Education For All

Those who still see socialism as an image of 'cold war' Soviet Union era government corruption haven't gotten the memo.  In the early eighties we saw images on our televisions of people lining up to buy scarce resources like toilet paper. We confuse socialism' with 'Communism', a regime that was corrupt, closed off from the rest of the world, and hopelessly lacking in all social supports. Real socialism is not about the suppression of capitalism, isolationist nationalism, and it isn't about state controlled media. Nor is socialism it about everyone going without, particularly everyone who is not part of an elite and controlling government regime.

The so-called 'Socialism' seen in the former Soviet Union, North Korea, or Cuba is not the same socialist democracy that US Senator Bernie Sanders has been speaking of as he successfully spread his message of ensuring all member of society to have access to basic Human Rights. Bernie speaks of socialism in terms of some of the most successful social programs in US history.  The right to a living wage, the right to Universal Healthcare, Social Security, the right to a livable environment, and the right to have equal access to education.

Today I want to discuss the notion of Education as a social institution, something that we find perfectly acceptable for the nation's children, but many seem to think must end after public high-school.  Why this arbitrary cut-off occurs as young adults are poised to either continue with higher education, or enter the workforce is telling. Those without post-secondary education are most likely to work in dead-end service jobs, find little to no room for advancement, and are equipped with fewer tools for carving out small business endeavors. This is a widely known connection, I am not telling anyone anything new. So why do we end the socialist education program we credit with making America an educated super-power at the arbitrary cut-off point of high-school?

While Republicans, Regressionists, and Centrist Democrats fail to see the Progressive movement as more than just pie-in-the-sky load of 'free stuff'' for moochers, and laugh off Progressive concepts as more than 'unicorns' and 'rainbow' dreams, no one has discussed the fact that by creating taxpayers and tax-paying jobs, you create a self-funding system. It may take time, but a self-sustaining post-secondary education system is just one of the many benefits of taxpayer funded education initiatives.

Bernie Sanders clarified the issue with no-nonsense practical language. In April 2015, Sanders stated his position thusly, "higher education should be a right".  If an individual is qualified, willing, and able to achieve higher education, that person should have a path to achieve certification or a degree without having to dive into a sea of debt to do it.  No one is suggesting that all applicants should be given a cost-free Ivy League education, but state-run colleges and universities should remain accessible to those willing to put in the time and effort, and that education needs to be of a competitive quality.  This is what socialism really is about, giving everyone the same opportunity to advance, the same empowerment and chance of success, without being penalized for lacking the financial means to do so.

There will always be the cost of administration fees, reading materials, education tools, housing, and food for the socialist post-secondary student. What we need to ensure is that any fees are reasonable, that they are competitive, and that they don't penalize an individual and threaten their future well being by saddling them with endless student debt.

The more educated a person is, the more able they are to participate in the workforce, the more likely they are to have a positive effect on the economy. Other countries, such as Finland, fully cover all education costs for their citizens, and as a result have higher rates of innovation, quality of life, and stable economies. No country has reached the perfect balance of funding all social programs while keeping more money in taxpayer pockets, but there is a great argument to be made that the net gains will always outweigh any losses. Over time, a well educated and engaged population can find ways to better manage the allocation of social resources to eliminate redundancy, and to further improve outcomes. It takes a whole lot of guts to flip the system on it's head and offer more social services to those who have been left out or left behind. It may seem like a losing idea, but Bernie Sanders and other progressive voices are paving the way for enough people to take the 'socialist' plunge.