Mr. Friedman identifies the need of a "Sputnik-event", to jump start our efforts and focus our resources toward science education. I like to think we’re already on our way. Sputnik threatened us in a way that rivaled the attack on Pearl Harbor. Our national safety was in jeopardy, a significant percentage of our population believed. We, as a people, were intrigued by space exploration, and were in a head-to-head competition with the USSR.

I like to believe we are heading in the right direction. The vast majority of Americans have grown up in an age where we accept as a given that we are the world power (emphasis intended). When you believe you are the biggest and the best, a sort of complacency starts to seep into your way of thinking: we deserve what we have and we will always have it.

I do agree that the days of us serving as a global police force are behind us. Yes, we can and should voice an opinion to the goings-on around the world, but by expending our resources and more importantly, our military, in molding foreign governments to our liking we over-extend ourselves.

But, though this sounds grim, and is a different America than what I’ve grown up in, I appreciate that there are discussions regarding what we are, what we need to do, and where we are going. I like to believe that we recognize that we do need to improve our education services. Unfortunately, the budget-balancers are in charge now with an ink pen in hand striking out budget items right and left. This is a wave that we need to ride out, and remain focused on the critical priorities: a quality education for our young.

Reference

Friedman, T.L. (2010, January 17). What’s our sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8.