Abogados de Inmigracion

In 2001, 979,829 people took the GED in the United States. Using the lyrics from a Frank Sinatra song, it was a very good year. In comparing that year to other years and providing the latest published statistics by the GED Testing Service, 672,571 took the GED in 2006. So many fewer youth have taken and passed the GED each year. This means that the workforce has been less educated since 2001. All GED testing years have been bad compared to 2001 and they have been bad compared to years prior to 2001, too. You can see around a 300,000 difference in the years provided and that means about half or 150,000 are youth and even more young adults over 21 years of age. Multiplying that figure by six years, we can see that potential/and or real loss from that “good” year has been 900,000 diplomas for youth. Using the pre-2001 years, the loss is not as great, but it is still several hundred thousand.

Fortunately for elected officials in the worst GED states, the parents and young people affected by what has happened on the GED do not know this. Taking into account that there are about 40 million adults without a diploma who are largely ignorant of this silent conspiracy (this is how I define it). Taking into account that many of these 40 million have a hard time finding jobs and end up on social welfare rolls or even in prison where they cost society $60,000 a year or more to be incarcerated, not helping Americans more with the GED is one of the great errors in thinking of the last forty years. It is not as well known, though, as not finding the weapons of mass destruction or proving that Sadaam Hussein had strong links to Al Qaeda, but it should be as well known as that.

This is the 21st Century, the century where education plays a stronger role than physical labor. Each century has had its competition and threat from other nations. We are falling behind. As we walk the streets and see the great loss of business worldwide and the name of one country dominates because we see that “everything” is made there and “nothing” is made in America anymore, we realize that our strength is not what it was. We can only point, then, to the freedom that we have in this country and point to it with truth, which may be subjective at times.

We have lost so much potential in the last six years (the last forty years). We could have had more professionals in every community across America, but we could have that in, too, in the most dangerous and poorest neighborhoods in America, where we are seeing a great increase in violence. That increase in violence has not come about by educated youth with hope turning to violence. It is the result of forty years of frustration and lack of a second chance after dropping out of high school. What would saw on the GED in 2001 could happen every year in the United States by building a better infrastructure, better marketing, and better leadership. Where are the American leaders who will step up to the plate for the American people and expose this “silent conspiracy” that is hurting America. It is like termites in a house that we do not see for years. It is like finding out that you have lost a job in 2008. It is like losing your house to foreclosure. It is an issue for victims all over America, African-Americans who were not educated during slavery, de facto segregation, pre-Katrina days (and post Katrina), mental health victims, domestic violence victims, and immigrants who want to assimilate into the mainstream of America quickly through education, but cannot accomplish it. The numbers have never been there to give opportunities to those Americans and residents of the United States. With all the talk about not leaving Americans behind, it is “business as usual” as the dropout rate increases and the GED passing numbers decline. This recipe for America is dooming the future success of the United States.

Yesterday I was told that in September I am going to help 100 parents in a school or school district in Queens. I hope to do a GED Conference in New York City soon.

MARTIN N. DANENBERG
7 BLAZER DRIVE
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK 11749
GEDHOTLINE@AOL.COM
631-348-1341
www.ahorre.com/ged
www.geocities.com/gedhotline