>I have been reading John Adams, a new biography by David McCullough this week. Adams was a strong proponent of education and believed that an educated populace was essential to preserve and and prosper the new nation he was helping to establish. He wrote:

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study paintings, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.

Public education tends to take it on the chin in many circles today and to be sure there are problems. But there are also spectacular successes. Adams believed, as do I that it is a noble and wonderful thing for a country to provide education for its people, and an educated populace improves the lot of all citizens. I just read a book, Gifted Hands, about one of the world’s top neurosurgeons, a man named Ben Carson. His story is just one of countless tales of hard working people taking advantage of education to make the world a better place for all of us.

I received in the mail this weekend my financial aid information for medical school. I am amazed at how simple the process was. I filled out online applications on the Internet a few months ago and am now approved for government loans for my schooling. Thanks to all of you taxpayers out there who through your hard work make it possible for me and others to learn, and hopefully give you a return on that investment one day. As my father-in-law is wont to say, “What a Country!”