Without Education, Democracy Is Doomed

On March 17th an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune entitled "Dana Roskey: Democracy and literacy" focused strongly on the link between education and democracy. The comment is made that "The level of general education has a direct impact on degrees of functional democracy." Having been involved with education all of my life I can only wish that this close link was acknowledged more frequently and its obvious importance valued more highly.

In the past month I have been a part of the alarming political turmoil taking place in Wisconsin. I find it frightening that the governor and the ruling class in the state capitol have waged a veritable attack on not only teachers and state workers, but also, ultimately, on the entire educational system throughout the state.

At the same time that there has been an attack on teachers, students, schools and the educational system, the guiding principles of democracy also have been threatened. There have been limitations placed on citizen involvement in the legislative process and the legal rights of workers are being slowly and surely destroyed. If we cannot respect and support education, democracy and the rights of all citizens in our own small world how can we ever hope to lead and encourage democracy around the globe.

Education is a civil right. The link between education and a strong and vital democracy cannot be threatened. If those in power do only lip-service to supporting our educational systems, our future is hopeless and our democracy is doomed.

This Is What Democracy Looks like

I was one of the tens of thousands of Wisconsinites who dressed in red and carried banners in support of unions and the rights of public workers in our great state over the past week. Many of the protesters are young teachers, nurses and community workers at the beginning of their professional lives. They are hard workers who care deeply about the students and others who are entrusted to their care. They are voters; they are taxpayers; they are parents and sons and daughters who trust that their government will be strong enough and secure enough to allow its citizens also to be strong and spirited. 

In some ways I am very different than many of the young protesters. My gray hair stands out in sharp contrast to many of the young people I encountered. I am a retired Milwaukee Public School teacher and I continue to be a union member. Unlike many of the young people, I am not in danger of losing my job if the governor uses job losses as a threat to intimidate workers into submission.

My fears are much deeper and wider than my own possible losses. The governor is out for much, much more than a few percentage points added to pension contributions or health care coverage. He is out for the total devastation of unions and the rights of workers that the unions are designed to protect. He wants no collective bargaining; he wants no negotiation. He will use his power to silence the voices of the thousands who are asking to be heard. He will use his power to destroy rather than concede that the workers have rights that need to be protected. He will use his power (and his ego) to proclaim that he is above the people not in service to them. These are my fears. These are the fears of many of those who protested this past week in Madison.

I am proud that I participated in the protest in Madison. The most powerful moments came for me when thousands of proud, concerned citizens chanted, “Tell me what Democracy looks like” and thousands responded, “This is what Democracy looks like.” I am proud to be an American and I am proud to be a citizen of Wisconsin. I am not proud of what the governor and his people are attempting to carry out at the expense of the workers of Wisconsin. I hope that reason and compassion will prevail and that the legal rights of the unions and workers in Wisconsin will be upheld.

Justice should never be a negotiable idea.

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Marilyn McKnight

Retired Milwaukee Public School teacher

Continuing MTEA union member