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In the August 19, 2012, edition of my home town paper The Washington Post, the Opinion page featured a column by James C. Roumell, founder of Roumell Asset Management, LLC, titled “What I built with government help.” 

In his column, Roumell described growing up in a working class family in Detroit with a single mother who supported them with a unionized job with decent pay made possible by the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.  Roumell subsequently went to college with the help of Pell Grants and government loans made possible by the Higher Education Act of 1965. His now successful business was made possible by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

For sure, Mr. Roumell worked hard and was careful with his money; however, he states, “Nothing in terms of ‘regulations’ or ‘business uncertainty’ has stopped me from investing capital for a return.  In fact, the stability the government involvement brought to the capital markets over the past three years, evidenced by a 100 percent increase in the S&P’s stock index since March 2009, probably enabled my business to survive.” 

So what, you might say, does Roumell’s ode to the positive role of government in his business have to do with education?

What Roumell describes is the role that government appropriately plays in designing and supporting institutions that result in a stronger, more vibrant democratic state.  Ensuring a quality public education is available for all young people regardless of their economic status is an essential role for government, and elected officials at the local, state, and national level should provide the leadership that advocates not only for the availability of educational opportunity but also for the tax levels that will support the institution.  Our public schools are the bedrock of both citizen engagement and economic vitality, so we shouldn’t be fighting among ourselves over how much we can cut our individual and collective contribution to these schools through reduced taxes. The role of government is to protect and defend public institutions that provide for the security and success of all of us, so it’s been disheartening that none of our leaders at the national level have asked the question:  “What are we willing to pay for to ensure our…?” 

The public institutions and national laws that supported Mr. Roumell’s success as a businessman were made possible by universal free public education.  The role of government and those of us who are governed is to provide adequate resources and visionary leadership to preserve, protect, and defend our American way of life and continue to enable hardworking, creative people like Roumell to succeed in the marketplace and in life.

Image by Scrumshus (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons