Candidates campaigning for the U.S. presidency have spent much time debating many of President George W. Bush’s policies, like the No Child Left Behind Act. Critics have claimed this policy was a failure, but this is incorrect.
    To say a policy is a success or a failure, one must first look at what the policy was designed to accomplish. Critics say it was a failure because it did not help educate children in the U.S. This was the intention of the policy.
    The phrase “no child left behind” might evoke an image of a group of children walking along a sidewalk. If one child falls behind, what does the group do? They stop their progress to allow the child who has fallen behind to catch up. If this were the purpose of the act, it was a success.
    I believe the failure lies with the politicians we vote into office. When Congress, the president and other governing bodies use jargon to confuse the American public and hide the true purpose of their legislation, the nation suffers.
    Why would legislators pass a piece of legislation that causes children to learn less? The answer lies in the motive behind the law. Republicans believe in enacting laws that help the group rather than the individual. For example, laws that allow big businesses to prosper help increase profits, production and new hires. This reduces unemployment and strengthens the economy.
    Most Americans live at or below the poverty line, work minimum-wage jobs and do not have a college education. This is our voting public. These individuals do not understand what the politicians are saying and instead vote on how well they speak, how good they look and how genuine their smile seems on television.
    Another great leader in world history was voted into office by uneducated people. The politician preached change during a time when the world was facing a great depression. Unemployment was at an all-time global high, and people were starving as a result. The politician promised jobs for everyone and the building of a great nation. The politician was Adolf Hitler.
    Americans are just one political election away from making the same mistake as Germany. Thanks to No Child Left Behind, we have children learning less and growing up to become less-educated, less-informed adults. This, therefore, grants politicians free rein to pass any legislation they desire simply because most Americans do not possess the education necessary to understand the language.
    Ignorant people are easier to control, so corporations like ignorant workers. Ignorant workers are less liable to realize their pensions are stolen by Enron CEOs, but more likely to allow the government to pass legislation that creates even less educated adults. The jargon used to promote Bush’s legislation was welcomed by the masses.
    Democrats have not proven to be any better in helping educate the public. When I graduated from high school, President Bill Clinton had just taken office. I had joined the Kansas Army National Guard in hopes of receiving a $10,000 grant to attend college. Clinton turned that grant into a loan, leaving me in greater debt than before.
    Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama wants to treat impoverished young adults seeking higher education like criminals by forcing everyone who is awarded a federal education grant to perform community service. The only people I know who are forced to perform community service by the government are criminals, meaning Obama’s idea would send the message to students that wanting to educate yourself and climb the socioeconomic ladder is criminal.
    Educated, informed voters would never allow legislation that caused their children to learn less to pass or treat someone seeking education like a criminal.
    Who am I voting for in November? I know who I am not voting for — I’m not voting Democrat or Republican.


Corene Brisendine is a junior in mass communications. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.