The land of opportunity. Education is a key driver in the American dream and in our country's long term economic success. High School education, as a fundamental right in the early 20th century, and low cost (public) college education in the second half of the 20th century created the talent that drove the economic engine and created the American dream That's now history.

Today we worry more about saddling our children with taxes, more than we worry about providing them with a competitive education. States, faced with declining revenues, cut costs everywhere.

Unfettered capitalism will not solve this problem. It's cheaper for corporations to hire educated young people from other nations on H-1B visas than to fund the education of American children. America's children are increasingly becoming second class citizens in their own nation.

It takes foresight to understand that public education is a long term investment in our children's future. It takes determination to continually raise the level of education enough to remain competitive. The lack of political will to adequately support public education, will handicap our children and this nation for generations.

Will the generation that got low paying jobs for lack of an education be happy to have lower taxes?