November 20, 2008
TECHNOS
TECHNOS PRESS PRESENTS...
Tightrope to Tomorrow: Pensions, Productivity, and Public Education
by Morton J. Marcus
It is not too dramatic to say that America is about to walk a tightrope. Our goal, the safe landing at the end of that taut wire, is a healthy and secure old age for millions of Americans. The path we must follow is education.How can America pay for its schools and meet its obligations to its senior citizens? Readers will find innovative answers in Tightrope to Tomorrow.
In clear terms, with surprising wit, Morton Marcus shows us the problems ahead for America and suggests bold ways to meet them—starting now. He shows us how the retirement of the baby boomers will hit sooner than expected and leads us to understand the need for an expanded role of our education systems.
Unlike some reformers, Marcus has a plan to pay for what we need. He tells us why property taxes are no longer appropriate for supporting education, and how they can be replaced. His no-nonsense approach will step on toes when he questions various sacred beliefs of the education establishment, but his refreshing vision of America is unclouded by sentimentality and supported by faith, data, and powerful reasoning.
IN THE WORDS OF THE AUTHOR—
- Today, pensions, social security, medicare, and medicaid
are the claims made by older citizens upon the income of the young. Those
claims are exercised through dividends and taxes paid by profitable companies,
plus the taxes based on the income of younger people.
- Reading, writing, arithmetic are substitutes for cattle
prods, fire hoses, and martial law....The concept of education as the path
to income enhancement and the development of a more suitable workforce are
the inventions of economists and Chambers of Commerce.
- In today's world, where property is a consumer good
for most of us, not a factor of production as it is for agriculture and
industry, the property tax may not be as "fair" as in the past.
- Many corporate leaders believe our schools should provide
students with skills that make them less costly to hire. They wish to substitute
training at public expense for training on the job.
- ... political theorists who have declared war on local
schools ... employ two weapons: one is "choice," a program to treat education
like other services in the private marketplace, but with the benefit of
a government subsidy. The second is the flattering assumption that parents
are informed consumers who seek the best education for their children.
- The benefits of education are not like those of beer....Education
may not show any perceptible benefits for years. Then, the benefits may
accrue to individuals other than those who receive the schooling. Co-workers,
other family members, society in general can benefit from the education
of any given person.
- We want a school financing formula that reflects the
two basic principles of taxation: those who benefit pay, and those who pay
contribute according to their means.
- Vouchers, competition, and privatization will not resolve
our problems if we still do not have agreement on what we wish an education
system to produce. Adults are more capable of describing the desired features
of a home or an ice cream cone than of the education their children should
receive.
- The re-entry of adults to our education systems may be the best hope of the nation for economic growth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AIT's Distinguished Fellow for 1996, Morton J. Marcus is director of the Indiana Business Research center and teaches economic development and regional economics at the Indiana University School of Business in the Department of Business Economics and Public Policy. He is a pioneer in the construction and use of sub-national, on-line statistical data bases, and his research on economic and population trends from communitites in Indiana to the rapidly developing commercial centers of Southeast Asia.
He has served as the president of the Indiana Academy of Social Sciences and the Midwest Business Economics Association. Currently, he is vice president of AUBER, an international association of university business and economic research centers; president of the Indiana Secondary Market for Educational Loans; and a member of the Governors Commission on Health Care for the Working Poor.
Marcus is also a syndicated newspaper columnist and a radio commentator on several daily programs.
He is a graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago and holds advanced degrees in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of California in Los Angeles. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he and his wife Rebecca, currently live in indianapolis. They have three children and four grandchildren.
Widely appealing in its blend of wit and wisdom, Tightrope to Tomorrow has drawn critical acclaim...and occasional hesitation...from a diverse audience—
A candid confabulation of insightful commentary on the nation's future. Morton—and i know him well enough to call him that—has brought together the major issues of our times—and here I include social security, our schools, local property taxes, and the productivity of our nation's workforce—into a most readable response to the doomsayers who would diminish the apirations of our advancing civilization.U.S. Senator Phinneas Phogghorn Public finances were never more understandable...and I liked the cartoons.
Mayor Georges Gummbeaux My cousin may be an economist, but he knows how to communicate. I tell you, folks—and I'm big enough to say this without embarrassment—I laughed and I cried while I learned how America, this great nation—pilgrim proud and pure—can meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Mumbles Marcus, radio talk show host The first book I've seen that doesn't just walk away from the problems of financing education and the needs of our country. This guy has guts. He also has my lawn mower and should return it.
Fred Fetid, the authors neighbor Lots of controversial answers to very complex issues. I don't think any of them will fly.
Septum Sixpack, retired skeptic
For more information, contact:
TECHNOS Press at AIT
Box A
Bloomington, IN 47402-0120
Tel: 812-339-2203 ext 279 or 220 Fax: 812-333-4218
ORDER TODAY! For fastest service....call AIT Customer Service at 800/457-4509 or order online.
Sample other articles by Morton J. Marcus that have been published in TECHNOS Quarterly, AIT's official journal: