This might be old hat but it is true: The educational superstructure of America is crumbling. It will leave a shell of a defeated nation that was once heralded as a shining example of human ingenuity and a world leader in innovation.

Education funding is a joke for many public school districts.

An article by the National Education Association reads as an obituary for public schools. The article is a compilation of headlines from across the country. Headlines such as “Thirty-Four States Cut Spending on Elementary and Secondary Education, Thirty-Six to Higher Education in 2010; Thirty-One Proposed Cutting Both K-12 and Higher Education in 2011” and “The Recession Will Trigger Hundreds of Thousands of Teacher Layoffs.”

Too many K-12 schools across the country have to add “cutback” to their lists of words children must know for proficiency testing. Good news for those of you studying education.

Where do we draw the line? Many school systems are getting rid of the arts as part of their core curriculum. Can you imagine your little brother or sister going to a school without access to band or art class? Some of the coolest teachers are art teachers!

There is an issue on the local ballot — Issue 4 — that is primarily about money for the Columbus Metropolitan Library. To put it bluntly, if it does not pass, the library system in Columbus will fail. This isn’t some podunk library system. The Columbus Metropolitan Library is, without exaggeration, the best library system in the nation.

Imagine if you will: A crying child standing outside the chained doors of a now-derelict library. A gang of street toughs have claimed the playground that once manufactured laughter and fun. They begin to taunt the child, who now has no safe haven, no hope. A wolf howls in the distance.

What chance do we have as a nation if we mortgage our future by cutting spending on education? If the library goes, so do the schools. If the schools go, so do our jobs. If the jobs go…

It is a geometric progression to our cultural and financial destruction.

The library is not just a warehouse for books and a place to check your e-mail. It is a community center and, for many, a chance at opportunities they might never realize if the library ceased to exist.

Here’s a question: Two nations leave the station at the same time. One nation has ample education funding, but the other does not. If both nations travel a given distance based on their levels of education, which nation will arrive to a better future? Solve for X.