America's Stealth Profession

The United States of America, this very minute, has a large stable of professionals whose only job is to make America's dreams of a better future a reality. They have been entrusted with the future of national security, the protection of American liberties, the growth of America's lead in science and technology, the foundations of our heritage and our culture, and charged with restoring the American dream!

President Bush knew about these professionals, and President Obama knows about them as well. Yet, neither have truly recognized the importance of funding an infrastructure and an environment in which they can thrive. By most standards, especially in light of the fundamental importance of the job, they are grossly underpaid. They hold the potential and have the fortitude to make our nation, once again, the preeminent world leader it once was. Still, they have been throttled in their efforts by a lack of national will and a lack of serious commitment by any administration, past or present, to make sure that they are successful.

This select group of individuals has all of the tools and resources to dramatically reduce crime and drug use in this country. They are capable of inspiring new virtuous national leaders. They have the ability to change the national discourse and reinvigorate national debate and discussion about health programs, education, and the quality of life. And yet they neither get the funding they need to adequately perform their jobs, nor a national commitment to empower them with the respect, resources, and salaries so that their fiduciary charges are properly nurtured. Their work is vital if we want our nation's extraordinary possibilities to become reality.

Think about it. We have a select group of professionals who collectively hold the key to solving all of our national problems - every last one of them! Yet they languish and have no public mandate to do what they do best. They are treated like lepers and given no esteem or recognition.

What can be done to change this situation so that America can again be revered and respected around the world? What can be done to unleash the potential of these people who hold the secret of solving our economic crisis, energizing our national ideals, and upholding our American way of life?

We can start by demanding a new national commitment to adequate funding of their place of work - their facilities, offices and laboratories. We can next demand that these public servants are given appropriate salaries to compensate them for their commitment, education, and hard work, and to also adequately reflect the importance of their product. A doubling or tripling of their salaries over the next few years would not be out of line, but rather would be commensurate with the importance we all should bestow upon this most vital of US assets.

Who are these amazing people, and why haven't we heard of them? Sadly, we all have heard of them, but we are stuck in an eighteenth-century paradigm about them. Yes, you no doubt have often given lip service to making them successful. Who are they? They are our public school teachers, of course!

Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. Our requirements for world leadership, our hopes for economic growth, and the demands of citizenship itself in an era such as this all require the maximum development of every young American's capacity. The human mind is our fundamental resource. -John Fitzgerald Kennedy