Digging to the Roots of Big Problems

By, Cameron Nehrer

03/05/1

I wrote this essay after attending a rally at Grossmont College.

The protesters there called for a state-wide day of action to protect education in California.

After attending the statewide day of action regarding the budget cuts in education and listening to all the speakers I was disappointed, but hardly surprised, in the lack of diversity among opinions. Most of the speakers did a great job at pointing out problems in our education system. They believe that we simply need to stand up to our representatives in Sacramento and demand that they fix our education problems. Passionate students all around me were cheering on the speakers. But what will the State do to fix it? Will they even try to cure the disease, or will they simply go on treating the symptoms of a bigger problem, one of which is in there interest to hide from the people who actually want to make things better. I am not trying to say that nobody should be upset about these budget cuts. I understand the problems it creates for students and faculty. But let us open our minds and think of real solutions, rather then rallying around making emotionally powerful arguments that are in most cases logically bankrupt.

California is facing a $20 billion State budget shortfall. That alone should open your eyes to the fiscal incompetence of our State.

I see government as an organization that forces people to give it money and basically says, "Give me money, so I can provide services for you." It is becoming evidently clear that these services that our State provides are not being provided anymore effectively or efficiently than the individuals could have provided themselves. So essentially, the government helps itself more than it helps anyone else. Wouldn't you think that it's time to question the role our government plays in our life, and which services it shall provide for us?

I think it is vital to recognize that education is a service provided by people. It is not a natural right endowed by our creator; It is not some self evident truth in nature. The original intent of our government in its founding was to protect our natural rights, and provide protection of contracts and private property. No where in the Constitution does it say anything about the providing of education, and in the tenth amendment it states that, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Yet today we hear so many of our politicians telling us that the Constitution is up for interpretation and that it is some "living breathing document" that can be changed on just the slightest whim.

So many of my friends and peers don't even bother reading the constitution. Most people probably haven't even heard of the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions in 1798, which emphasize the importance of the tenth amendment. It is important for American's to understand the context, and the historical background of the Constitution. James Madison, the father of the Constitution understood this when he said, "Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government."

So often I hear people say, "Well who cares about the Constitution, education is our right and our government must provide it for us." It makes me want to cringe, because I care about the Constitution, and I disagree that education must be provided by the government. The government is clearly inefficient at providing education for us so why do we continue going down the road of shoveling money into a bunk system. Teachers are underpaid, kids are under taught, and in a lot of cases the state ends up spending more money per pupil than a private school receives from one kids tuition. For decades, on and off we have been hearing outrages about budget cuts in education. We have heard the of the same problems over and over again. What we haven't heard are any solutions to the real problem. In America today we face a choice, are we going to continue down the road of depending on government to fix all of our problems or are we going to start coming up with real solutions to the root problem. I have heard that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I purpose that we put an end to this insanity!