MY VIEW ON GOVERNOR CORBETT'S EDUCATION BUDGET

I find it hard to applaud ignorance in action, because that's what axing $1.6 billion in state funding for education amounts to, but while he's on a roll here, perhaps Governor Corbett should consider taking his plan to the next logical step – abolish all education funding and do away with public schools. People who want their kids educated can make their own arrangements. Those who don't won't! No more school boards and teacher unions. No more property taxes and no more silly debates on whether we value the future of our children or not. Governor Corbett's budget makes it clear that we don't, so let's stop this idiotic charade and just admit that we'll be satisfied with a dumb-downed populace, as long as it means we don't have to sacrifice tax dollars to educate our neighbor's children.

In the interest of fair disclosure, I'm a bit jaded on the subject, but I acquired that viewpoint by experience. I earned a Pennsylvania State Teaching Certificate after graduating from Millersville University in 1978 with a degree in secondary education, but after one year in the classroom, I came to realize that no amount of money can adequately compensate a teacher for their efforts. People who think differently have never taught in a public school classroom.

That said, I do appreciate John Q. Public's reluctance to fork over money to educate the little snot-nosed kid down the street who will probably be leading this country one day, because nobody want the likes of him to do a better job than we're currently doing, unless it's messing with his kid's future. That kind of ignorance is priceless!

AMERICA'S UNPOPULAR WAR

Ask anybody on the street to identify America's least favorite war, and the Vietnam War might garner the most votes, but judging by the prevalent view of today's conservatives, the War on Poverty takes that honor, hands down. Rush Limbaugh famously commented that the War on Poverty was the stupidest war America ever fought. That pretty much says it all when it comes to the conservative view of social spending in America today.

Conservatives in America are fond of calling themselves Christians, but when it comes time to enacting Christ's social gospel, the party platform is basically "Jam-it Jesus! If you want the poor to eat, feed them yourself!"

There's a great editorial written last month that discusses the historical development of the war on poverty. It's an enlightening read at the web address listed below. That a moment and consider its message.

http://mobile.salon.com/opinion/walsh/politics/2011/02/04/reagan_war_on_poverty/index.html

MORE WESTBORO FOLLOWERS THAN YOU THINK

The Supreme Court's Westboro decision illustrates that all Americans pay a hefty price for the privilege of free speech and ought to serve as a rude awakening to the fact that being the target of hate speech is not a pleasant experience. As patriotic Americans, we grieve the loss of fallen soldier, Matthew Snyder, and as decent human beings, we mourn with the Snyder family for the grief they have suffered, but let's not forget that the heart of this matter involves one group of people attempting to demonstrate their hatred for another using our most fundamental of rights – the freedom of speech.

Free speech is a powerful tool. It exhorts individuals to seek the loftiest of quests. It inflames individuals to commit the vilest atrocities. It can build. It can also destroy. It creates fear. It calms. It illuminates the mind with reason. It stabs the heart with hate. Such is the strength of the spoken word.

We are understandably appalled by Westboro's brutal and insensitive message of hate leveled against a family and a nation in the midst of deep personal suffering and tragedy, but everyone who feels embittered by the Westboro decision should take a moment to reflect upon those occasions when they too have engaged in hate speech similar to the kind of bile Westboro peddles. It's not a comfortable assessment to undertake, but honest reflection reveals that Westboro followers have plenty of company, millions in fact.

Just ask any homosexual about an anti-gay marriage rally, or a Hispanic immigrant about our immigration debate, or a black person about the n-word, or an Islam adherent about racial profiling, or a poor person in need of food stamps and a Medicaid card to simply survive, or even a liberal living is a sea of unapologetic conservatism. They know hate when they hear it, and it isn't confined to the outskirts of a funeral procession. It's in their face every day - at work, at school and at play. It's on the TV. It's on the radio and every other place where free speech is exercised. And for most of those individuals, free speech hurts. It hurts because they know that free speech provides a license for people in this country to express their anger and hatred in a way that demeans and disrespects other individuals and causes them pain. Westboro followers are closer than you think. The nearest one may be as close as your mirror.