Two, Four, Six, Eight, We Don't Want to Educate!

Remember the George W. Bush mantra? "Educate, educate, educate..."

It was the W's idea of solving all poverty issues. These days, Republicans seem to have veered from that idea. Are we getting too smart for them?

The senate reached a late night compromise on President Obama's stimulus bill, but this compromise came at a cost. The $40 Billion, which would have been distributed to states to fund programs, such as education and local economic relief, had to be cut from the plan in order to pacify Republicans.

One has to wonder why members of the Republican Party take so little interest in the future of this country. Do they not have children? Grand children? Perhaps education is just for the wealthy, just as family planning and elder care is only for those who were able to amass a fortune during the fat years? Maybe they want to keep us barefoot and pregnant, so we don't go to school. Because when we get smart, we elect a Democrat to the White House.

The Obama administration with its open book policy is helping us become educated about government by utilizing the internet and TV and urging us to take an active part by soliciting our input. I project that in the next four years there will be a whole bunch of smart people voicing their smart ideas in America. We now realize that our ideas matter and we are becoming more vocal in promoting them. Change has truly come to this country.

I wonder, if former President G. W. Bush still stands by his mantra. I wonder if the Republican Party confronted him about it. And I wonder if the newly outspoken smart people of America are taking Republicans to task over the slashing of education funds. Some of us worry about the future. Some of us have kids who need education. And, unfortunately, we can't all be rich.

The new, revamped stimulus bill is returning to the House for a vote. I hope an agreement can be reached quickly and the needed money infused into this dying economy. But I sincerely hope that our lawmakers return to the table soon and craft some kind of funding policy to boost our schools. We Americans like being smart. It suits our life styles. And we don't want to lose that edge. Trying to make a smart nation go dumb is like trying to force a butterfly back into its cocoon. It isn't going to work. The butterfly won't survive intact and neither will our nation.

Sources:

NBC News, CNN News, Fox News.