Emily Kelley / Roundup
For the last year, and especially in the last few months, our TV’s and radios have been bombarded with campaign ads. They were nearly unavoidable in the last week, blaring blatant attacks on the opposing candidates and their policies.
And yesterday, a large majority of the population of the Pierce College campus headed to the polls to cast their vote for the candidates of their choice.
As great as it will be not to hear those ads anymore, we have much bigger problems ahead no matter what candidates are celebrating today.
Why?
Our state is in a dire fiscal crisis, despite the “experts” saying the recession has ended, and this will obviously be a high priority on the next administration’s agenda, among other things.
However, based on the “Meet Your Candidates” town hall style event that was hosted on our campus last week, education might not be one of them.
The candidates were given an opportunity in the beginning of the meeting to introduce themselves and give a preview of their platforms, yet none of them mentioned education until they were asked.
While all of the candidates addressed what they thought should be done, none of them said directly what will be done if they were elected.
This is an issue.
Perhaps the politicians in our state and national capitols view the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, illegal immigration and climate change as more pressing matters, but where does that leave us?
In this society, you’re next to nothing without a college degree. Going to college has been engrained in our brains since elementary school as an essential part of growing up. So how in the world is it fair that the majority of us aren’t able to afford it?
This country was built on the idea that opportunities would be available for anyone. That everyone had the opportunity to get a college degree and make something of themselves.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
So as the newly-elected politicians prepare to take office, hopefully they’ll think about what kind of state, what kind of country they want for their children. A world where only the rich or the talented will be educated? Or a world where every child can frame a college degree?
It’s time to make us a priority.
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ekelley.roundupnews@gmail.com