Letter: Support science, public schools

Published 3:40 pm Friday, May 29, 2020

Our daughter graduated with a master’s degree in science in biology from Georgia College and State University. She did not get to enjoy a graduation ceremony making her diploma a true “corona-ploma.” We are all happy and proud just alike.

She graduated from Dalton Public Schools a few years ago, proving that our public schools can deliver. Our nation cannot afford a poorly educated population if it wants to remain economically competitive on the world stage. More so, poorly educated people tend to become a burden on society with higher crime rates, drug addiction, poor health, etc. Hence, we should support our public schools. Unfortunately, too many of our leaders, catering only to a sliver of society, are willing to choose the opposite.

There is another aspect of our daughter’s graduation that makes us proud. She graduated with a science degree. Much of the success story of our nation results from the free-spirited research of our scientists. Tesla, Bell, Oppenheimer, Einstein, Chomsky, Edison and thousands more took advantage of the freedoms in our country to engage in research and help make our country great. Many of them emigrated to the United States, attracted by our nation’s appreciation for their scientific work.

Today, regrettably, we have to observe how many of our leaders seem to doubt the value of science in society. They question its results, as if the results of scientific research are just another opinion rather than a substantiated fact. This class of new leaders not only illustrates an intellectual mediocracy, it also erodes a pillar of our nation’s future success. History tells us that a culture turning its back on science is symptomatic for its decline.

Thank you Dalton Public Schools. Let’s support science.

Jan Pourquoi

Varnell