Last week’s opinion by John O’Kelly of East Williston reminds of Eric Hoffer’s astute observation that, “All movements (universal education) begin as a great cause, evolve into a business and eventually degenerate into a racket.” Obviously, our education system is credential and degree driven rather than knowledge and wisdom focused.
Reflect for a moment. The Greeks of antiquity created/developed philosophy, including deductive/inductive logic, geometry and trigonometry (without which structure is not possible), astronomy, comedy and tragedy, the science of diseases (Hippocrates), history, sculpture, architecture, the olympic games and democracy among other achievements.
And they did all of this without credentials and degrees!
Obviously they didn’t realize how deprived they were, the poor things. Predictably, our education system is, very long on cost and very short on transformational achievement; a reality that will continue as long as political types rather than free markets dictate policy and control. But citizens can and do exercise a choice, by voting with their feet, as they have done across the northeast, leaving in droves.
In fact, New York State has half the electoral college votes it had 60 years ago and this trend will continue till the end of the century.
Change is anathema to the political class who are comfortable with a 100-year old tax anachronism that has long outlived its usefulness.
Expect more of the same, i.e. higher taxes and lower population.
Tom Coffey,
Herricks
