‘I Can Add Upside Down!”

That’s a Dr. Seuss book.  His subtitle was “Learn About Easy Addition.”

Today’s political leaders certainly read that book.

For 35 years, Republican economic policy has been that cutting taxes increases government revenues and reducing government spending creates more private sector innovation.

During World War II, the maximum tax rate rose to 91 percent.  When the top rate was cut to 70 percent in the 1960s, tax collections did increase, but the workforce also increased by 50 percent. Since then, however, tax cuts have reduced revenues and caused federal deficits. Even so, it remains the mantra of Republican economic policy.

Two years ago, the North Carolina legislature decided that cutting income tax rates would spur the economy. Even with employment rising, tax revenues are hundreds of millions below expectations. However, the legislature keeps saying that we are spending more on education than ever before.

That reminds me of my kids’ allowances. My two older children got $5 per week. When my third child was old enough to stake her claim, I decided to “add upside down” and gave “them” a raise. I gave each $4. My spending rose from $10 to $12. My two younger ones failed to recognize my generosity.

This logic now drives Washington and Raleigh.

Last week, one conservative writer suggested that even though North Carolina spends less per student on K-12 education than most states, it’s still too much.  He argued that we had reached a tipping point where students would perform better with less money available since the private sector could spend the money more wisely.

Last week, state Rep. Tom McInnis told the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce that many teachers didn’t need teaching assistants.

State Sen. Andrew Brock said some schools were so good that they didn’t need principals.

Pay less, live better. Sounds like Walmart Government.

Similarly, cutting dollars to universities is being replaced by more private sector dollars — that is, higher tuition and more student loans.  This week, McInnis had a solution that would require professors to teach four courses a semester. One of McInnis’ concerns was that many teaching assistants had foreign accents. Maybe like Balasubramanian, Cvijanovic, Deshpande, Emadi, Fulghieri, Gantchev? Those are the names of several of many foreign, world-renowned professors at the UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business.

As a college professor for 40 years, I spent two or three hours preparing, testing and grading for every hour in the classroom. Plus another eight to 10 office hours each week meeting with students. Plus those awful committees that made an hour drag longer than an hour in a dentist’s chair.  (I love my dentists.)

Thomas Friedman famously said, “First I had to laugh. Then I had to cry,” as doctoral candidates, most with foreign names, walked across the stage at a university graduation.  He lamented that after educating so many foreigners, we don’t offer them immediate citizenship.  We send them home to compete against us.

During my 17 years at George Washington, American and Georgetown universities in Washington, approximately one-quarter of my students, both graduate and undergraduate, were foreign. Most wanted to stay and work, but couldn’t because of our immigration laws.

Academic research, which makes our universities world-class institutions, led to the polio vaccine, municipal water purification systems, space-based weather forecasting, cancer therapies and jet airliners.  The private sector won’t pay for that research until commercial viability becomes apparent. For decades, American CEOs have begged Congress to stop cutting funding to research universities.

The GI Bill, almost 70 years old, proved that free mass higher education is the most critical factor to economic growth. The Economist, an international news magazine, reported this week that every nation worldwide is copying the U.S. model. Today, high growth countries provide free college education for everyone, while the U.S. cuts support to education and requires its students to pay more.

Those who believe in reducing education support would re-title Dr. Seuss’ book, “Subtracting Upside Down Is Addition.”

David Post lives in Salisbury.