[RP TownTalk] Prince George's County on the Cutting Edge!

[Cranky old Coot]

My apologies Bruce I should not have dragged the red herring of a food 
desert in to a discussion about education. Although related it is a 
different topic with its own emotional buttons.

Educating children so they are equipped to function productively in the 
world they will be thrust into is fiscally sound management. Just like 
preventive health care has front loaded cost and back loaded savings, so 
does education.

It cost money to properly educate children and I don't care how you 
define "properly." A child that does not obtain a good education when 
they are 3,6,10,15 will not be able to contribute to society when they 
are 30, 40, 50. And will be a burden when they are 60, 70 and 80.

Those economics aside, without a good foundation in logic, technology 
and the ability to research and reason, they will not have the 
intellectual tools necessary to make informed decisions about everyday 
life in general or issues that affect the future of life on this planet.

It really is a pay now or pay later situation. If you don't educate the 
kids now they won't have the ability to solve/or implement the solution 
for future problems, what ever the answer is. Like the late night guy 
says 'tomorrow is just a future yesterday' and it is coming no matter 
what. Most cell phones have more computing power than took the first man 
into space. A smart phone has more capability they was taken to the 
moon. Just like you look back at those expensive calculators that only 
had 4 or 6 function, today's kids will look back at the ipad as 
primitive. Just like my inability to spell, if they miss the learning 
window to grasp the concepts, they will always struggle.

I much prefer to barrow the money now, if necessary, and pay interest on 
it for 20 years than to barrow the money in 20 years to support the kid, 
now 30, that is still having trouble making change at McDonald's. That 
adult is not going to be able to make an informed decision about for 
example, clean coal; wind power; nuclear power; oil drilling; natural 
gas; solar power or voting for people that will be making the decisions. 
That is just one example and it does not matter what you think is the 
correct answer. A person that does not understand the question can not 
make an informed decision nor contribute to the answer.

And that takes an education. Our founding fathers knew even 200 years 
ago that what was required was an educated populace. That answer is 
still the same.

To be a treky, that should be our prime directive, 'Educate the 
populace.' There are enough differences of opinion about what that means 
that enough will be close enough. Well except Kansas maybe. But 
democracy works there too, and they are modulating an answer.

god that makes my head heart.
-- 
I'm the Cranky Old Coot's keeper, and I approve this message

Lou King

bruce.wernek at mindspring.com wrote, On 6/3/2011 8:52 AM:
> Fiscal responsibility is sorely lacking
>
> Bruce
>
>