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Paul A. Smith’s contribution to the Daily Bee’s Feb. 25 issue describes the century and a quarter old constitutional view of the importance of intellectual education to our governmental system. It is as true today, not only for good government but also for economic, social, and cultural success in an ever more competitive world.

This competitive world implies we must be competitive in education. Testing has repeatedly shown that the U.S., in spite of the most generous spending, is at best no better than middling. Countries as diverse as Singapore, Estonia, and Canada routinely outperform us. No wonder our companies in intellectually demanding fields support immigration.

Studies have also shown little or no correlation between spending in excess of $50,000 per student on primary education and performance.

The current local question is will the levy contribute to better intellectual performance, or does it only perpetuate a fun and games, babysitting, coddling, bureaucratically entrenched mindset that hobbles our intellectual progress, and casts a pall over our future as a society?

C.R. LOWE

Sandpoint