Education as a human right: A common defense against ignorance

One of the primary responsibilities of our government listed in the preamble of our Constitution is to “provide for the common defense”. We spend billions of tax dollars every year to fund the military, and our growing military expansionism; there seems to be no end in sight to our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq as the sabers rattle and Iran enters the crosshairs.

If anyone dares to come near our military budget with the intent to cut spending, conservatives cry out in anger and disgust. Straw man arguments about patriotism and American loyalty are leveled toward anyone daring to touch our war machine with a mind on scaling back our hapless war on terror, which has cost Americans 4 trillion dollars, so far, not to mention the thousands of lives ended by the ongoing violence.

Yet, one of the first arguments out of many of these critics mouths when faced with budget shortfalls, is not to end our war mongering, but rather to cut education spending.  It should disturb us that many Americans view the ability to kill other human beings as worthy of such voracious support but find it perfectly appealing to shred our educational budget at every opportunity.

This ghastly arrangement of priorities reveals some deeper questions...

What is more dangerous...a terrorist, or ignorance? Is a foreign army more dangerous than citizens who cannot name important public officials or locate Afghanistan on a map, and yet vote? Is it a mere coincidence that poor education is statistically synonymous with poverty and human suffering?

I would argue that ignorance is as great, if not a greater enemy to our society than the threat of any foreign war; it is the very cause of things like terrorism and mindless killing...or, if I may be so bold, vacuous war mongering. We find it necessary to protect ourselves from outside danger and provide a "common defense", but in the face of the greatest enemy of civilization many of us do not see the need to vigorously mount such a defense.

 These statements are not by any means a defense of our current education system.  I find much at fault with the current system, and I think that this is partly due to the way we view education as Americans, especially the way many inherently view the institution of public education with an almost reflexive and irrational disdain.

There is much debate over whether we should privatize our education system, and though I have held such ideas in the past I have come to a realization that this needs to be something provided by society and government. It is a responsibility we all share. Reforms are needed, but we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater and we should strive to ensure all children receive a quality education that is not dependent on living in the right neighborhood or who your parents are.

In the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights it lists education as a basic human right. This is a view that has yet to take hold here in America as many tend to unjustly associate public education with socialism. Indeed, many might find it odd that a Libertarian would hold this view, however I see no difference in funding education and funding our military. It fits easily into my view of human liberty and independence.  I would even argue that there is no greater threat to the enlightening lumination of liberty than the groping darkness of ignorance.

Whether to view education as a basic human right is not just a moral question for society, it is a valid argument for the betterment of mankind. It is a "common defense" by the reasoned against the very real and consequential threat of ignorance in the world.