Budget Cuts in America

 “The strength of the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people.”- Claiborne Pell- 1918

We are but one nation. A nation of freedom and education, but without such education we would not be free. For education is the very basis of all life, and as well, this land. One well known founding father, Benjamin Franklin, once said “Pour thy coins into thy mind, and thy mind will pour coins into thy purse.” Like our founding fathers, I too strongly believe in the power of education and knowledge. For without education, success and happiness almost become a dream, rather than reality. Our youth, ages five to eighteen, literally hold the world in their hands. It is up to us as the youth, to make the most out of the education available to us; but as we hold the world of education, knowledge, and faith, we need help and funding from our state. Education is priceless, yet the amount of funding it takes to get such proper education is essential. We as a nation must find another source to cut budgets from, rather than schools.

Robert Badie, a sixteen year old sophomore at Overbrook High-School, in Philadelphia, was a part of a huge rally lead from the federal prison down to the school district headquarters, on March, 30, 2011. The reason the march started at the Criminal Justice Center was reflected in the signs that read “Fund Schools, Not Prisons.” It is said that in Philly, Gov. Corbett has proposed deep cuts in education funding in the next state budget. At the same time, he wants increased funding for corrections. But kids do not feel this is right. “Why should we fund prisons and the prisoners in that prison, when we could fund something far greater than that? We have the ability to fund schools, and allow our youth to make something of who they are. We barely have the tools we need for learning, let alone our health and wellness” Said Haley Rosenberg, 15. Haley also protested with saying “You walk into the classroom and automatically see a difference. Our computers are old and slow, things like tissue is hardly provided, and kids argue over things like ‘who gets to use the scissors and pencils next’. We don’t have the money to provide kids with things like that anymore.” It’s funny, because we are always told education this and education that, it’s said our government merely stands for “Higher Education,” but when we keep losing so many teachers and the great amounts of money that are cut from our budget daily, it makes you wonder.