Are Lady Liberty's Books for Education or Indoctrination?
Guy T. Sturino
January 23, 2006
Due to our public schools failure to prepare young adults for participation in our government, the phrase, “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” is little more than a collection of pretty sounding words which convey a warm, fuzzy feeling. Our constitution tells us we are a “nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Abraham Lincoln’s question of whether “any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure,” is being answered in the negative as we watch.
Today we are in a class war, but only one side knows it’s raging. We are in an economic war, but only one side understands the rules. Our government is waging war against itself, but it is being ignored because the average voter believes they have no voice in the matter. A lot of prominent people and a great many ordinary citizens have stated that most voters aren’t smart enough or aware enough to properly exercise the duty and responsibility of voting. That’s a very harsh pronouncement. The fact is that the electorate is intelligent enough, but woefully uneducated in critical areas. The vast majority appear to be simply ignorant of exactly how our social, political and economic systems work.
High school students are prepared to work and earn a living in society, and that’s good. But, they are not taught to be critical of the social, political and economic system they live under until they have had a chance to cast their first ballot. Probably most, by that time, have adopted the political party and social attitude of their parents or peers without a second thought. Then, if they attend college they may begin to discuss these issues. The discussion, unfortunately by that time, is undertaken with extreme prejudice.
There are three basic lies taught to every public school child. These lies are incessantly repeated and reinforced until graduation. 1) America is a classless society. 2) Anything which is good for business is good for the working people. 3) Judges, Congresspersons, and the President work equally hard for all citizens. Anyone who believes even one of these lies is not prepared to function as part of “We the People” when it’s time to vote.
This situation was born in the late 1940's, after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the end of World War II. In the years prior to that time, our society and our economy were becoming more and more socialist, as the Congress and the President worked to ensure the well being of all citizens. Then, under the guise of keeping our country safe from our enemies, Senator Joe McCarthy launched his campaign to drive communism out of the country. No one was beyond the reach of his powerful committee, and by the time the committee was disbanded there wasn’t a grade school student in the country who could define democracy, socialism, capitalism or Communism as a unique idea. Capitalism is the economic system of a democracy, which is what we have, and it is good. Socialism is the economic system of Communism, which is what they have and it is bad. The accepted definitions were so muddled as to be meaningless for any purpose except political indoctrination.
We see the results of this kind of education in the news every day. Questions concerning the authority of Congress, the role of the Supreme Court, and the power of the President are being discussed, and commentators and editors are making their feelings known. Unfortunately, much of the discussion is simply beyond the scope and understanding of the listener. It is well past time for a change.
Senator Joe McCarthy has been denounced for his excesses in routing out communist sympathizers. Times have changed, so we are told. However, public schools, still seem to avoid discussion of alternate economic theories beyond indoctrination levels, or even discuss capitalism in depth without political overtones. The result is that the majority of the working class does not have sufficient foundational education to even be concerned about what is happening around them – or to them. To add real-world clarity to a discussion of capitalism, our children, the next influx of labor, need a working definition of capital which will help them think more clearly about what they are told.
Historically we have said that capital is the money which is used to purchase or create the means of production. This is a good definition for looking at an abstract process, but it lacks both depth and clarity when it comes to teaching about the impact of capitalism on society. When we talk about capital, we should be teaching that it is the money that some people have in excess of what they need for food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and a little bit for leisure activities, which is used to purchase the means of production.
This is money that the majority of the working class will never have. As a result, by definition workers are not capitalists and the vast majority will never become capitalists except in the sense of political attitude. The essence of capitalism is that capitalists, those with capital, buy the servitude of those without capital at the lowest price possible in order to use their labor, manual or intellectual, to amass more money. Everyone who cannot exist for the extent of their lifetime with only what they have in the bank today is a member of the labor pool. The fact that some of the laborers can live for an extended period of time without additional funds can hold out for a higher price, does not remove them from the labor pool. This condition simply allows them to enjoy a less obvious position of servility. The result is codified class slavery as was the case when the word was coined. 'Slavonic captive': the Slavonic peoples were reduced to a servile state by conquest in the 9th century.
When we think of slavery in the United States, we imagine a person captured from a foreign country and sold to an individual to do labor for that individual. Most people would add that the labor is done for free, but that was never the case. No money changed hands, but if the slave owner wanted work done, the slaves needed food, clothing and shelter, as well a some level of health care. After all, how much work can a hungry, sick person do?
Amendment XIII of the constitution refers to the elimination of slavery in the United States. Section 1 states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Section 2 states: “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” But the laws have not eliminated slavery, only bondage. A form of slavery, however benign, remains the essence of our economic system.
Everyone who lives from paycheck to paycheck is enslaved to some degree. Selling whatever talent they have to the highest bidder in order to obtain food, clothing, shelter and health care, they enter into an undeniable slave/master relationship. That relationship becomes astoundingly clear when we look closely at our political parties and their platforms. Historically, the Republican Party’s form of capitalism has been based on maintaining a starving workforce with an absolute minimum ability to confront the owners of the means of production for the betterment of wages or working conditions. Both of these things require either additional capital or reduction in profit. The Democratic Party has historically insisted on a more moderate form of capitalism. The Democratic Party’s brand of capitalism is based on the principle of a content workforce, and as such embraces some socialistic principals to some degree, which might be considered a more humane application of capitalist principles.
Neither party will speak about the inherent owner/slave relationship of the capitalistic economy. What they do speak about are things which can be done at no cost to the rich. How much does it cost to limit marriage to a man and a woman? How much does it cost to refuse an abortion to the victim of rape or incest, or someone who simply can’t provide the basic necessities of life to the newborn? How much does it cost to provide social freedoms to people who have been denied such freedoms by bigotry and hatred? The answer, of course, is that these things cost nothing. As a result, keeping their real objectives secret, the political parties go to great lengths to use their cost free principles to divide and conquer the electorate.
During this last run of Republican political dominance, the economic principle, that of keeping the workforce in need and powerless, has reached an extreme. It was during the tenure of President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the conscience of the government reached its apex in favor of the working class. With FDR’s passing, the wealthy reacted immediately to reverse the swing of the pendulum. The question is then, how long will it take the working class to begin to reverse the swing of the pendulum this time?
So what does all this talk of politics have to do with education? Well, the working class has recognized that something is wrong. Unfortunately, when they are told that the problem is rampant unfettered capitalism many react as if the very idea is unpatriotic. This response is not founded in education, but in indoctrination. If they cannot get past the political indoctrination to deal with economics, whose fault is it? Well, it is not their own fault. Neither is it the fault of their parents. How can a parent be expected to recognize what is missing from an education when what is missing was never a part of their own?
For the same reason, it’s also not the teacher’s fault. When it comes to democracy and capitalism, we have all been subjected to indoctrination since the 1940's. The responsibility for this lack of awareness of economic principles – and how the use and misuse of these principles can affect the lives of American citizens – rests directly, and heavily, on the educational system.
In order for our form of government to survive, every high school graduate must have a thorough, not a cursory, understanding of our government and our economic system. By allowing political and economic ignorance to exist through high school, the educational system fails in its duty to fully educate. Students graduating from high school today understand DNA and RNA, which very few will ever need. How their economic system works, and how their government – the best ever conceived – is supposed to function, appears to be beyond them. This is a national disgrace.
Based on all available evidence, the majority of today’s electorate lacks a solid understanding of the social, political and economic principles which underlie our society. This, unfortunately, includes those who become journalists and use their profession to spread their misunderstanding. Our only hope for the survival of our nation, a nation created to throw off a tyrannical rule, is that the public school system begins very soon to educate rather than indoctrinate.
Today we are in a class war, but only one side knows it’s raging. We are in an economic war, but only one side understands the rules. Our government is waging war against itself, but it is being ignored because the average voter believes they have no voice in the matter. A lot of prominent people and a great many ordinary citizens have stated that most voters aren’t smart enough or aware enough to properly exercise the duty and responsibility of voting. That’s a very harsh pronouncement. The fact is that the electorate is intelligent enough, but woefully uneducated in critical areas. The vast majority appear to be simply ignorant of exactly how our social, political and economic systems work.
High school students are prepared to work and earn a living in society, and that’s good. But, they are not taught to be critical of the social, political and economic system they live under until they have had a chance to cast their first ballot. Probably most, by that time, have adopted the political party and social attitude of their parents or peers without a second thought. Then, if they attend college they may begin to discuss these issues. The discussion, unfortunately by that time, is undertaken with extreme prejudice.
There are three basic lies taught to every public school child. These lies are incessantly repeated and reinforced until graduation. 1) America is a classless society. 2) Anything which is good for business is good for the working people. 3) Judges, Congresspersons, and the President work equally hard for all citizens. Anyone who believes even one of these lies is not prepared to function as part of “We the People” when it’s time to vote.
This situation was born in the late 1940's, after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the end of World War II. In the years prior to that time, our society and our economy were becoming more and more socialist, as the Congress and the President worked to ensure the well being of all citizens. Then, under the guise of keeping our country safe from our enemies, Senator Joe McCarthy launched his campaign to drive communism out of the country. No one was beyond the reach of his powerful committee, and by the time the committee was disbanded there wasn’t a grade school student in the country who could define democracy, socialism, capitalism or Communism as a unique idea. Capitalism is the economic system of a democracy, which is what we have, and it is good. Socialism is the economic system of Communism, which is what they have and it is bad. The accepted definitions were so muddled as to be meaningless for any purpose except political indoctrination.
We see the results of this kind of education in the news every day. Questions concerning the authority of Congress, the role of the Supreme Court, and the power of the President are being discussed, and commentators and editors are making their feelings known. Unfortunately, much of the discussion is simply beyond the scope and understanding of the listener. It is well past time for a change.
Senator Joe McCarthy has been denounced for his excesses in routing out communist sympathizers. Times have changed, so we are told. However, public schools, still seem to avoid discussion of alternate economic theories beyond indoctrination levels, or even discuss capitalism in depth without political overtones. The result is that the majority of the working class does not have sufficient foundational education to even be concerned about what is happening around them – or to them. To add real-world clarity to a discussion of capitalism, our children, the next influx of labor, need a working definition of capital which will help them think more clearly about what they are told.
Historically we have said that capital is the money which is used to purchase or create the means of production. This is a good definition for looking at an abstract process, but it lacks both depth and clarity when it comes to teaching about the impact of capitalism on society. When we talk about capital, we should be teaching that it is the money that some people have in excess of what they need for food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and a little bit for leisure activities, which is used to purchase the means of production.
This is money that the majority of the working class will never have. As a result, by definition workers are not capitalists and the vast majority will never become capitalists except in the sense of political attitude. The essence of capitalism is that capitalists, those with capital, buy the servitude of those without capital at the lowest price possible in order to use their labor, manual or intellectual, to amass more money. Everyone who cannot exist for the extent of their lifetime with only what they have in the bank today is a member of the labor pool. The fact that some of the laborers can live for an extended period of time without additional funds can hold out for a higher price, does not remove them from the labor pool. This condition simply allows them to enjoy a less obvious position of servility. The result is codified class slavery as was the case when the word was coined. 'Slavonic captive': the Slavonic peoples were reduced to a servile state by conquest in the 9th century.
When we think of slavery in the United States, we imagine a person captured from a foreign country and sold to an individual to do labor for that individual. Most people would add that the labor is done for free, but that was never the case. No money changed hands, but if the slave owner wanted work done, the slaves needed food, clothing and shelter, as well a some level of health care. After all, how much work can a hungry, sick person do?
Amendment XIII of the constitution refers to the elimination of slavery in the United States. Section 1 states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Section 2 states: “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” But the laws have not eliminated slavery, only bondage. A form of slavery, however benign, remains the essence of our economic system.
Everyone who lives from paycheck to paycheck is enslaved to some degree. Selling whatever talent they have to the highest bidder in order to obtain food, clothing, shelter and health care, they enter into an undeniable slave/master relationship. That relationship becomes astoundingly clear when we look closely at our political parties and their platforms. Historically, the Republican Party’s form of capitalism has been based on maintaining a starving workforce with an absolute minimum ability to confront the owners of the means of production for the betterment of wages or working conditions. Both of these things require either additional capital or reduction in profit. The Democratic Party has historically insisted on a more moderate form of capitalism. The Democratic Party’s brand of capitalism is based on the principle of a content workforce, and as such embraces some socialistic principals to some degree, which might be considered a more humane application of capitalist principles.
Neither party will speak about the inherent owner/slave relationship of the capitalistic economy. What they do speak about are things which can be done at no cost to the rich. How much does it cost to limit marriage to a man and a woman? How much does it cost to refuse an abortion to the victim of rape or incest, or someone who simply can’t provide the basic necessities of life to the newborn? How much does it cost to provide social freedoms to people who have been denied such freedoms by bigotry and hatred? The answer, of course, is that these things cost nothing. As a result, keeping their real objectives secret, the political parties go to great lengths to use their cost free principles to divide and conquer the electorate.
During this last run of Republican political dominance, the economic principle, that of keeping the workforce in need and powerless, has reached an extreme. It was during the tenure of President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the conscience of the government reached its apex in favor of the working class. With FDR’s passing, the wealthy reacted immediately to reverse the swing of the pendulum. The question is then, how long will it take the working class to begin to reverse the swing of the pendulum this time?
So what does all this talk of politics have to do with education? Well, the working class has recognized that something is wrong. Unfortunately, when they are told that the problem is rampant unfettered capitalism many react as if the very idea is unpatriotic. This response is not founded in education, but in indoctrination. If they cannot get past the political indoctrination to deal with economics, whose fault is it? Well, it is not their own fault. Neither is it the fault of their parents. How can a parent be expected to recognize what is missing from an education when what is missing was never a part of their own?
For the same reason, it’s also not the teacher’s fault. When it comes to democracy and capitalism, we have all been subjected to indoctrination since the 1940's. The responsibility for this lack of awareness of economic principles – and how the use and misuse of these principles can affect the lives of American citizens – rests directly, and heavily, on the educational system.
In order for our form of government to survive, every high school graduate must have a thorough, not a cursory, understanding of our government and our economic system. By allowing political and economic ignorance to exist through high school, the educational system fails in its duty to fully educate. Students graduating from high school today understand DNA and RNA, which very few will ever need. How their economic system works, and how their government – the best ever conceived – is supposed to function, appears to be beyond them. This is a national disgrace.
Based on all available evidence, the majority of today’s electorate lacks a solid understanding of the social, political and economic principles which underlie our society. This, unfortunately, includes those who become journalists and use their profession to spread their misunderstanding. Our only hope for the survival of our nation, a nation created to throw off a tyrannical rule, is that the public school system begins very soon to educate rather than indoctrinate.
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