So, this is from yesterday: Scalia surprised that he should read

I am not going to get political here, however, I must express a little outrage at the anti-learning culture that seems prevalent in the US today.

As a minor scholar - someone with a college degree and a six-year professional degree that requires reading knowledge of foreign languages and capacities to understand and teach complex ideas - I find it outrageous that a person given a lifetime position as one of the nine top legal scholars in the land could think it remotely acceptable to not be fully versed in a law upon which he will rule.

This, along with criticisms levied towards people who know foreign languages like French, and towards others who advocate for people getting college educations, makes me wonder who we want to be as Americans.

Our founders - self-starters, autodidacts, and those who actually went to college - all revered learning and wisdom. We are a nation of innovators in fields of science and learning. We set ourselves apart from the rest of the world by pioneering public education, and this continues to be one of the ways that allows us to not fall into the traps of chronic and systemic poverty. Education and innovation lead to better futures for individuals, communities, countries, and the world.

Do not allow this culture to become our norm. Ignorance is not a virtue. Knowledge and a mind open to others who might know more than us, promotes a society wherein people work towards the best for all. Demand that our leaders know about the world, and demand from ourselves a life dedicated to self-improvement, and the improvement of our communities. Should we settle for less, we will get it.