Earth first, Mars later

STEVE SMITH

On July 20, 1969, at the age of 14, I skipped a trip to the

supermarket with my parents to stay home and watch television. That

was unusual, not because I wanted to watch TV -- back then I watched

far too much -- but because I missed the opportunity to sit and read

comic books and magazines while my parents shopped. The reading was

most of the reason I used to tag along with them. That, and the

opportunity to slip a package of Oreos into the shopping cart when

they weren’t looking.

But that day was a special one not just in my life but in the life

of all Americans, for that was the day Neil Armstrong became the

first human to walk on the moon, and it was all scheduled to appear

on the tube.

My parents did not want to miss it either, but they believed that

they had enough time to make a trip to the Mayfair market in West

Hollywood and be back in time to see Armstrong.

In 1969, there were no cellphones, and I had no way of contacting

my parents to let them know that Armstrong was making his way down

the ladder from the lunar lander. But moments before he put his foot

down on the surface of the moon, my mother and father burst in.

They dropped all of the groceries on the floor and watched the

black and white TV, mouths agape, as Armstrong put his foot in the

lunar dirt. My father was a rather stoic person, and I had never seen

him so amazed as he was that day.

NASA’s contributions to our nation and the rest of the world are

unmatched in history. Their research and development has been the

springboard for countless innovations and devices we enjoy today.

As were millions of American children, I became fascinated with

the space scene the moment I saw the first astronauts. They were real

heroes, not made-up ones, and through the years, we followed their

careers anxiously. Our toys were space toys, our books were space

books, and our TV shows were “Lost in Space,” “Star Trek” and others.

We were of the generation that was willing to do and spend

whatever it took to be leaders in space. And despite the criticism of

those who said we should fix what’s wrong here on Earth before we

conquer the moon, we knew that space exploration was the right thing

to do. We knew it was America’s destiny.

Now we’ve got a proposal on the table to send humans to the moon

and to Mars and to establish a colony on the moon, but I’m one

American who is not feeling too good about expanding our space

program. This time around, I’ve got to side with the folks who are

telling us to take care of business here at home before we send

people to Mars or back to the moon.

Of all the things we need to take care of here on Earth right now,

the education of our children may be the most important. Our

educational system, once the model for the industrialized world, has

fallen victim to misspent funds, too much reliance on test scores,

too much to teach in too little time and, most of all, too much

bureaucracy -- just ask any teacher. The educational bureaucracy is a

huge, lumbering dinosaur, unable to change quickly enough to correct

problems. For proof, just look at the Compton school district.

With or without a trip to Mars, you still have the ability to make

change, and change in government is still possible, as we saw with

the recall of Gray Davis.

Among other programs, I’d like to see a return to the many

educational tracks, including industrial arts, for students who are

not fascinated by computers and aren’t cut out for college. It seems

to me that the assumption that every kid should go on to college is

turning a lot of them off and we should be offering them alternatives

at an early age.

A recent e-mail from Michele Graham alerted me to two upcoming

meetings, and now I’m alerting you. They’re called the Candidate

Forums on Educational Issues: “Keep Public Education a High Priority

in Sacramento,” and you’ll have two chances to listen to and ask

questions of the 68th and 70th Assembly District candidates.

The 68th District meeting is from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 21 at the La

Quinta High School Auditorium, 10372 McFadden Ave. in Westminster.

The 70th District meeting is from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 11 at Mission

Viejo High School 25025 Chrisanta Drive in Mission Viejo. If you have

questions, or would like more information, please contact: Mike

Kilbourn at (714) 402-0870 or by e-mail at mkilbourn@socal.rr.com.

The bottom line is this: If we don’t properly educate our kids

now, there will be no one to design the rocket to take us to Mars in

20 years.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer.

Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at

(949) 642-6086.