Republicans vs. education

"As people do better; they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing."

-- Karl Rove, as quoted in The Daily Texan, 19 March 2004

The right-wing pundits are trying to frighten the sheep into keeping their children home from school on Tuesday, which is when President Obama plans to broadcast a speech to the nation's school children.

And it seems they're having some success.

They already have some of the sheep convinced that Obama will be using that opportunity to "spread [his] socialist ideology" and "force it upon the nation's school children."

So what is this horrible "socialist ideology" with which Obama will be brainwashing our children? According to information from the White House, Obama plans to "urge students to take personal responsibility for their own education, to set goals, and to not only stay in school but make the most of it."

How threatening! How radical! How.... socialist???!!!

Yes, apparently working hard in school and being successful in your studies is now a socialist ideal, and a message that we must shield our children from hearing!

And people -- many people -- are actually falling for this twisted logic, because they cannot -- or will not -- read between the lines.

Of course, these are probably the same people who believed that Sarah Palin was qualified to be vice president. (Perhaps that was already an example of the effects of an anti-education mindset.)

With so many Americans holding this kind of blind faith in the extreme right-wing propaganda, I shudder at the possible implications for our nation's future.