re in a lot of trouble. General Motors’s stock-market value now stands at just $6.47 billion, compared with Toyota’s $162.6 billion. On top of it, G.M. shares sank to a 34-year low last week.
That’s us. We’re at a 34-year low. And digging out of this hole is what the next election has to be about and is going to be about — even if it is interrupted by a terrorist attack or an outbreak of war or peace in Iraq. We need nation-building at home, and we cannot wait another year to get started. Vote for the candidate who you think will do that best. Nothing else matters.
Op-Ed Columnist – Anxious in America – Op-Ed – NYTimes.com
Tags: politics
