All kinds of people, myself included, get hung up on the big, sexy political issues; health care, the economy, gay marriage, abortion, the wars. These issues get a lot of attention because they’re important, but there are a lot of other issues out there that are just as important, but don’t get a lot of attention, but probably should.

Stuff like this, for example, the President’s remarks yesterday about the “Education to Innovate” Campaign, a program to promote math and science education in the United States. Remarks that went essentially unreported by the cable news media.

Sure, funding for math and science education isn’t sexy, but it’s probably one of the most important things we can do to ensure our future safety and prosperity. American students are losing ground to much of the rest of the world when it comes to academic achievement in these areas; if America is going to continue to compete in the global marketplace, and, perhaps more importantly, contribute to efforts to address global issues such as climate change, medical innovation, and meeting the planet’s needs for energy, we’ve got to step up and equip future generations to do so.

An educated and informed population is one that won’t settle for inadequate solutions. Teach kids the mathematical foundations, and they’ll be able to see when the numbers don’t add up. Teach kids the scientific method, and they’ll ask questions when reality doesn’t match the evidence presented. They’ll analyze and examine existing systems, find out how they work, and fix them so they’ll work better. If we can foster an appreciation for science and analysis in the coming generations, we’ll have laid the foundation to fix all those other, more attention-grabbing problems.

I’m glad we have an administration that seems to be thinking at least a little bit along the same lines that I am. I talked a little about this a few weeks ago, about how the “geek” and “jock” ideals need to be held in equal esteem in a society if it’s going to succeed. Needless to say, I’m encouraged when I hear messages like this coming out of the White House:

And today, I’m announcing that we’re going to have an annual science fair at the White House with the winners of national competitions in science and technology. If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you’re a young person and you’ve produced the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too. Scientists and engineers ought to stand side by side with athletes and entertainers as role models, and here at the White House we’re going to lead by example. We’re going to show young people how cool science can be.

This, more than anything else, is why voted the way I did a year ago.