Invest in education for a better future

To the editor:

The canary in the coal mine of Iowa education was evident in Tim Terry's and Peter Fisher's guest columns in the April 5 Gazette ('Actions speak louder than words” and 'Tax cuts have consequences”). They should be required reading for the governor and all state legislators. This funding crisis goes hand-in-hand with the shocking debate by the Board of Education about dropping evolution and climate change from the K-12 science curriculum.

Taxes are necessary to fund public programs, the oldest of which is education. When we decimate revenue intake by reducing taxes for corporations and national chains, we suffer two consequences. We reduce the funding available for public education and endorse the long-standing abusive employment practices of our wealthiest companies. When we choose science curriculum based upon politicians' opinions instead of scientific inquiry, we act in ignorance.

A recent study has shown that hardship in childhood is the greatest predictor of unemployment, poverty and behavioral disruption in adults. Are we as a state going to benefit corporations with our communal dollars? Or are we going to invest in the future by ensuring children have an education for the 21st century and their parents a livable wage?

Mary Kemen

Cedar Rapids