TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart America’s greatest failure is not our corrupt government in Washington, or the fact that Trump was allowed a win in 2016 although the election was clearly rigged, and the leaders of both parties knew it prior to November 8 th ... The greatest danger to our nation’s future is how we are failing our children. Our educational system is rated at the bottom of all developed nations. The following is just one report from a world organization. [America ranks 13th in education rankings by country based on 2024 data. The U.S. ranks 6th in reading, 10th in science, and 26th in math within the OECD.] This statistic is unbelievable for me, because when I grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, America’s educational system was ranked first in the free world.. SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEN AND NOW When I was young, the focus in school was on reading, writing, spelling, math, science, and in high school world and U.S. history. Other classes were included; art, sometimes music

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart                  The largest salary ever received by the man I consider the greatest pitcher in baseball history, Sandy Koufax, was $130,000 per year. The highest salary earned by the greatest hitter of all time, Hank Aaron, was $240,000 per year. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $1.35 million today. The most successful basketball player in history, Bill Russell, was rewarded with $125,000 per year: $1,164,000 today. Johnny Unitas, the greatest NFL player in history, was paid $250,000 in his final contract. The best players in professional sports receive as much as 50 million dollars each year. The average pay for a starting MLB player in 2024 is about $4.5 million in 2024. For NBA players, the average is $9,512,000 per year. NFL players make a minimum of $750,000 per year. The average veteran makes nearly two million dollars per year. PASSING COSTS TO THE FANS In 1970, the highest price of a ticket for NBA games was about six dollars. Today the “