Public Education

[freshwest]

31. Politics is said to be a luxury of the leisure classes. Thus, he said upward social mobility.

The upper classes in terms of land ownership or capital do not require a public education nor the maintenance of the Commons.

Public education is its crowning achievement, along with libraries and other shared educational opportunities, to make social advancement.

Those who dispute it and want it privatized are in general conservatives, unwilling to pay taxes for the Commons because they do not benefit. It's as simple as that.

When people receive an education to advance in society and approach the freedom and privileges of wealth, if only slightly, they have the leisure to participate as citizens.

Where there is no free time, all the civics in the world are but a bitter mockery to the worker who is unlanded and has no connections to rise to the level of citizen.

Despite all claims to the contrary, people have been lifted up through publicly funded education of the broad kind for teaching their rights as citizens and how to make a living.

While I see the desire for a fully rounded liberal education with civics and public involvement encouraged in public schools, I believe the person you disagree with on this point to be more correct than you.

One who is landed and has roots to build upon, has concerns that many do not. No amount of civics will give them that power; they do not have the leisure to move in the same networks as others do right now.

There are arguments made against a free and public education for various reasons. The Koch brothers and their ilk, and increasingly some less fortunate, see no need for public education NOR do they see any use in people seeking upward mobility.

They think that tribalism or running away will meet their needs. It may do so, but that is only for certain groups who are able to survive that way.

Others require society and education for more economic reasons at this phase in their lives, unable to make a choice as others have.

We may be talking at cross purposes for a moment, as I see that their are some people who cannot possibly be as engaged in politics and being full citizens, and others may have that ability. But they are not in the same group.