Education

 No nation can sustain its health and stability without fundamental values that are shared by its people, values that can carry the nation through inevitable problems. A nation’s values are sustained through citizens who are decent human beings, who embrace integrity and compassion.

But how does this happen? Families are in trouble. The government is failing its citizens. Churches, for many reasons, have lost their ability to meet the spiritual needs of their followers.

The answer to this problem, to me, is in the schools. But this is not an easy solution.

Schools are underfunded. Teachers are under-appreciated, under-paid and over-worked. Schools must put energy and resources into security concerns. Students are experiencing unprecedented mental health problems. Parents are interfering in the job of teachers. So many obstacles.

Look at the fat in the defense budget. Look at the waste in government programs. Look at how the tax system lets the wealthy off the hook. We have the money. This is the time to put all we have into assuring—for the health and future of the country—that every child has access to a quality education, an education which aims to produce capable citizens and decent human beings.