EDUCATION

Those of you reading this likely already know that I am a Christian so you would expect a conservative bent to the way I would look at things. While this is certainly true, there are several issues that are incredibly near and dear to my heart, and maybe only partially because of my beliefs.

First, there is the issue of education, and most specifically, public education.

It’s easy to say that we all want better schools, but where the rubber meets the road is coming up with tangible plans that not only teach our children, but teach our children what they really need to know to contribute to society and manage their own and our country’s affairs in the future.

The best way to do this is to go straight to the source and involve our teachers. They see these children, day in and day out, and they understand the problems and opportunities that present themselves on a regular basis. Too many times children are simply passed through the system when they are not ready for the practicality that hits you in the face after school. There needs to be funding for programs that teach life skills – basic things like how to balance a check-book, iron a shirt, or use a computer.

In line with things like using computers is the whole notion that ours is a society that needs to build and mandate 21st Century learning in 21st Century Schools. Look around at technology and it becomes extremely apparent that the words “global economy” have a direct impact on California and our lives. There was a time when the United States was the world leader in production of so many things, but now it seems that we are considering “outsourcing” as a way for everything. Technology is the key to making sure we do not outsource our very future and standard of living. I firmly believe the next world power will be driven by technology developed through education. This all begins with our children who should be taught to dream, but also to have the necessary and practical skills to multi-task, discover, experiment, reason, plan and execute. This type of education has as its basis adequate funding for the sciences, the arts, our educators themselves and with each locality having an ownership and a vested interest not only in the children, but in the tools needed to have an impact on each and every child. Not everyone will be a nuclear physicist or prominent physician, but each child deserves the funding and attention to make a difference and leave the world a little better for having been a part of it. This means programs and partnerships for technical education and community colleges as well as for students aspiring to attend four-year colleges or received advanced degrees.

Having a Korean ancestry, I am aware of the doors that can be opened, and or closed simply based on the environment you learn in or how people perceive you through stereotypes and mandates. Education must be flexible and put into the hands of localities who understand the specific profiles of their respective students. Not in a way that racially profiles or uses gender-based profiling, but in a way that uses a common-sense theme to invest in the correct ideas and ideals.

Simply put, my view on education is that we need a fully-funded school system that invests in our students and teachers through mentoring programs, affiliate programs, opportunities to influence curriculum and treat each child as the individual they are.

This is not an investment that we can’t afford; it is an investment we can’t afford not to make.



ENVIROMENT

A second area of extreme importance to me feeds right off of the whole education platform. That is, we have become such a throw-away society for the sake of what we refer to as progress. My belief is that sometimes our definition of “progress” is really just a synonym for finding a way to make everything disposable. We no longer fix things that are broken, but we toss them and buy a new one.

This “progress” not only lessens some of our problem-solving abilities as they relate to the mechanical building blocks that made our country so great, but we also jeopardize our environment.

A prime example of my interest in environmental issues is the necessity of the country, state, and local communities to negate urban sprawl, pollution and development through adequate controls.

There needs to be better mass transit systems that can co-exist with the natural part of our cities and the planet. We need greater incentives for hybrid vehicles and traffic control so that the physical and emotional drain caused by the existing modes of transportation is lessened. Our way of travel needs an infrastructure that is conducive to moving people of all means in a safe, modern and economical fashion without de-emphasizing our rustic charm. My belief is that people should be rewarded for conservation that is also propagates key planned growth in areas and industries that can do it better, safer and cleaner. Our highways are too congested AND our lungs are too congested! We need to produce well-trained, well-educated young adults who aspire to success in a chosen field, but who still appreciate the beauty of the Bay area and state.

Industrial growth needs to be restricted to companies who practice “clean burn” techniques and loop-holes that allow old businesses to keep polluting need to be closed. These ideals can be accomplished through tax incentives, preferred state purchasing agreements and severe penalties for dumping in our ports, forests and bay.

Further, off-shore drilling should be limited and only engaged when necessary commitments to co-exist with our natural habit is adequately defined, mandated and punished or rewarded based on measured effects on our waterways and nature areas. Again, tax incentives as well as “industrial policing” can certainly help in this area as well as in areas subject to toxic water run-off and other phenomena such as gas emissions.

Finally, the environmental effect should be carried through into areas that reward productive people for doing what they do best. This is a counter point to some areas of the country that actually rewards people for not growing certain crops or producing to their maximum level. It seems to me that with a large portion of the world’s population starving or overrun by crowding and dense population that it makes no sense to monetarily encourage non-productivity. I believe we have a moral and fiduciary responsibility to our elders, ourselves and the coming generation of people, not to mention our wildlife that we will not only do the right thing, but also in the right way within the right time-frame.

My political forum then is not to come off as a liberal tree-hugger, but rather as someone who firmly believes in a productivity based rewards system that is cultivated through adequate training and careful planning so that we can all leave God’s planet and our fellow man’s living conditions, better than we found it.

Thank you for hearing me out. I'd appreciate your feedback at esther@esther.com.