President Obama’s economic stimulus package proposes increasing government spending for college education, health care, foreign affairs, science and transportation. He plans to pay for these services by increasing taxes and reducing personal exemptions and itemized reductions for individuals who earn over $200,000 and married couples who earn over $250,000 a year. I am assuming that the fundamental ideology behind this economic proposal of increasing taxes for the wealthy is the belief that those who have the most money can afford to and are socially obligated to give back to others who are less fortunate.

On the surface, this sounds like a generous, loving, kind, gesture of civil humanity. But underneath this philosophy is an erroneous assumption about the characteristics of people who are healthy, wealthy and educated that has very little to do with money and everything to do with perseverance, hard work, integrity, dedication and sacrifice.

Obama’s public rhetoric of taxing the wealthy to save the poor does nothing to improve the self-esteem of the poor who are struggling to achieve their dreams at all cost-- by turning off the television (or better yet- not buying one at all; working 3 jobs to pay their way through a community college before applying to a university; buying their clothes second hand or choosing not to buy a home- but work out of their small cramped apartment to supplement their businesses.

As a civilized society, I do believe that government should provide its people with the psychological and cognitive tools needed to be productive, successful individuals through a sound K-12 education. I think that President Bush was sniffing down the right trail of academic success with his “no child left behind” policy— but his mistake was that his administration focused on improving test scores, as opposed to teaching the students how to develop real-life practical skills that put the reins of success into their own hands by giving them the information that it is needed to determine their own future endeavors whether it be going to college, starting their own business or joining the military.

The federal government should enforce a curriculum that in the long-term reduce the need for excessive government spending and bailouts. How about this-No child should graduate from high school without understanding healthy nutrition; how to read food labels; prepare healthy meals; manage their money; balance a checking account, buy and sell stocks and bonds; complete tax forms; create a marketing plan for a new product (no matter how trite- who would have ever thought that sticky notes would have taken the world by storm; write a business plan and start their own business; acquire a parenting license (I know it doesn’t exist—but it should) that covers not only babysitting basics and child development, but practical techniques on how to take advantage of their baby’s brain windows of opportunity, how to determine if their child is a left or a right brain learner to better be able to help them with their school work; and how to develop a healthy relationship with a partner as a few fundamental graduation requirements. Money is not going to create a better curriculum or make a horrible teacher care more about his students.


I think that a part of the American culture envy, hate and resent people who are wealthy no matter how hard they have worked for their money. We secretly believe that somehow their success was ill-gotten, stolen, or that they cheated on their bar or medical exams. We see their monetary success as a reminder of our own failure.

What if we change what we are teaching our students, as opposed to giving more money to the people who were going to college anyway to regurgitate and become a part of the same failing economic system that perpetuates the status quo and only allow the ideological clones of past beliefs to continue to stunt the growth of modern society? Why should people who earn over $200,000 a year be required to pay for the majority of society’s social services? Because of the money they earn, their children won’t qualify for a government grant for college. So who is going to pay for the wealthy children’s education? Bingo, the wealthy – and they should. But if their money is overly taxed how can they afford to pay for their own children’s education?

Why not revamp the curriculum of the American educational system to plant the seeds of hope, ideals, innovation, steadfastness and positive thinking into all students-- those who want to go to college and those who do not want to go to college but prefer to fertilize their own dreams with the sweat of their brow.