As an educator for the last 18 years, I'm now seeing the results of "social promotion" and "outcome based education". The net effect seems to be: "Jonny, it's OK to be stupid -- as long as you feel good about it and it doesn't interfere with your basic role as a consumer."

I see college students who can't do basic algebra, write a complete sentence, or read a book without pictures. It would be convenient to blame it all on technology, rich people or poor teachers. Frankly, there are a lot of poor teachers, many of them also can't teach. Not much incentive to join a poor paying profession dominated by unions that protect the weak, and administrators with no formal business training who waste millions.

I'm not sure k-12 education is any more poorly run than a number of other public sector agencies. The consequences are much larger. Don't bitch about the division of wealth if you're not smart enough to get your share. Paying your taxes doesn't entitle your kids to a quality education. The majority of US citizens see public schools as free baby sitting and an opportunity to sue someone when their kid gets punched in the nose. Public schools have only one function, to perpetuate themselves by encouraging you to pay your taxes.

Why are your kids losing jobs to kids from the orient? They're going to the same schools. You want your kids to do better than you, then you have to be responsible for them. Neither one of my parents made it out of the 8th grade. All three of us kids graduated from college. It can be done.