Do you feel the NEED?

I finished reading a book, yup. I still consider this to be a newsworthy event.

The book I finished was 'The Accidental Theorist' by Paul Krugman.

It was an interesting book. Interesting to me. If I haven't clearly stated it enough before, I plan to study the 'Dismal Science' of economics when I go back to college. Whenever that is. So in the meantime I picked up a number of books at Half-Price-Books to see if I would really be interested in the subject. Mind you, I have picked up the books that don't look like text books.

Mr. Krugman's writing style and approach to economics makes me feel that I might enjoy the field. My fear is that economics leads to looking and acting like the almighty Alan Greenspan. Meaning, stuffy, overly reserved, and arguably analytical without that human touch (read soul).

Mr. Krugman's book opens with an interesting few pages talking about how economists need the ability to be a little silly when it comes to making analogies. To take the edge off the subject matter. And that if as the reader of the book, you are looking to use big words and pontificate about economic policy, without being able to use somewhat silly analogies to model whatever you are talking about, that you should put down his book.

Being reaffirmed that the folks who are teaching economics know how to have a little fun with their job, makes me feel that more pre-course reading is in order. I have once again started reading 'The World is flat', I am about half way through it and now I figure I can push through the rest of the book by the years end.

The most interesting thing that I 'discovered' while reading Mr. Krugman's book and 'The World is Flat' and issues of 'The Economist' is the running theme that America has FALLEN behind (not falling, anymore) in Math and Science. And that the 'Brain Drain' that some writers talk about has been going on for a number of years.

To keep it simple and clear. Because of the fact that we have cut our education budgets we have directly effected the intelligence of our overall populace. We still have world class colleges that excel in churning out math and science research and scholars. However, those scholars leave and go back to their home countries, where they take that knowledge and better their homeland's overall populace.

Nothing wrong with that, they paid their tuition and America is a free country. But the symbolism is what bugs me.

Here in the United States, we have been spending billions upon billions of dollars on defense, hi-tech weaponry, vehicles, etc. Which is what helped to end the cold war, we outspent them on defense and in doing so built up quite a nice industrial sector. However, with the cold war over, those expenditures died off. And much of that hi-tech had to spill over into consumer electronics to keep those companies in business. Again, fine nothing wrong with that. Where would a lot of us be if the GPS system had not been declassified and the private sector allowed to develop and produce a $200 GPS unit.

Answer, we would be reading a map with a compass. How many people out there can honestly say they can read a map and compass and know exactly where they are? Not me, I might be able to figure it out after a little bit. I did spend some time as a boy scout. But honestly, I would probably freeze to death in the woods first.

Why is that? Education. Now, that is not necessarily the best example. As I don't think topography and survival classes are offered in high school. Usually that is an extra-curricular activity. However, the math needed to be able to triangulate one's position from landmarks, that is something that I should know. And maybe I do, I think there is something about 'A squared + B squared = C squared' in there.

I remember back in middle school or high school, there was a political cartoon that was in the newspaper. It should this big huge hi-tech tank with this massive price tag but the soldier had a dunce cap on or something. It was trying to convey that we have all these hi-tech defense projects that are costing billions upon billions, but we don't have troops smart enough to use them.

In trying to bring this back to a cohesive point, let me say this. We have build up this massive hi-tech military (that is currently understaffed), while the rest of the world has spent their money on the 'educational infrastructure' to ensure that their youth have a shot at being the intellectual leaders of the 21st century. As in 'The world is flat' you used to 'follow the money, now you follow the brains.' It could be said that now the money follows the brains.

Almost every thing I read these days that mentions Asia and economics talks about how much better their students are at math and science than students in the USA. Now, some of the articles and books state that the students in the USA excel up until about 4th grade, after which we turn into average students. Once we hit high school we are the dunces of the world.

Why is this? I don't have the answer, I have a few theories. The main theory is that the USA as a whole has become complacent. I am sure if you were to take a survey of high school students and asked them what they wanted to become when they grow up the majority of the answers would be in what I call the 'entertainment' sector. This encompasses: musicians, actors and athletes. All of these folks are in the business of entertaining others through their music, their movies or their sporting events.

This is America and they are free to pursue whatever will make them happy.

But the question is what happened to all the kids who wanted to grow up to be astronauts or scientists? From what I have read the space race was such an inspiring point in science that it spawned a whole generation of students that yearned to excel in science, they wanted to be the Russians to space. They 'WANTED IT' they 'NEEDED IT'.

That concept of needing or wanting it, I think is what we have lost. We clawed our way to the top. We were smarter than the Russians, we had more advanced technology, smarter scientists (many of whom we got from other countries) and we had more cash to spend on technology. But once your on top, it is easy to lose your edge. It is easy to lose that NEED to stay on top.

Now, that we have fallen behind in math and science, we are trying to claw our way back to the top again. But, this time around we don't have that unifying villain. It used to be all about beating the Russians. Now, it is all about beating your neighbor that or bitching about how your job got exported to India or China.

Jobs move around, they have for long since anyone walking the planet today was born. In reading some Adam Smith he mentions that outsourcing was occurring in Britain with jobs being sent to Ireland or Scotland because the labor was cheaper and the effect this was having on the British. Sound familiar? I mean this was happening back at the time of the American Revolution. So what do you do, you go back to school, get retooled to do a different job.

Sounds easy right? Easy to talk about it anyway. I have been lucky enough that I have never had to experience a layoff. But I witnessed plenty of folks getting 'let go' first hand. Some of them found totally new jobs in a different industry. Some found work in a related industry.

But I have gotten off topic. My main point is that there is a certain lack of PASSION in today's youth.

This is the grumpy old man in me speaking now. But from what I have seen kids are always talking about how they are going to strike it rich, how they just need to get their break, get seen by a recruiter or an agent that can take them to the easy money. Maybe, I am bitter because I have never had any 'talent' in that sort of singing, acting or athletic sense. My talent has always been I think in my ability to adapt to the situation.

Again, I digress from the point.

The nation's youth today are more concerned in the almighty dollar than they are in doing something that they are passionate about. Now, I fully acknowledge that you gotta eat and that sometimes you have to do a job that you don't like or have any REAL interest in.

But when your young and going through school, you should be exposed to the possibilities of what you could be. So that you can get a real understanding at how important Math and Science are for you to become what you want to be. That or we need to galvanize our youth (in a non-violent way) against a common enemy, to inspire them to WANT to NEED IT.

And a big part of this comes from having enough money in the 'educational infrastructure' to be able to give every kid a chance. I mean I feel that the United States of America is a great country. But there is something broken with our educational system.

I don't know what the solution is, but I know what is done today is broken. The countries that we are constantly compared to all have 'educational infrastructure' that is SERIOUSLY sponsored by the central government. It seems to breed a certain level of patriotism into the students that they aren't just learning everything they can to better themselves but also to better their country.

I don't think completely overhauling the system from a local school district to a federal district system is the fix. However, some sort of central government support is needed, and I am not talking about 'No child left behind.' From what I have read, this focuses more on TRAINING not TEACHING children how to pass a specific test. Not about LEARNING those skills and how they can apply to their life and future careers.

I need to close this out. But I want to make a point about the pursuit of the all mighty dollar. I was at Michigan State pursuing Journalism, not for fame and fortune, starting journalism majors at the time could expect to make about $25k/year if they were lucky. I was pursuing it because someone told me I was good at it. I had no passion about journalism, though today I might get on a rant about journalistic integrity, but I never WANTED IT.

During my time there I met someone who was going into the field of Chemical Engineering. This has stuck with me, as I have no real interest in chemistry, thus someone who did was an anomaly to me. He interest in the chemistry was not because of a PASSION for the field, but because and I (paraphrase) quote "... a chemical engineer is the best paid starting out of college. " I am not saying that going to school to learn a trade/skill for the sheer pursuit of money is a bad idea, free country remember. But for me, if I didn't find the work fulfilling on many different levels I would have moved onto a different industry a few years ago. Because it can't all be worth the money.

When it comes to software I WANT IT. When I see something that I have never seen before I NEED to know how it works, even if just at a high level, it perplexes me. This feeling is what told me I had found my calling, my passion. I dig software. Just as some dig music, or acting, or football, chemistry or journalism.

So how do we get back to the top of Math and Science. The answer doesn't lie with a standardized test. Part of the answer lies with the parents the other part lies with government. Those two parties hold almost all of the cards.

Laterz