Walcher: If money were no object

Imagine how much good we could do in this life if we had unlimited resources. If money were no object, we could cure nearly all the world’s ills and create better lives for everybody, right?

Fifty-seven years ago, President Lyndon Johnson declared “unconditional war on poverty.” Over 200 federal programs and $28 trillion later — that’s three and a half times the cost of all America’s wars combined — the percentage of Americans living below the official poverty line remains almost unchanged.

Another example: The United States spends over $14,000 per student on elementary and secondary education, 37% higher than the average in other countries, and $34,000 per student on higher education, more than double the worldwide average. Yet Pew Research finds the U.S. ranked 38th in math and 24th in science, compared against 71 other countries. And American schools continue to graduate students who cannot read at high school level, nor demonstrate basic knowledge of their country’s history, civics or government. Spending increases every year; performance declines.