PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Bush, Santorum err on American Competitiveness
by Rossilynne Skena Tuesday, Mar. 28, 2006 at 5:22 PM
reskena@yahoo.com

Student's opinion regarding President George W. Bush's and Senator Rick Santorum's errs on the American Competitivness Initiative (ACI).

One thousand six hundred points are dedicated to English, only 800 to math and zero to science. Four units of English are required, only three of math and science each. The College Board understands as seen in the point values of their new SAT. Penn-Trafford High School comprehends as seen in their Program of Studies Requirements for Graduation. President George W. Bush, Senator Rick Santorum and supporters of the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) cannot grasp the importance of a liberal arts education and would rather shove numbers and formulas down the throats of America's students even before they can pronounce "dudn't" (Bush's articulation of doesn't) or "Dubya" for that matter.

In his State of the Union address, Bush officially announced his ACI "to encourage American innovation and strengthen our nation's ability to compete in the global economy," according to http://www.whitehouse.gov. Certainly a noble aspiration, the basis for his goal is scientific research. In order to do this, he has decided students in grades K-12 must be educated more thoroughly in mathematics, science and technology.

Not only does this require more time for teachers to dedicate to the concrete sciences, (and, consequently,
let abstract subjects such as English suffer) it requires billions of dollars in government money -- $5.9 billion in 2007 and over $136 billion over 10 years, according to the government's website. The president's projected 2007 budget includes a 50 percent increase in spending on research, also
according to the federal government's website.

The federal government would like America to continue its economic strength and global leadership. To achieve this goal, ACI supporters believe they must "provide American children with a strong foundation in math and science" in a false conviction these subjects will "generate innovative minds." Studying these subjects may teach intelligence but not innovation. Innovators are not people who plug numbers into a calculator; inventors are original and creative. Rather than requiring more math and science, students' independent thought should be emphasized -- a skill students are not taught to hone until college (or in AP/IB courses in high school). The use of AP/IB courses can further the goal of a wider world view and more developed critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, some school districts, such as Upper St. Clair, have banned IB courses because of opposition from groups such as EdWatch (http://www.edwatch.com). EdWatch's director, Julie Quist,told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette she opposes IB because it teaches, "a sense of global citizenship which is contrary to what it is to be an American citizen."

Upper St. Clair's stupidity aside, to keep America on the cutting edge, leaders must build on the skills Americans hold as cornerstones. What sets Americans apart is the ability to use an inherent part of what it is to be American: the ability to "think outside the box." America is a conglomeration of cultures and,consequently, a mélange of ideas. Keeping America powerful technologically does not rely on creating a nation of followers. America can only advance when children are taught to embrace their imaginations rather than ditch creativity for a protractor.

When Santorum visited P-T to try to make us enthusiastic about going to calculus and chemistry classes, he seemed to try to intimidate P-T about how America could not compete technologically with countries such as China and India. He mentioned the numbers of American, Chinese and Indian engineers who would graduate from college this year and go into the work force. Judging from his numbers, the amount of
Chinese and Indian engineers far outweighed that of American graduates. Unfortunately, Santorum must have been absent on the day his high school teacher taught ratios: the populations of India and China are far greater than that of America. China's population of 1,306,313,812 and India's of 1,080,264,388 are clearly incomparable to the United State's 298,042,410 population (numbers according to http://www.wikipedia.org). The United States only makes up about 5 percent of the world's population and still employs nearly one-third of all scientists and engineers, stated the federal government's website.

Santorum also failed to report how many of the Asian and Indian engineering graduates will graduate from American colleges and universities.

Santorum's fact blunders are not his only faux pas. He opposes of stem-cell research yet supports physical science research. According http://www.whitehouse.gov, "Past federally funded research has helped to spawn vital technologies such as personal computers, the Internet [and] global positioning devices." The website should have added Bush's spying to its list.

Whether technology is used for spying, however, or for medical imaging devices, it can only be sustained by our generation -- a generation which is ready to compete with or without TI-83s in our hands.