::Thursday, August 05, 2004::
THE REAL THREAT
..A broken educational system, failing schools and undereducated students are the real threats to US national interest. America's preeminence in the world stage politically and economically rests on the mantle of its people's brain pool. Now this resource is disappearing, if not underfunded, replaced by a commercial culture epitomized by reality television that celebrates instant fame and success without having to bury oneself in books. This cultural fast-food mentality undercuts science and research and is beginning to show its ugly face in schools and educational institutions across the states. The federal government needs to fix this problem fast before it's too late. Poor and underforming kids, whatever the reason will not turn into scientists and innovators in an instant. Countries such as India and China lead the way by putting their money where their mouth is. Just think of the thousands of engineers they graduate each year while America produces just a fraction of the need. Talk about WMD.
