Krugman: The Uneducated American

Paul Krugman - a Nobel Prize winning economist - has a column in yesterday's New York Times that basically serves as an indictment of the tax cutting Republican Party and the anti-knowledge Christianist base of the GOP that wants schools to engage in religious indoctrination rather than true science and knowledge. I believe that Krugman is directly on point and that if America wants to maintain its position in the world, people had better wake up. One need only look at the teabaggers and lunatic GOP base to realize that if this segment of the population expands into the newer generations, we are going to become a second class nation. Moreover, for democracy to effectively work, there must be an educated and informed citizenry. Otherwise the slide into demagoguery is all too easy. How people expect the country to remain first class when they refuse to fund education and allow our infrastructure to crumble all in the name of no new taxes is baffling. Even more baffling is how these same anti-tax and anti-public spending reactionary then claim to be patriots. Here are some portions of Krugman's column that I believe is a must read:

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If you had to explain America’s economic success with one word, that word would be “education.” In the 19th century, America led the way in universal basic education. Then, as other nations followed suit, the “high school revolution” of the early 20th century took us to a whole new level. And in the years after World War II, America established a commanding position in higher education. But that was then.

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Until now, the results of educational neglect have been gradual — a slow-motion erosion of America’s relative position. But things are about to get much worse, as the economic crisis — its effects exacerbated by the penny-wise, pound-foolish behavior that passes for “fiscal responsibility” in Washington — deals a severe blow to education across the board.

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About that erosion: there has been a flurry of reporting recently about threats to the dominance of America’s elite universities. What hasn’t been reported to the same extent, at least as far as I’ve seen, is our relative decline in more mundane measures. America, which used to take the lead in educating its young, has been gradually falling behind other advanced countries.

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[T]hese days young Americans are considerably less likely than young people in many other countries to graduate from college. In fact, we have a college graduation rate that’s slightly below the average across all advanced economies.

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There’s no mystery about what’s going on: education is mainly the responsibility of state and local governments, which are in dire fiscal straits. Adequate federal aid could have made a big difference. But while some aid has been provided, it has made up only a fraction of the shortfall. In part, that’s because back in February centrist senators insisted on stripping much of that aid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a k a the stimulus bill. As a result, education is on the chopping block.

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So what should be done? First of all, Congress needs to undo the sins of February, and approve another big round of aid to state governments. We don’t have to call it a stimulus, but it would be a very effective way to create or save thousands of jobs. And it would, at the same time, be an investment in our future. Beyond that, we need to wake up and realize that one of the keys to our nation’s historic success is now a wasting asset. Education made America great; neglect of education can reverse the process.

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The no new tax crowd - and those who want lower taxes out of their own short term greed - are selling out the future. If we do not invest in the future, we, like past dominant nations, can and will slide into second or third tier status.