I find it astounding that so many educated people do not understand money. Every day I hear people arguing that our public schools need more money, the minimum wage needs to be raised, welfare needs to be expanded...on and on. Sometimes, I even hear economics majors argue that public school teachers should be paid as much as investment bankers.
I'll make it simple. Money does not solve problems. If something is broken, money will not fix it. In fact, money usually makes problems worse. In our modern society, money in public policy usually just covers problems with layers upon layers of regulations, lawyers, and bureaucrats.
Of course, every major program, both public and private, needs money to function. Those devastated in southeast Asia by the tsunami desperately need money to rebuild. Unfortunately, the four billion dollars plus raised worldwide has done little to fix things thus far. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that despite all of the money, "almost nothing seems to have been done to begin repairs and rebuilding." A shopkeeper was quoted as saying, "'Where the money is, we don't know. It's just meetings, meetings, meetings.'"
One would think that the bureaucracy would back off in such dire circumstances and let the actual leaders step up. One would think that leaders would quickly be chosen, priorities would be made, and assignments would be passed out.
Not so.
The world is waiting for the bureaucrats to write, literally, a 12-volume "blueprint," which is still an "overview" that is "subject to discussion, local input, and revision." The real work will not be done until the final draft is drawn up.
I have some great ideas for this draft to kick start the rebuilding process. One, provide food and shelter for the homeless; two, clean up the mess; and three, restore the basic infrastructure, such as electricity. That would be a good start. I used a management tool called "common sense" to figure that one out. Unfortunately, the homeless will sit and wait until the bureaucracy is good and ready to get started. After all, they may need some more volumes of blueprints.
Unfortunately, this is a familiar problem. Many people have the bizarre notion that simply writing a check will fix a problem. All too often they put that money to work by expanding whatever bureaucracy is in place. The only thing that will be accomplished is that blame will be effectively assigned. Usually, the blame will fall on lack of funding.
This problem is destroying the public school system in this country. Everyone seems to agree that our schools need more funding to fix up schools, buy more supplies, etc. Let's face it, no one is dropping out of school because they have to read old books or write in pencil instead of on a laptop. Potential teachers are not avoiding the field because they do not like the cracked paint on the walls.
The public schools are failing because of basic structural problems. Lawyers who have never been in a classroom are deciding how our schools should be run. Discipline has been dismissed by psychologists as bad for self-esteem. Students are allowed to run amok. Teachers are not allowed to punish students. Teachers today have to drink the Kool-Aid provided by social science bureaucrats to get a job. To be a public school teacher in New York City, for example, you must accept regulations that come in a book the size of an encyclopedia. You do not run your class. The lawyers do.
Similarly, underperforming teachers cannot be fired because teachers unions are untouchable. Horrible teachers stay in the system forever. This has been an amazing victory for the lawyers and the teachers unions, but who actually wins? No one.
Still, the debate always comes back to money. Folks, we could pay public school teachers as much as pro baseball players. We could pay to make every school a shimmering palace. We could give every student a laptop, an iPod, and all the condoms they can carry, and the public school system would still be a morally bankrupt, consequence-free bureaucratic mess.
My gentle reader, you are brimming with potential. You are getting closer every day to receiving a degree from one of the best schools in the world. You are going to enter the workforce to make an impact of some magnitude. Please, though, if you want to be part of a greater cause, do not become another nosy, bloodsucking bureaucrat. Fight them tooth and nail.
We need to actually get things done.