Thread by @Norlaine

Some people seem confused about the difference between progressives and conservatives. Here's an example that might help. Take education. There are those who see education as an investment in the future. Public education has a number of benefits to a society;
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1) Prepares children to become good citizens, with broad understanding of a wide range of things, critical thinking skills, the ability to co-operate, negotiate, and generally get along with others,
2) Provides a baseline of knowledge and skills that are essential for life. 2/12

3) Closes the gap between the wealthy & the poor by ensuring children from poorer families obtain the same education as those from wealthier families.
4) Lays the groundwork for the next generation of professionals/tradespeople/citizens by including all rather than the few. 3/12

And many would argue that post secondary education should be freely available to all those who have the aspirations and ambitions to undertake a program of study.
Progessives see high quality education for all as a critical investment in our society. 4/12

Now, there are other people (these would be the conservatives) who see education as a budget line that can be cut so they can please their electorate by lowering taxes or balancing a budget. 5/12

And there are some, with more extreme views, who see education as a revenue stream that has been inadequately tapped, and these seek to ensure that parents must pay user fees to companies to get their children even a grade-school education. 6/12

Creating a more just and equal society is not a goal for them, so having the children of those who cannot afford tuition attend schools with substandard facilities and bad curriculum is ok. They feel these kids don't deserve better anyway. 7/12

There are also some in this camp who see education as a way to ensure children grow up to fit their vision of an ideal citizen. Without critical thinking skills, without the skills required to question authority, & with all but the elite trained up early to do manual labour. 8/12

Two quite different worldviews. One is based on creating a paradigm wherein everyone has the opportunity to achieve their potential, including those who need extra supports along the way. 9/12

The other is based on profit and cost, maximizing the former and minimizing the latter. The actual people in the equation are of very limited importance. Indeed, a well-educated population may even be seen as troublesome and hard to manage. 10/12

There is very little incentive in the conservative view to spend more supporting kids who need anything outside the low-cost assembly-line approach. There seems to be a view that these children will not turn out to be profit-generating employees anyway. 11/12

What's that phrase? Oh, yes, "lower human capital". The progressive view sees inherent value in people, the conservative view sees people as inputs to the profit machine, w/ the real value being in money. So, there you go. (Yes, I am cynical. I've been watching a long time) 12/12