Gov. Jan Brewer brings little personal education to AZ leadership
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by Katherine LaRue on February 19, 2009 at 4:00 am under Opinion
Anyone who understands the value of getting an education would never suggest limiting such an important institution.
Jan Brewer took office as Arizona state governor Jan. 20, when former governor Janet Napolitano departed for Washington to assume her post as the Secretary of Homeland Security. Since then, Brewer has sent a pretty clear message to students and educators across Arizona. Brewer had no problem signing off on the now-infamous budget plan that will take $350 million away from our state’s public education system.
This may be old news, but outrage over Brewer’s decision shouldn’t cease. By giving those budget cuts her approval, Brewer has told Arizonans she doesn’t value education or care about the future of Arizona. There’s a pretty simple reason for this: Brewer may have nearly 30 years of political experience, but there’s one thing she doesn’t have – a college degree.
I’m sure most of the students here at NAU, as well as at universities and colleges across the state, are not pursuing higher education because they desire to go into politics. It is almost certainly guaranteed that when we graduate we won’t be capable of running a state with a population of approximately six million people, but you’d think that with the commitment and work college life requires we’d be better armed than Jan Brewer.
We’re in college because we want to secure a future and to better ourselves. We stick it out, year after year, buying outrageously priced books, pushing ourselves (and our immune systems) through difficult classes and exams in addition to paying tuition every semester. We do it because we value it. We know how good it feels at the end of the semester and, hopefully, how good it will feel when we graduate and get a job.
I suppose it must be easy for someone like Jan Brewer to approve such dangerous and thoughtless budget cuts when she knows next to nothing about the processes, and experience and sacrifices one makes when one attends a university. Nor does it appear she cares. Anyone who understands the value of getting an education would never suggest limiting such an important institution.
Education exists, not as a luxury, but as a tool of personal and societal betterment. Students exit universities more aware and discerning of the world around them, hopefully with the intention of bettering that world. If the oppurtunity to pursue an education is compromised the blue collar workforce — which is already stretched economically thin — will be overwhelmed by an excess of job seekers who might have otherwise gone to college. Also, a society with an uneducated populus won’t be able to critique its leaders or create true progress.
Cutting educational funding isn’t just a financial blunder; it’s a gesture of disrespect toward the students and educators who worked hard to get where they are and who are still working. Furthermore, this has the potential to damage future generations, perhaps damning an entire generation to an uneducated existence.
So what education does Brewer have? Well, she’s a certified radiological technologist, meaning she is certified to create images, like x-rays, which help diagnosis health problems. I’m sure, should I slip on some ice, Brewer would be capable of identifying a fractured tibia. But just because she can see inside a human body doesn’t mean she can see what’s best for Arizona.
If Brewer’s catastrophic decision to take money away from education is any indication, her leadership probably won’t improve. Brewer inherited her lofty position by happenstance. So when election season rolls around let’s make sure she doesn’t get to keep it and vote her out.
Keep telling NAU what you expect from it, and keep telling the state you won’t settle for shoddy politicians who who refuse to represent one of the most important aspects of society: education.
If we expect as much as we do from ourselves as students, we most certainly can expect a lot more from our governor.
5 Comments
Katherine Larue in her article on Governor Jan Brewer was completely off base. Her bias toward people with less formal education is profound. She thinks that a college education is the only way to gain intelligence. Do life and work experiences mean nothing? Is she saying that Bill Gates shouldn’t be running Microsoft because he didn’t graduate from college? Does she mean that Thomas Edison is incompetent because he had little education? Ted Bundy, the infamous serial killer, had a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Are you saying he has more potential than others listed here? Our nation’s history is filled with people who met the challenges of their times without a formal education. She WAS elected to the position that allowed her to replace the governor. Give her a chance. Half of all General Fund spending in Arizona goes toward education. With a $1.7 billion deficit the new governor inherited, if education shouldn’t be cut, how does Miss Larue propose to balance the budget?
I don’t believe she was saying ALL success and ability comes from higher education, but a large key in qualification for such a job is proof that you have at least studied, if not exceeded, in an institute of higher learning. Obviously a college degree doesn’t automatically qualify you for any job, case and point: George W. Bush. It does however beg to be questioned why our state leader has no formal higher education. I believe it is a legitimate argument, and coming from a student who depends on his degree to get a job, since some jobs do REQUIRE a BA/BS (teaching/law/medical), I believe Jan Brewer needs to see the importance of education not only for today’s students but tomorrow’s as well.
I agree completely with this article.
Education is not everything, however with the current economic crisis we need someone with a business and financial background to steer our state in the right direction. A high school diploma holder can do the job, however she isn’t the most qualified person to do it.
The author of this article will be called elitist and snooty.
But I ask to any detractors, would they want someone managing your retirement who has just the “bare minimum” in education?
Of course not.
I am enraged at jan brewer and her ideas about Education.. For the persons who ask what other way can we balance the budget? Oh my what about the prisons and jail law suits? They are getting more monies than education, but perhaps jan brewer is good for insight… as we definitely will need anincrease in prisons with such edducations cuts. It is statistically proven that when children don’t graduate and things get tough for parents there is only one way out to them.. Plus with the cutting of DES and CPS .. you go jan there is a big need and bigger one to come for prisons!
For the person whom also accused napolitano.. let us remember Jan Brewer was part of congress and the State office during those times.. let us also remember that it wasn’t napoloitano and before you push blame may you look at the past and realize the political truth. For the State reps my dear ones you have been quiet and why not when you are the contributing factors to our present budget failures but stand tall in supporting cuts in education.. HOW CARELESS AND BLIND AND TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE IN ALL OF YOUR JUDGEMENTS YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES TAKING FROM INNOCENT CHILDREN WH WILL SOMEDAY BE OUR FUTURE.. HOW DARE YOU! FURTHERMORE JAN AND HER CREW HOW MANY OTHERS HAVE SPENT A DAY IN KINDERGARTEN OR ANY CLAASSROOM AND TELL ME JUST HOW MANY HAVE WALKED IN THE SHOES OF OUR TEACHERS WHO TAKE ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF NOT ONLY PARENTS BUT THE LEGISLAURES WHO PROCLAIM TO CARE AND LOVE OUR GREAT STATE arizona.. i’m appaled at your expertise so you say and lack of knowledge you have in education , but more the future of all our CHILDREN.
Rebecca, your choice of Bill Gates was unfortunate…for you. It has been definitively established that, due to his lack of formal computer education, Bill Gates was forced to STEAL the technology on which Microsoft’s early success was based. He stole it (and this has been documented and proven) from a man with the very thorough education in computer science. An education he received at the University of Washington in Seattle.
So, you have neatly proven Katherine’s point for her. Good job. Maybe you should have educated yourself about the facts first.