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What is the foundation of a technological society? An educated workforce. The more technologically advanced, the more education is required.

Regretfully, there is a strong aversion to learning among many young people today. The feelings of hopelessness and lack of ambition is very common among our youth.

Our society seems to become more immature instead of mature, many seem to want something for nothing. Feelings of entitlement do not just describe politicians and the rich, but pervade our whole society.

Perhaps the reading we did in our youth made a difference. We need to instill, in the youth of today, the spirit of adventure that reading brings to all of us.

Reading leads to an open mind, which is necessary for students to accept knowledge, and nurtures the ability to apply knowledge to problems and work possibilities.

Knowledge, after all, assists one in applying the old saying, find a need and fill it, which usually leads to success.

Cutting education leads to our eventual stagnation. We are wasting minds that could be leading us into a bright future. We need innovation and creativity, just to stay on top.

We are no longer the largest market, in fact, Europe, India and especially China are larger and growing at a rapid pace, as we are dropping lower and lower comparatively.

America needs to invest in itself, we used to be one of the most educated countries. Children are not cookie cutter automatons, we need to educate all of them, as those who think out of the box are the ones who make the most radical discoveries.

Our infrastructure and education have taken a back seat to wars, and foreign policy through economic and military aid. Our priorities are skewed, our children should be first, not an afterthought.

America is turning into Europe, with the multi-generational super rich, and the rest of us. We now have the rich openly attempting to buy public office, unashamedly.

We all need to wake up, ignorant people are easy to rule, for they do not know the right questions to ask.

Dave Gebhard lives in Lakeport, Calif.