Dirty Laundry

Every day I get a little bit closer to understanding the importance of my education. Others, it seems, are under the impression that it is unimportant and unreasonable to spend life in a classroom. It isn’t new to see young adults, or even middle aged people, treat their education as a chore. Most of my classmates are just searching for a temporary fix for their lack of education.

The amount of opportunities is abundant, but we aren’t seeing them for what they are. The need for new health care reform is going to lead to new requirements in hospitals and doctors’ offices. Our president’s push for sustainability in our environment is opening up new job opportunities all over the nation. It’s said to be reminiscent of The New Deal that Roosevelt created, but others are not so optimistic.

It’s very easy in a recession to become pessimistic when it comes to job opportunities and education, but it’s nothing new. In some ways, capitalism is designed to squash the humanist idea that everyone should have the ability to become educated.

Educational facilities began, after all, only to educate the working class just enough to operate or at best repair the new machinery . Rockefeller was regarded as a philanthropist for the money he put into the programs designed to teach children obedience.

Today teachers are fighting to teach critical thinking and to promote a college track for children as early as middle school. College is where we truly learn to question our potential, but unfortunately many students give up before then. A combination of disinterest and financial disadvantage often proves fatal for the hopes and dreams of young children.

A solution for these issues is being seen in the “socialist” ideas that Obama and many like him are promoting. In a capitalist country these types of ideas are immediately attacked and persecuted. Even the people who would benefit from the affordable health care and education are being taught skepticism.

Let’s be a little conspiratorial for a moment.  Let’s presume that the system wants you to fail. If everyone had the education that would enable them to be rich at the end of their life, then the competition factor would rise severely. Our megacorporation owners are predators and predators prey on the weak and sick. If workers around the nation decided they were all going to rise up against the corporations it would be an amazing thing. The idea of having to answer to willful and educated individuals is something from their nightmares.   

What they face today is a utopia of consumers who are distracted by the glitter and gold of the technology age. Most people in America put up more of a fight with customer service representatives who deprive them of a McBurger or iText than they would when someone takes away their right to receive care with no questions asked.

Again, this is nothing new. With all the advancements in technology and transportation only two things take our interests: entertainment and death. 

We are here plunged in politics funnier than words can express. Very great issues are involved…. But the amusing thing is that no one talks about real interests. By common consent they agree to let us alone…. Instead of this the press is engaged in a most amusing dispute whether Mr. Cleveland had an illegitimate child and did or did not live with more than one mistress. – Henry Adams, 1877

Sound familiar? It is no great tragedy to follow the lives of elected officials and celebrities, but when we put their personal lives ahead of our own we have to begin questioning ourselves. Unfortunately in 135 years no one has caught on.

The upcoming election is going to be very important, I just hope our society can hear the difference between the voices of change and the barks of wolves.

"The Life of Julia"

I try my best not to be biased, but here’s a little shameless Obama promoting:

I cannot begin to express how exciting it is to have a president who embraces technology. Beyond online news sites and campaign commercials it’s difficult to find engaging information. On his site, President Obama has created a wonderful graphic representation of his plans for education, health care and the nation overall.

 

 The Life of Julia — Barack Obama

It isn’t unusual for a presidential candidate to attempt to reach the population through speeches and newspapers. However, President Obama is making headlines in different ways by truly embracing the US population’s communication channels. Never before has a president fully understood the importance of using new technology to reach people. With his use of social media, email, and blogging he has gotten his message out to people he would not have otherwise.

The point is this: more information than ever before is available on candidates, thus raising the bar for their behavior and actions. We have a powerful tool at our fingertips to find out who is and isn’t going to fight for our rights. The President has made effort and so should we. This isn’t just about our future either, it’s also our present.  

There are several very important issues hitting our legislature right now that we need to be concerned about. For example, The Student Loan Forgiveness Act is about to change education opportunities for a majority of students. I can’t begin to tell you how many people I know in low income communities that simply cannot afford college without a loan. If credit card companies are running rampant with interest rates people both with and without degrees will be stuck in a hole their entire life.

[For the laymen's terms on the Student Loan Forgiveness Act Click Here]

[For those who want to see the full Bill Text Click This.]

As American’s we have a very special right that most of us take for granted. We have the ability to change the system and laws; all we have to do is exercise power in numbers.

For some non-partial info on what issues are coming up in the 2012 election here's some more links:

CNN Election 2012

BBC- US Election 2012