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The Word's Eye View is a newspaper column written by
Education for the Children President Obama recently addressed America’s school children to ostensibly encourage them to work hard, study well and finish school. If the motive was purely to encourage accomplishment the action should be applauded; if, on the other hand, it was more of an effort to set himself up as an iconic figure in the minds of the listeners, the speech is problematic. Whatever the reason, the nation is faced with the enormous problem of falling test scores and growing dropout rates. Lack of education increases proportionately the number of non-contributors in society which in turn expands the tax burden on the producers. It should then be obvious that better education would serve as a great advantage to the general public. Science expends great effort in differentiating between cause and effect. On some occasions it is difficult to know which came first…the chicken or the egg. All evidence indicates that the majority of sub-par students are more interested in pants with a ground dragging crotch, tattoos, facial hardware and drugs than self improvement. It would behoove our politicians to investigate the cause which must be eradicated if the symptoms are going to change. By virtue of the fact that the president presented his concerns is an acknowledgement that there is a problem—but what is the real root? Since Mr. Obama loves to give speeches I would like to submit a few recommendations for further lectures that may actually target the present cancer. First on the list of cultural garbage collectors is the Hollywood crowd. They continue to produce movies that exhibit anti-social behavior and often glorify the criminal. Traditional moral values are held in disdain and systematically dismantled. The media has just released a story about an underground fight club in a Tennessee high school. Students agree to fight until one is beaten into submission for the purpose of a U-tube display. It is now speculated that this is a common occurrence across the country. This idea was incited by a film that the president should publicly criticize. Which is worse—Michael Vick promoting dog fights or teens unnecessarily risking permanent injury? Sexual exploitation is on a parallel track with violence and is often an effort to mimic the celebrities who are celebrated by the leftist. If the White House would address the Joint Houses of Congress proposing an all out blitz on Hollywood to clean up their act with the same dogmatism that he approached insurance reform, even his most conservative opponents would cheer with unabated enthusiasm. As we consider the long term future of our republic, which is more critical…health care or cultural care? Certainly not all, but some in the music industry join the social bottom feeders. In prime time delivery the president has suggested that the rich need to have less so the poor can have more. Translating that axiom of belief to the topic at hand, wouldn’t it be appropriate if the manufacturers of rap and music that promotes anarchy and rape and every other form of irresponsible living be “called out?” I believe that’s the term Mr. Obama used regarding his opponents in the health care debate. Shouldn’t the rich in records sacrifice some profits so the poor in education can benefit? Will America genuinely benefit from healthy illiterates? Other orations could be delivered to the teachers union, parents, the Supreme Court, and even Congress to get everyone on board and put pressure on the purveyors of insanity. The kids are simple riding the caboose that is following an entire train of bad examples. We receive emails from friends and organizations regularly; many of them are excellent and worthy of being passed on, but I generally resist that temptation because of the notion that an op-ed should primarily be original thought. One came the other day that forces me to make an exception to the rule in the belief that many readers will appreciate the following: After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: “Let me see if I’ve got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their t-shirt messages and instill in them a love for learning. You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a check book and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure they pass all their final exams. You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card. You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a few books and a big smile. You want me to do all this and then you tell me…I CAN’T PRAY?
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