Math 101 - Math Education on Capitol Hill

On June 1, 2009, the Frank and Ernest comic strip (http://comics.com/frank&ernest/2009-06-01/) put into cartoon form what my wife and I have felt for many years (but most recently, during the first 120 days of the Obama administration). So, I decided to use this comic as a catalyst to put real math at the forefront of congressional and presidential politics.

The following letter was sent to President Obama, Senator Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders today.

The following letter was sent to President Obama, Senator Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders today.

June 10, 2009

Dear President Obama:
Dear Senate Leader Harry Reid:
Dear House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

My wife and I run a small math tutoring center (Mathworks Tutoring, LLC) in Naples, Florida. My wife also teaches 6th grade math in the Collier County (Florida) Public Schools; I am a meteorologist who has transitioned into math tutoring.

Our record is good, but not perfect. We have, however, helped many students master the math they could not learn in school. This has, at least in a small way, helped schools improve their standardized test scores.

With recent happenings in our Nation's Capitol and in the domestic and global business community, and the Frank Ernest comic strip that ran on June 1, we have decided to offer a courtesy, 30-minute, math tutoring session to a joint session of Congress (with members of the Presidential Cabinet invited, as well). This is our way of offering something back to this great Nation.

Specifically, we would like to address the following topics:

• Powers of 10 (trillions v. billions)
• Balancing Equations (budget implications)
• Taxation math (the rules, the paperwork, the time and productivity implications)
• Stimulus math (the real value of government spending or the lack thereof)
• Climate Change Math (including data analysis, graphing, extrapolation; is warming really caused by humans?)
• No Child Left Behind Math (there is no way to meet the standards by 2014 unless everyone is given a pass)
• Guantanamo Bay Detainee Math (Palau payment)
• Cost-benefit-risk analysis

We would also like to address two (possibly more) quotes from the late Senator Everett Dirksen that really should become watchwords on Capitol Hill. These are:

"We are becoming so accustomed to millions and billions of dollars that 'thousands' has almost passed out of the dictionary."

"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money."

Clearly changing just a few key words transforms these expressions into today's reality.

We would, of course, be willing to modify this tentative agenda to meet specific Presidential and Congressional needs.

We are even willing to fly to Washington, DC (at our own expense) to provide this national service.

We hope that you will accept our offer. It is a serious gesture and we intend to present it in PowerpointTM format so it can be shared throughout governmental agencies.

I hope that others who have math savvy will also volunteer to help our leaders understand math and what it means to this Nation's well-being and survival.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. My wife and I look forward to your speedy and positive reply.

Sincerely,

H. Michael Mogil
Mathworks Tutoring, LLC
7765 Preserve Lane - Suite #5
Naples, FL 34119

cc: other congressional leaders

P.S. As of October 1, 2009, only Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and President Obama have replied. Both thanked me for writing but never addressed a single point in my letter. They did, however, take time to explain their agenda in classic form letter format.