Education is bedrock of democracy
Mark Weatherly (letter July 8) obviously was not educated by anyone, let alone a democratic community which places a premium on an educated populace.
When a community, congressional or supreme court vote goes against what they wish, they plan an educated, informed rebuttal to the situation. No dressing themselves in white sheets, strapping on the .45, or starting to behead people, as they do in uneducated places.
The most important tax use in a small, democratic community is the education of its young — elections to president, vice president in schools, living with disappointment when your opinion is vetoed.
Do you wonder why our efforts to democratize Afghanistan came to naught? Democracy without education is hypocrisy in its purest form.
I gather, Mr. Weatherly thinks that he can drive down paved roads, post letters in a mailbox without them being stolen, vote in safety and comfort, spend paper and plastic money that is accepted, and generally thrive in the community because of some magic that exists in the soil of North America.
No, it’s because we educate all of our citizenry, and he’d best count his blessings for that.
Sylvia Woodburne, Fresno
This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 5:54 AM with the headline "Education is bedrock of democracy."