Democracy is fundamentally dependent on a well informed, innovative and productive citizenry. If any of these three qualities of citizenry is not present, the 233-year-old American experiment cannot succeed. The purpose of public education in America is to support the Constitution of the United States of America and perpetuate freedom through American democracy.
Without an educated populous, democracies inevitably become oligarchic, ruled by a well informed and influential elite class. Only the elite receive high quality education giving them the advantage over the non-elite and perpetuating their hold on power. Uninformed voters are easily lead/duped into supporting candidates favored by the powerful. In control of the capital of the country, the elite control the economy and the government. They used their power and influence only to protect and increase their own capital and control over power. The interests of the elite trump the interests of the people.
Educated citizens recognize manipulation and investigate before deciding. Educated citizens are personally involved in the democratic process. Educated citizens control their own government and are not the pawns of the elite. High quality education fosters educated citizens by imparting the critical thinking skills and the background knowledge required to participate in democracy.
America is a nation full of potential that renews with every generation. Public education gives America the chance to find and champion the minds of the future and cultivate a skilled, innovative workforce. Their discoveries, inventions, ideas, and hard work will pave the way for a strong and healthy economy. Democracy or any ruling government is at risk of becoming unstable in times of economic strife. Opportunistic extremists can use the hardship of citizens to gain control of the government. This happened in most of Europe during the Great Depression when a wave of ultra-nationalism rose to power. Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and Francisco Franco claimed control of their governments and created dictatorships that committed some of the most heinous crimes against humanity in recorded World history. If the European nations had maintained strong economies after WWI, these tyrants would likely never had disgraced humanity.
The future of American democracy is dependent on education. High quality education should not be a commodity, it should be a constitutional right of citizenship. The simple fact today is that America is not providing high quality education for all of it's citizens. Only the elite in America receive unfettered access to high quality education... by paying for it themselves. For most citizens of America, who do not have the money to purchase their own education, the quality of the education received is dependent on the geographic location of their community. Citizens who live in communities unwilling or unable to spend the money required to provide high quality education receive inadequate education. Only the gifted few receive scholarships to move up. The rest must accept their position, struggle to pay for astronomically high tuition costs or submit themselves to indentured servitude in the form of a lifetime of debt.
America stinks of oligarchy. American citizens deserve better.
American democracy deserves better.
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