Whatta We Need Skools For Anyway?

I was watching C-Span last evening and Thomas Friedman the N.Y. Times columnist was on. It was pre-recorded from an Aspen Institute's earlier program. Something he said about education struck me as important. There was mention of the importance of K-12 education is and even birth to 5 years old education and he agreed how important that was. He talked about college and how necessary that is and how unaffordable it is quickly becoming. But what I picked up on was a short statement about how cutting funding now will cost us and many young people later on because of the cost of prisons. Yep. If kids aren't in college learning how to earn a living, there will inevitably be those who will wind up in prison. Now he wasn't suggesting there are a bunch of kids who are criminals who are attending college in order to become better crooks. Although that may be the case with a few. No, he was pointing out the obvious that some kids who, given little or no chance to succeed, will turn to a life of crime. It isn't even funny how education can turn young people who would otherwise become criminals, into productive members of society. So what is happening in Washington and around the country? We're cutting back on funding for education. It seems it's more important to give an extra slice of the pie to some rich folks then it is to send a young person to college. Better to keep a tax loop hole in place then provide daycare for some poor child. But I can see the benefits to these tax incentives. After all, rich people do have to pay those hefty private school tuitions. And by sending their kids to exclusive private schools, those kids can grow up to be lawyers, bankers, hedge fund managers and politicians. In other words, crooks. And that will surely create jobs.