My Sunday column argues that we typically think of national security challenges as coming from terrorists or enemy nations, but one significant threat to American national security right now stems from the gross mishandling of the Washington budget battle. A default would cause immense damage to American interests, and some of the Republican budget cuts — particularly in education — have already done the same. I wish we were as committed to confronting domestic threats to national security as we are with foreign ones, but we're not. Read the column and share your thoughts.
My Sunday column is a lament about the cutbacks in education budgets across the country — including my old school, Yamhill-Carlton High School, here in Yamhill, Oregon. Over years of writing about poverty, I've come to firmly believe that there are no perfect solutions either in America or abroad — but the closest thing to a silver bullet is an excellent education system. And it's so frustrating that this is still what's missing in so many communities.
I concede that money doesn't solve all school problems, that the budget issues are enormous, and that reforms are essential. But as Derek Bok put it: If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. Your thoughts?