Spending priorities are upside down

It is said we demonstrate our personal values by where we spend our money. Likewise, the priorities of companies and agencies are more truly demonstrated in their budgets than in their mission statements or promotions.

All the platitudes and news bytes spoken by politicians and executives are misleading, hollow statements if they are not represented in their plan for the allocation of their resources. If we consider the financial crises currently being experienced by our schools and colleges in Illinois and across our nation, let us consider what values are represented in our spending.

As an example, in our national budget we spend twice as much on national defense as all the other developed countries of the world combined. While our students continue to score below the young people of other developed countries of the world, while the gap between the achievement of our minority students and our Anglo students grows wider, while school dropout rates continue to increase, we seem to value fewer teachers, fewer days of education, fewer support programs, more students in every classroom, fewer enrichment programs, fewer participants in athletic programs and lower expectations for our children.

I personally value national defense, but I value education even more. It sorrows me to see a national value system that is just the opposite. If the "education industry" could create profits for stock holders and executives like the national defense does, I guarantee you we would see higher priorities for spending to educate our young people.

Don Waters

Elgin