THIS! Great essay, Jessica! Every working American should support affordable, high-quality education and the invaluable people who educate society. If only we worshiped teachers as much as we worship the military, police, firefighters, and billionaire CEOs.

We lack critical thinking skills and general knowledge. Free-thinking educators foster intelligent, independent thinkers, and a public that learns history through multiple lenses wouldn't support this government or civilization.

Universities produced solid, depoliticized research and theories that didn't adhere to censorship or a Western-dominated narrative. Now, we get well-funded private think tanks to provide strategies and reports for governments and the public because they'll justify every atrocious economic and foreign policy.

An attack on education is an attack on the public, and we don't get it. Enslaving young people into debt to secure work motivation is cruel and destructive. Creativity isn't feasible when you're always worrying about and working to pay off the debt-callers, but our government doesn't care or think about long-term implications.

Education is unaffordable, and educators aren't stuffing their mouths with $$, yet we assess working-class salaries instead of the CEOs, shareholders, bankers, and investors. It's wild. Legislators address tenure while powerful psychos who could buy militaries and countries meet with foreign governments. By the people for the people - right?