To the Editor:

In reference to the letter to the Enterprise editor dated April 6 [“I prefer to live in a society where education is valued”] criticizing my comments on another school tax increase I must respond as such:

Statistics, statistics, statistics!

Wow! Talk about statistics!

Let’s see, what are some famous statements regarding statistics?

Ah yes — how about the one from Mark Twain (or was it Benjamin Disraeli?):

“There are lies, damned lies and statistics.” 

Or how about:  

“Figures lie and liars figure.”

One can use statistics to demonstrate either side of an issue.

We have all seen those numbers the letter writer referred to, ad nauseam, in a desperate attempt to get taxpayers to feel guilty and vote for ever higher and higher taxes and then higher again next year.  

Remember when President George W. Bush, desperate for votes from the teachers’ unions, gave billions upon billions of dollars to public education?  

Well, it apparently got him the votes to win re-election by a large margin but did little to nothing for education, because SAT scores continued going down, despite the fact that the College Board quietly “tweaked” the scoring (“increased scores” in layman terms) not once but at least twice, in a desperate attempt to fool the population. Interesting how the media decided this was “not newsworthy.”  

So now what is happening? Many colleges don’t bother with SAT scores.

We no longer compete in international competitions because it just became too embarrassing. 

Japan, with an average class size of fifty (50!) students, does rings around us scholastically.

Conclusion: More money does little to nothing to improve education. Everyone should know this by now.

And by the way, I said nothing about “not valuing education.” I have a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from two top-rated New York State universities and enjoyed a fabulous career, occasionally traveling all over the northern hemisphere.

John Brower

Summerville

South Carolina