Peggy Noonan’s pre-election column in the Wall Street Journal last weekend was defiantly optimistic. She despaired of the choice – finding fault with both candidates – but took solace from the fact that the nation’s institutions were strong and would survive whatever happened on Tuesday. As would our democracy, which she claimed was in extremely good health.
I wish I shared her optimism. For an effective democracy you need a well-educated citizenry, and our schools have been in decline for decades. A lot of the campaign speeches were about the supposed dangers of a porous border while nobody talked about the obvious damage to a society when it pays its teachers so poorly that few people want to – or can afford to – enter the profession.
Add to a failed education system a declining sense of community – which inevitably results in a rise in self-interest – and you have two essential ingredients for national decline.
