Book-Learnin': Yea or Nay?

Dangerous Intersection interestingly compares the state of the US educational system to architectural ruins, noting that first a structure will be neglected or abandoned, then actively vandalized (scavenged for parts, wrecked for the fun of it), before becoming a ruin that may be of historical interest but does not serve a practical use.

I don't honestly know that much about the educational system, but one certainly hears a lot of talk from one perspective or another. 

It's worthless! Teachers are lazy scum! It's the best in the world! Teachers are saints! 

My feeling is, although I personally was homeschooled, not all (or even most) parents can manage this, and public education is crucial. 

I'll pay taxes all day long ('cause I'm on salary, so I'm earning and paying taxes on bits of money every minute!) to support the school system. At a very fundamental level, a healthy nation should have a citizenry equipped with the grounding of a basic education, and as a people it makes sense to me that we should pay for that.

But also, some of this anti-scientific nonsense one hears about in classrooms is pretty infuriating, and I can see getting pretty peeved if my tax dollars are paying for that. 

Someone with the opposite sort of regard for science from my own probably feels that way too, but from the other side of the mirror, so I can certainly understand that it's one of those big topics. 

I vote we not settle it with arm-wrestling, because I don't have very big arms.

Anyway, I guess the main point is, this was an interesting post, and I really hope the educational system isn't as close to ruin as all that, but I don't have any actual deep insights about it. 

Just, you know, be aware that I am in favor of education rather than vandalism. 

This blog says, "Book-learnin': Yea."