Our leaders don’t value education

By Fredrick Wilkening, Las Vegas

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014 | 2 a.m.

It’s football season, and there were some “Hail Mary” political ads. The political ad I received from my first-term assemblyman (I won’t mention his name; I’m not voting for him anyway) expounded on how he and his party will make our lives better — how they will fund education, reduce classroom size, increase pre-K enrollment and support full-day kindergarten.

I am left with a question that he can’t or won’t answer publicly. How?

The Democratic Party has held the majority in the Assembly since 1985 except in 1999, when there was an even split between Democrats and Republicans with one Independent. Since 1985, Nevada has gone from 47th in the nation to 53rd in the nation in education (that is including the three U.S. territories). We are dead last.

Nevada has the third most powerful person in the United States government in Sen. Harry Reid, but there are 49 states and three territories that value education more than those Nevadans elect.

Sorry, Mr. Assemblyman, I voted this year, just not for you.