Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site whuxl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!mhuxm!mhuxi!mhuxh!mhuxv!mhuxt!houxm!whuxl!orb From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: How does education help all of us? Reply to Sykora Message-ID: <593@whuxl.UUCP> Date: Thu, 18-Apr-85 08:21:23 EST Article-I.D.: whuxl.593 Posted: Thu Apr 18 08:21:23 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 19-Apr-85 00:30:04 EST References: <121@ttrdc.UUCP> <1340019@acf4.UUCP> Organization: /usr/exptools/lib/netnews/myorg Lines: 71 > >If you're against social programs on principle, fine. I'd suggest to > >you that most people in this country have benefited from them. If you > >doubt that, ask yourself what kind of shape your older relatives would > >be in without social security; what kind of education you would have had > >without federal aid to primary and secondary schools, as well as the > >federal loan, grant and work-study programs for colleges; what your health > >would be like without federal support for disease research and universal > >vaccination. For some reason, people think social programs are what > >the government gives *someone else*; what you get are *rights*. > > > >Mike Kelly > >/* ---------- */ > > Whether or not social security benefits some people or not is beside the > point. What you must consider is if we'd be better off if people pro- > vided for their old age themselves, through savings, counting on their > children or whatever. > > I went to private primary and secondary schools that received no federal > aid, but my parents still had to pay taxes to support public schools. > So, it's hard to see how my family has benefited from federal aid to > primary and secondary schools. > > I currently attend graduate school and receive no federal aid, yet I am > required to finance the education of others thru taxes. > > Michael Sykora We *all* benefit from a more highly educated citizenry. For one thing I think it is quite obvious that the ability to read and write is simply a prerequisite for modern life. People would be most unproductive at their jobs if they couldn't even read simple instructions. But more than that education raises the cultural level of the people. The ability to debate on this newsgroup implies at least the ability to read and write. But I find the discussions are greatly aided by knowledge of certain areas. While I may disagree with many of Danny McK's propositions on the wonders of the free market, at least I know that he knows what the phrase "free market" means in some sense. It is far more difficult to debate people who accept something without even knowing what it is they are accepting. In economic terms I mentioned this before but I will mention it again: according to the economist Dennison, major gains in productivity in this century are more highly correlated with improved education than with increased physical capital. This only makes sense: if you work *smarter* you can work better. Most of the advances in this century involve developments of technology- you cannot develop that technology with a group of illiterates. There is a nice aphorism which applies here: "Give a person a fish and you will keep them fed for a day, Teach a person how to fish and they will be fed for their life." The effectiveness of this principle was shown in the results of a multiyear panel study of participants in Head Start programs vs poor children who hadn't been in Head Start. The kids in Head Start programs grew up to have over twice the employment levels of those not in Head Start, they were several times more likely to go to college, they were much more likely to get professional jobs, they were several times *less* likely to have any criminal record. Was it worth the relatively small amount spent on Head Start programs to provide poor children opportunities to learn and grow they had never had before? I think there is no doubt about it. It costs $20,000 a year to keep criminals in prison. If Head Start keeps even a fraction of poor kids from going on to crime and prison it is worth every penny spent on it. I agree that there is a lot of waste in many social programs and that some should be eliminated. But, for the most part, I think that spending for education is an investment in our future. The study on Head Start demonstrates an enormously successful educational program which should be increased rather than cut. Unless you would rather pay money for more prisons twenty years from now! tim sevener whuxl!orb