we're creating automatons

I was reading a letter in The Wichita Eagle about the state of our education system and I immediately new what the writer was taking about. As a person who has worked for years in the school system, I too have noticed the arts, music, etc. and history are disappearing from the school system. It's not just a Wichita or Kansas phenomena, it's largely due to the "no child left behind" philosophy, devised by our president.Schools are encouraged to focus heavy on English and language arts, math and science. What a coincidence that that is what our corporations have complained we need, so our future students can work at any job.
There was a time when an education meant a rounded out person who knew the basics of the world around him or her, such as Geography, art, music, history and political science. Those days are over. As the letter writer quoted a principal she talked to "Music and arts are weeds in the garden of education." The writer also said "No question that literacy and math are key in being able to function in society." She also noticed that arts and social studies are being hit bad and being neglected from our country's schools.
What President Valium Head and others like him want is a society of automatons who can function in society and hold down any job. But they will be ignorant of their past culture and own history, especially world history.
Here in Wichita (again I stress this is not unique to the rest of the country) a student is required one year of either geography, world history or world culture. One of the semesters is actually an elective which means a student can drop that second semester and still get a high school degree.
Recently I saw a Youtube footage put together by some English speaking country doing interviews in the US where some people couldn't tell him the national religion of Israel, one person couldn't tell him what religion Buddhist Monks belong to and of course their knowledge of Mid-east religions where just as bad.
They also asked Americans what nation we should invade next and many said Iran or North Korea.
We are the last empire left on earth, so this film clipped made us look like absolute fools. But who's fault is that. Look into the eyes of our president. He may be the future of America. A functioning automaton without out the ability to reason or think.
It reminds me of an ant colony. They do everything we do. They build elaborate structures, they practice animal husbandry with aphids, they have community nurseries where they raise their children, but there are two things we have they don't. They don't record their history and they have no form of art at all. They live only for the present. They store food for the future, but the past is of no concern to them. They are intelligent animal automatons.
Is that where Americans are heading. Ants fight wars and often win. They have complicated supply lines and in the animal kingdom they are a force to be reckoned with. So is this the future of America, the ability to build and make things, fight wars and live as if we have no past. Rap and Rock will be around a while, but will anyone understand the history of these art forms or any art form?
For us Americans "Welcome to the 21st Century."

You will be assimilated!