Every Spoonful Helps.

       Did you know that in Germany, anyone who wishes to attend college, at any college in Germany, can attend for free? And here's another interesting fact. Even foreign students can attend college in Germany, at any college in Germany, for free. They can even get a discount, or for free, on transportation, food, clothing and events. So what? Well it seems that Germany has come to realize just how important a good education really is. And they realize that it's important to more than just wealthy families. In fact they realize it's actually AS important to poor students as rich ones.
       But then that's Germany. So what about America? We keep claiming we want our poor to get out of poverty. And we even acknowledge that a good education will likely benefit that movement from poor to middleclass. We say it, but the question is, do we believe it or do we even care? A poor student who wants to go to college is at an extreme disadvantage as compared to a wealthy student. Even if he or she is smarter than that rich kid.
       But of course, if all we're doing is talking about it to make us look and feel good, then nothing's gonna happen except more and more poor kids are gonna be left behind. And that means that more and more will live in poverty. Of course the advantage to the rich is that there will be a good supply of folks to flip their burgers and mow their lawns.
       Long ago, America saw the need to educate it's population in order to fill the ranks with educated workers for the Industrial Revolution. That's how we came to have free K-12 for everyone. We led the world in that effort. Well, this time Germany is kicking our butt. I truly am surprised that America would allow any country to whip us like this. The rest of the industrialized countries in the world are making us look like a third world has-been. Seems like a good time to get off our duff. Of course that would require Washington to get off their duffs. Hmm, like shoveling snow with a teaspoon.