From American Corespondent Kyle Brady…

America has an education problem.

It’s not that the United States doesn’t have an educational system or is somehow perennially cast as having an exorbitantly low IQ, but rather that the system itself is dysfunctional and not producing the results intended . For three decades, since the arrival of Ronald Reagan to the Presidency in 1981, public education has been under attack through the backdoor-privatization known as charter schools , the over-specialization of magnet schools , and, more destructively, underfunding.

For most of modern history, when a state government finds itself in a problematic budget situation, the funding to public education gets cut – not just at the college level, but typically across the board. Rather than substantially cutting the salaries of public workers/civil servants with higher salaries (such as six-figure salaries for members of the state senate), closing tax loopholes, raising taxes on those who should be expected to pay their proportionate share (the rich), or ending expensive pet projects, the default choice is to defund the school system, along with other detrimental, self-inhibiting actions. This same tendency is observed at the national level, where members of Congress choose to cut funding to state education programs, rather than making more logical cuts.

The result of three decades of the slow destruction of the public education system is that it’s immensely dysfunctional and nationally embarrassing: graduation rates for the United States have dropped over time, and they now stand below nearly half of the world, including most of Europe. There are other indicators that show American children are no longer as proficient at math, science, and analytical processes than in decades past, a reality noted by President Obama in his 2011 “State of the Union” address. Economists, educators, political scientists, a majority of pundits, various think tanks, and a large swath of the American public all acknowledge that the educational system needs reform, which includes greater funding at more stable levels. Why the disconnect?

A disconnect between the American people and those governing the country exists on the issue of education for a simple reason: the funding of education has no short-term results. Whether an educational program is given greater or lesser funding has no immediate effect on any politician’s constituents, and, therefore, their election cycle. The politicians in control of United States policy, at both a federal and state level, have great difficulty in seeing and planning for the future – their interests are of the moment and in what is better for their next re-election (as discussed in Chapter 7 of the upcoming book, Modern America: The End of Political Discourse.

Education, especially effective public education made available for all, is crucial to the growth and development of a state, and the United States is no different: the various booms and advances of the country’s history are, largely, due to the initial efforts of a group of well-educated individuals. Science and math are essential in a world that is increasingly reliant upon electronics for daily use, much less a future of alternative energy and cyborg dreams. Yet, science and math are eschewed as nerdy and unnecessary – until they’re suddenly vital and under strenuous demand. Other subjects, such as English, composition, and foreign languages, are also crucial to the continued cultural and economic growth of the nation.

Politicians must quickly acknowledge that the educational system is not available for pilfering, should the budget require more available funds than actually exist. In fact, the cuts made to education over the last three decades must be quickly reversed (after adjusting for inflation), reforms must be implemented that reward effective teachers, and marketing programs must be begun to draw the attention of teenagers back into the classroom, away from the culture of celebrity and sports that seems to have taken over the public discourse. A failure to do so will result in nothing less than the increased dependence of the United States on foreign states and an immigrant work force in order to continue living as a First World state, placing America and all its citizens in an extremely vulnerable and volatile position.

Without proper education, there can be no booming modern economy; without a booming modern economy, all the benefits of power and funding that politicians have enjoyed will fade away, in parallel with the decline of American civilization.

Kyle Brady is a young political scientist and writer interested in everything from domestic politics to foreign policy to political theory, currently living in San Jose, CA.  He blogs at kyle-brady.com, is writing a book on the modern political scene in America, is on Twitter as @brady_kyle, and can be reached at kyle@kyle-brady.com.

From United States Corespondent Gibbs Burke…

Almost two months after the signing of the health care reform plan the economic repercussions have already started to surface. We were told all these wonderful facts about how the bill would reduce the deficit, cost less, and cover more Americans. This facade was just a hypocritical ploy to convince Americans the bill would benefit them. Like most legislation however, the backlash seems to be harming more Americans then the bill is helping. 

The corporate healthcare plans that have dominated American coverage since World War II are in jeopardy of becoming extinct. Immediately after the bill was passed, major US corporations declared large losses. In retaliation, the Democrats threatened the CEO’s by summoning them to Washington to grill them on their actions. It was also demanded they turn over all internal documents regarding the new health care bill. AT&Tand Verizon were among these corporations that declared as much as a one billion dollar loss due to the new health care bill.

After reviewing the documents and understanding that these corporations were only following the letter of the law (a corporation must make public to its share holders profits and expenses), the Democratic committee revoked its threat, and quietly walked away from the situation. It has now resurfaced stronger and more powerful then ever.

Recent documents turned over to the Democratic committee from AT&T reveal the ultimate consequences of the bill. AT&T by denying coverage to its employees can post a profit of 4.1 billion dollars. AT&T is not the only corporation thinking about denying health care coverage. Many corporations will be considering the cost to profit ratio, and come September do not be surprised if you find yourself shopping for health care.

So while the Democrats admit that the projected numbers were wrong, our phone bills are doubling we’re shopping for health insurance. Who will take the responsibility for it? I’m sure it won’t be Obama, because things just slip off him like a Louisiana Oil Spill. Just remember… I told you so.

Change, it seems, may be finally coming to American politics.

After almost a year and a half of political wrangling, fake debates, fingerpointing, namecalling, and almost no obvious or momentous progress, President Obama’s campaign slogan appears to have taken Washington D.C. by storm in just a few short days.  With a final vote looming on healthcare reform, despite its status as actual reform now being questionable, some members of Congress have taken advantage of the Democratic momentum to propose, or put the finishing touches, on other legislation necessary for not only progress, but also stability, within America.

Depending on the individual, agency, or group counting, the Great Recession began somewhere around two years ago, and, until recently, regulation to address the very problems that caused the financial and economic crash has been sorely lacking.  Senator Dodd had expressed interest in passing legislation through the Senate Banking Committee, but his dedication came into question when he announced not running for reelection – it is, therefore, surprising that Dodd announced an upcoming regulatory bill.  Some of the details are still murky, but it has intentions to revitalize banking regulation, provide greater watchdog capabilities to both bank shareholders and government, create a “Consumer Financial Protection Agency”, and more.  This bill has not yet been introduced, much less voted on, but if even half of it is passed into law, the battle will be well fought.

In addition to the political surprise by Senator Dodd, the FCC has revealed that they are highly interested in regulating the telecommunication industry, with a great focus on the Internet, as well as opening it up to true competition – Net Neutrality would inevitably be a part of such regulation.  This action isn’t a surprise to those that have been paying attention to the political climate surrounding ISPs since President Obama entered Office, but it will no doubt surprise, frustrate, and anger Republicans that devoutly oppose what they perceive as unnecessary intervention in the private sector, such as John McCain, despite the multitude of failures by the market to regulate itself.

From Congress itself comes an interest in reforming tax regulation to simplify the tax code to close loopholes, remove deductions, and make understanding it easier – potentially reducing taxes for certain income brackets while increasing tax income from those that weasel out of paying what is simply due to the Federal Government.  This move, while potentially politically painful, would satisfy both Republican interests in cutting taxes and the Democratic wish to have corporations play fairly with others, bringing about a rare moment for bipartisan legislation in an era of extreme partisanship.  Ironically, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has just produced stern words for the selfsame Republicans that have been stalling any and all attempts at forward progress, a well-timed jab likely intended to scare up legislative support.

What does this signify as a whole?  The underlying message of this may be that the Democratic majority have grown tired of the obstructionist tactics of the minority party full of bravado, not brains, and is preparing to move forward with or without them.  An important part of this decision may include not only the abject legislative failure of 2009, but also the upcoming midterm elections in November:  if Democrats can show that they passed significant and meaningful legislation almost entirely on their own, they have a greater political advantage than if they were to lay claim to thin bipartisanship.  The central strategy of Republicans has been to “break” both President Obama and his Congress by preventing progress, in order to retake the majority come election time – a prospect that seems bleaker for them by the day.

Whether or not these specific instances of Democratic showmanship turn into actual legislation is an entirely different matter, but the words themselves have signified a change from even just a few weeks ago – a change that is more than welcome.

From Kyle Brady…

Kyle can be found on his blog, via email, or on Twitter.

Anthony Weiner is a Congressman  in the old fashioned tradition, a leading voice in the fight for reform, and a left wing democrat. He’s been at the forefront of the fight for the Public Option in American Healthcare from the very beginning and hasn’t let up for a minute. It’s RELATIVTY OnLine’s humble opinion that American Congress needs more lawmakers like him.

Watch as Weiner rips the Republican Party a new one, calling them a “wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry.”

After his comments, he is asked to temporarily step down from the podium – the congressional of equivalent of being told to stand in the corner – and his words are ordered withdrawn. Upon his return, he agrees to withdraw his words. When given the chance to continue however,  he throws a hard right hand lead at the Republican Party yet again. Word has it that Weiner is now considering a UFC Heavyweight Title shot.

Last week, the United States Supreme Court made a decision, on a 5-4 vote, that corporations are entities with corporate personhood, and, as such, are allowed the rights of Free Speech.  This essentially reverses decades, if not a century, of precedence that understood fictional creations do not have even a close resemblance to people, and do not deserve the same freedoms, rights, and considerations.  However, the ideological, and tangentially financial, interests of a bitterly divided Court are apparently more important than the structure and sanity of the nation or its people.  Corporations are now permitted to essentially spend their funds, in a political context, as they see fit – inevitably leading to even greater corruption than already exists within the American government.

It should come as no surprise that the current Court, a body of nine individuals, holds six members that were appointed by a Republican President, and all but one of them voted in favor of this decision.  Republicans have, in the last three decades, lauded the ideals of Big Business, the free market, and deregulation, and this ruling is nothing less than a major victory for their party’s ideology and financial backers.  As evidenced by the last year of political nonsense, the process of passing legislation within America is nothing less than selling out to the highest bidder, and, since Republicans consider Big Business to be their greatest supporter, they have sold out at an even greater cost than ever before:  the ultimate vitality and stability of the nation.

Much has been said about how this is going to destroy American politics, especially by President Obama and the ever-bold Representative Alan Grayson, as nearly every thinking citizen realizes that allowing oil companies, Wall Street, the insurance cartel, and other corporate interests with large bank accounts the ability to influence politicians, or those voting politicians into office, will lead to nothing but utter disaster – there was a reason why corporate interests were divested from the political process in the first place.  Even those Republicans/conservatives without a political career understand what a terrible moment for Democracy this decision is.  Healthcare legislation has been difficult enough to pass without the direct intervention of the very industry that wants so desperately for it fail, but what will happen when they are allowed an even greater influence?

It is sad, disappointing, and, above all, embarrassing that the Republicans of the Supreme Court would place party interests over intelligent decisions on cases, essentially eschewing the very job they are paid to do.  Even more worrisome, however, is that these Justices are of the very same party that shouted in self-righteous anger, during the Justice Sotomayor confirmation process, about using the Court to make policy and allowing personal politics to become embroiled in the judicial process – a deeply ironic moment for the Republican party.  One of the prevailing rules of the American judicial system is that precedent counts heavily in case decisions, with the weight increasing relative to its age and strength, but this no longer seems to matter.  The case that resulted in the outrageous decision to allow corporate personhood was not one that was brought to the Supreme Court for this purpose, but rather was reformed for this purpose to allow a bully pulpit for the conservative Justices to shape American politics through their substantial influence that is entirely independent of an election process or term limits.  If ever there was an example of using the Court to make policy, placing personal politics before the judicial process, and abusing power, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is it.

If Congress has become so corrupt and politically divided as to become almost impotent, and the Supreme Court is willing to overturn laws, regulation, and precedent at ideological whims, who is left to defend the people of the United States of America?  In a three-tiered government meant to produce the best possible outcome, not the worst, only the President is left to stand up for what is right, ethical, and noble.  But while the Office of the President has gained power since the foundation of the nation, President Obama can only produce so much either by himself or through sheer political strength of will.  He has many grand ideas based on what has historically produced the best results, such as industry regulation, and the successful policy decisions of other nations, such as a progressive overhaul of healthcare; however, none of this can be accomplished on his own, or by any lone President, because of the very structure of America’s government.

This dire political state will only further collapse if corporate interests and personal greed are continued to allow free reign within the political system of the United States.  For a great nation that has accomplished so much and influenced the world in such a large and beneficial fashion, the devolution into a non-functioning Democratic Republic that does not represent its people has apparently arrived to the great sadness of thinking persons worldwide.

From Kyle Brady…

Kyle can be found on his blog, via email, or on Twitter.