I guess how you look at it depends on who is on the receiving end of gov’t subsidies. I don’t see any resolution to this issue here.
It’s sort of like the argument that the way the Senate is made up, with Wyoming’s population getting the same two Senator count as New York, giving too much representation to the smaller states, and unfair to the larger states. Irrespective of the merits to the argument, it will never be resolved.
You need to study about the development of the constitution. This was an important compromise to insure the minority were not ruled by the majority. Otherwise there would only be need for a couple states to vote with the rest of the country just tagging along. This was not seen as healthy or acceptable to the nation. The House gets representation according to population and each state populates the Senate with two Senators. Quite important to study this early history from the Declaration, to the Federalist Papers, to the final Constitution and how it applies to the issues of today. Quite miraculous actually.
Along with the importance of the media and free speech in the 1st Amendment, is the importance of an informed populace. An ignorant public fosters in what Lincoln warned against at being “invaded from within”.
When many of our ancestors came to this country, education was high on their list around here. So one of the first things was to establish schools and colleges to insure an educated public. Everyone benefits from an educated populace even though something needs to be done about the current sad state of our public schools.
Me also, " According to 2010 figures from the Office of Management and Budget, we’re set to spend 20 percent of our federal budget on defense and a mere 3 percent on education."
Just to clarify though, national defense is a constitutional national responsibility to protect the “several states” from invasion. Education is a state and local responsibility, not federal. We pay between $10,000 to $15,000 per Minnesota student per year on public education. I’m surrounded by educators who tell me that is not enough to which I ask how much is enough? When I mention the works of Thomas Sowell they often don’t know who that is.