RH Jones' speech to STRS board August 12, 2010

Re: Education fuels the American Dream
August 12, 2010

As a professional teacher who happens to be retired, I would like to set the record straight: 100 years ago, in 1910, merely 21 years before I was born, only 2 out of 10 adults could read and write. Only 6% had graduated from high school and the average worker made between $200 and $400 per year. Empirical evidence tells us today, these figures are much greater. In 100 years from now, it will be much greater still – that is, if we taxpayers continue to properly fund public school district education. Presently, the retired teacher’s 3% COLA and HC/Rx is part of that package of funding for education which, if continued, is the key to forward economic growth; and, the key to an expanded diverse middle class necessary for the continued condition of prosperity and security.

Before WWI, as people left the farms to move into cities, education spending began to move forward and has culminated into right now 40% of our younger adults has a college degree (Dallas Morning News, 08/09/10, Gilman). In a speech in Texas Monday (NY Times, 08/10/10, Stolberg), President Obama stated, and I quote: “education is an economic issue”. Reasonable people can concur with that fact.

For the last 100 years education has given Ohio and the nation its economic prosperity. Yet, across the state and nation there are media and wealthy politicians who do not credit an educated public as a source of economic strength that purchases, reads and views their products. After their recent attacks, particularly on the Ohio defined benefit pensions, perhaps we, who are educated, should boycott their company stocks. Recently, some of them demanded and some have begged that we purchase their stocks. It only makes sense that staying together we can overcome their harm to our retirement system. We are not obligated to purchase their stocks and products but they cannot benefit for long without our combined value of assets. In more ways than one, our numbers is our power; unfortunately, they do not understand informed reasoning, only power.

Robert Hudson Jones