Purrs 4 Peace Week 39 Announcement - Let's not be stupid. No cuts for education.

"Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained." - James Garfield.

Imagine if only an elite few in the world could read....What would happen to the peaceful operation of society? What would happen to innovation and scientific advancement? What would happen to culture? Could we not on a global level sink back into the Dark Ages?

This is extreme but is meant to illustrate the importance of education. Yet in the United States, Europe, and around the world, governments are responding to the economic crisis with huge budget cuts to EDUCATION. Millions being slashed from K through 12th grade in many if not most school districts around the U.S. For example, it was recently announced in Kansas City, Missouri that half of the schools would be closed. And higher education is faring no better. For instance in the State of Georgia more than $127 million is being cut from the budgets of its Universities. This means many degree programs will be cut completely.

This is particularly distressing as studies have shown a high correlation between lack of education and crime. Indeed even terrorism is linked to lack of education. As a concrete illustration consider the cost of educating the average school child annually in the State of Georgia is $7000. However, the annual cost of housing and feeding a prisoner is $29000. Talk about penny wise and pound foolish. Let’s educate the child so that we don’t have to imprison the man!

Confucius Cat says before we allow our government to make cuts in education the following should be cut:

• 3/4 of the salaries and benefits of any and all elected politicians/government officials.
• all funding for war.
• all funding for the so called war on drugs. Deal with non-violent crime by education and treatment, not incarceration.

And this week we purr for education. We purr for knowledge. We purr for understanding. We purr for Peace.

Week 39 of Purrs 4 Peace details are as follows:

• Week thirty-nine’s appointed time is Sunday, March 14, 2010.
• Participants should purr for three minutes commencing at 3 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) which is 7:00 p.m. (19:00 hrs.) in the U.K.
• The cat’s human staff should assist their cats with the project by stroking and nuzzling the cat at the appointed time.
• Please post your cat name and the country you purr in at www.confuciuscat.blogspot.com as a COMMENT if you are participating in this historic project. (posting a link to your own website-if you have one-is encouraged.) Or let me know by message on twitter or facebook.
• Posting purrs on facebook ( Acolytes of Confucius Cat or as friend to Alley Mason) and twitter (@ConfuciusCat) is encouraged, since it inspires purring in others, but not required. On twitter please use #purrs4peace in your tweets.

Peace * Paix * Frieden * Vrede * Pace * Paz * Shalom * Fred * Salaam * Om Shanti * Heddwch * Siochan