I have trouble understanding why the right usually seem to be anti-education. This does not make sense to me, but inevitably when a right wing administration is elected they seem to attack public education. As an example consider the case of Wisconsin. A republican governor, assembly and senate are elected and the first thing they do is cut the education budget. They also pass legislation designed to eliminate many public sector unions which causes massive protests. Of course people who see their rights being taken away react angrily. What is even sadder though, is the $1 billion dollar cut to public education. Education is an investment that takes years to be realized. The affects will be felt in the future not in the present.
Some news articles have stated that the destruction of the unions will enable school districts to do more with less. The rule of economics (there ain't no free lunch) implies that by reducing teacher wages and job security, the teaching profession will become a less attractive career choice. The best students will no longer consider teaching. People will choose teaching as a last resort. In the end the quality of education will suffer, the quality of the students performance will decrease, and when these students enter the workplace they will lack the skills necessary to compete with workers around the globe.
Another disturbing aspect of this trend is the support of Charter schools. These schools are great for the few who can attend them. This sets the precedence for parallel education systems, one for the wealthy and one for the poor. I have had conversations with people who feel they should not have to pay any taxes to support education at all. They don't have any children in school any more so, why should they be obligated to pay taxes? Public education is the one method for people to escape poverty in the US. Without it the trap of poverty becomes complete, and the consequences will be dire.
