How is Decimating Education Not a "Systemic Crisis"?

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that San Francisco's school Superintendent Carlos Garcia is having to make the tough decision to cut $56m in school funding to bridge a $113m budget shortfall. The paper quotes Superintendent Carlos Garcia describing the cuts as "horrible and deplorable" that rival those experienced during the Great Depression.

His plan, presented to the school board Tuesday night, would eliminate up to 400 district positions, including 100 teachers resulting from an increase in K-3 class size, from 22 students to 25. Garcia also called for decimating summer school, teacher training and other programs; shrinking paychecks across the board through unpaid furloughs; cutting busing, especially for high school students; cuts to school programs for under served students; and cuts to STAR/Dream School funding for struggling schools.

"I absolutely take no pride in what I'm going to share with you," he said earlier in the day. "There are things in here that go against my beliefs." Art, music, libraries, physical education and High School Exit Exam help would be among the many things to be affected along with the district administrators, teachers or other staff members who run those programs.

The district faces the huge shortfall because of state cuts to education over the past few years combined with the state's decision not to provide cost-of-living increases last year, this year and probably even next year based on the governor's proposed budget.

Clearly GOD is on Lloyd Blankefein's side and NOT with America's children. Bankers after all are "god's chosen people". Why else would they get $145 BILLION in bonuses, while school teachers get laid off because a district has a $56 million shortfall. Or could it be that the teachers and students unlike our bankers are not "America's Best and Brightest" and therefore undeserving of a bailout?

Bernanke and Timmy G have justified the taxpayer funded trillions that flowed to Wall Street to stem a "systemic crisis". Is decimating education not a "systemic crisis" as well? Can America truly compete in a technologically driven global economy, if its slashes education funding to schools and universities? When the nation can find unlimited money to bailout Wall Street, not to mention $1 trillion in annual defense spending to fight purposeless wars, why not for education? How about slashing 10% off defense and providing for our schools?

Folks should note that no governments in India or China are passing such stupid budget decisions. They understand that when faced with a choice between funding unnecessary defense projects or providing for their economic future, they choose the latter.

In any economy CAPITAL is a scarce resource, so it is up to us to deploy it intelligently into the most productive assets, that will provide us with the best return on our investment. Would education for our children not be a better asset to invest in, rather than a war or senseless Wall Street bailouts? Is it not time to start a war AGAINST "cutting education funding"? That would be a just cause worth fighting for.