Underfunded education bad for military bases

by David Safier

AZ Blue Meanie will undoubtedly post this week's Farley Report in its entirety, but I want to pull out one passage, Farley's discussion with Col. Tom Payne, base commander of the Army's Yuma Proving Ground. Payne thinks our low educational standing hurts the military's ability to recruit the best people for the job.

[Payne's] response when I asked him whether it was true that our lack of commitment to adequately funding our public education system was compromising our ability to fill vacant positions at his base, he said that was "absolutely accurate."

He explained that when a promising applicant with a young family gets offered a position at his base, the first thing he or she checks out is the schools. And he admitted that Arizona's place at the bottom of the states for school funding has chased away many great people. I have heard similar stories from business recruiters.

To make it simple: The philosophy of nothing but cut-cut-cut hurts all of us — on the right, the left, or in the middle, in the private or public sector, and any income level.

If it's true in the military, it's true in the private sector. Cut business taxes all you want. Business people have families. They want a quality education system, K through college. If Arizona doesn't have it, the state moves to the bottom of the list.