I appreciate that you feel strongly about this: it's clear that a lot of people do. I encourage you to figure out if this is a conversation you actually want to

I appreciate that you feel strongly about this: it's clear that a lot of people do. I encourage you to figure out if this is a conversation you actually want to have, or if you are content with only expressing your views. You've been very quick to assume that people are going to dismiss the validity of your views ("Could you say the same of every other person likely to view this thread?"), and are just as quick to dismiss those of others by assuming their intent ("those of a particular ideological demographic"). These are tough conversations to have. You have to be willing to put yourself out there and engage in a genuine manner to look for solutions people can agree upon. You're right that not everyone on HN (or elsewhere, for that matter) are going to be able to do that, but if everyone waits for everyone else to put their best foot forward, no progress is going to be made at all. You mention increased school funding and better teachers. How do propose doing this? In the US, there's increasing focus on decreasing funding in public schools. Coupled with school funding being closely associated with property taxes, those most disadvantaged are those with the least funding available.