Public School Teachers: Gatekeepers of America’s Future
Kudos to the tens of thousands of public school teachers out there who get up every morning, rush off to school, and work with unmotivated students using out-of-date textbooks in overcrowded classrooms.  You do all of this for 5-8 hours every day, only to take home papers, tests, and quizzes to grade every evening.  Thereafter, you map out some more lesson plans and get ready for bed to repeat the process again tomorrow.  At a median salary of $44K a year, you are missionaries of academia, grossly underpaid for the sheer volume and importance of the work that you do.  It’s time to turn your missionary status into mercenary status.

Obama’s Plan for Public Education
I don’t think that any single national politician has done everything he or she could to help transform public schools in recent memory.  Even Barack Obama, bright light of hope that he is, has critical flaws in his approach to public education.  That being said, his education plan shows tremendous promise.  Assuming he can pay for it (given the recent economic downturn), and assuming he can get it passed (which is very possible with a filibuster-proof majority in the making), the public education system could receive an $18 billion a year injection under Obama.  Compare this to a spending freeze on non-military discretionary spending under a McCain presidency.

Education Is not an Expense…It Is an Investment
Just imagine what would happen if teachers were paid $90K or $100K out of college.  Do you know how off-the-charts the competition would become?  Instead of everyone rushing to Wall Street and law school (where so much of money is today…or used to be), the education system might receive a huge boost in potential teachers, all vying for a shot at the big time.  It’s time we started paying our teachers like the professionals they are.  Our children and country deserve no less.