Tax Cuts for Teachers

The impact of the financial crisis on America would require a great stimulus – a
stimulus that would be able to incite America to be one of the leading nations once again.
In the article “Tax Cuts for Teachers”, Thomas Friedman explains what the stimulus
needs to be and examples of smart stimulus moves. Through the use of a sarcastic and
objective tone, and a variety of rhetorical devices, Friedman addresses the key
characteristics of a stimulus. The stimulus from the financial crisis must not only
stimulate the minds of the younger generations into a higher academic achievement, but
also promote innovations in businesses.
Friedman started the article with a sarcastic tone, but ended with an objective
tone. In the beginning of the article, he used a sarcastic tone to convey the importance of
leading America into a new age of innovation. “If we spend $1 trillion on a stimulus and
just get better highways and bridges – and not a new Google, Apple, Intel or Microsoft –
your kids will thank you for making it so much easier for them to commute to the
unemployment office or mediocre jobs.” (¶ 6) By using a sarcastic tone, Friedman is able
to address the significance of new technologies. New inventions and technologies can not
only alleviate the burden of many American’s lives, but also contribute to the stimulus.
Google, Apple, Intel and Microsoft are all examples of enterprises in which the
government should spend more on. These enterprises have the ability to create both an
educational and financial stimulus. Google, Apple, Intel and Microsoft have the potential
to make new breakthroughs in technology and stabilize America competitiveness.
However, if the government spends its money on transportation systems, such as
highways and bridges, the younger generations can only thank their parents for creating
transportation access to unemployment. This is ironic because internal improvements in
transportation are not creating new chances for the younger generations, but instead, it is
increasing unemployment. The use of irony helps strengthen Friedman’s message that
new technological breakthroughs are crucial in reshaping America and creating new
opportunities for economic advances. These technological breakthroughs can only be
achieved if the government funds corporations such as Google, Apple, Intel or Microsoft.
Later in the article, Friedman used an objective tone to describe what needs to be done
for the stimulus. “One of the smartest stimulus moves we could make would be to
eliminate federal income taxes on all public schoolteachers so more talented people
would choose these careers.” (¶ 9) In this quote, Friedman illuminates the importance of
teachers. Teachers are the foundation of the stimulus from the financial crisis. By
educating and recruiting more students, American can conduct more research in science
and technology, which would later on vastly improve America’s lifestyles. Because of
this, improving math and science education is important in leading America into a new
age of innovation. Teachers and government funding towards technological corporations
are important in stimulating the American economy.
In addition to tone, Friedman used the rhetorical devices of distinctio and eponym
to explicate that a stimulus not only needs to stimulate economic advances, but also the
minds of the younger generations. “You can bail out a bank; you can’t bail out a
generation. You can print money, but you can’t print knowledge. It takes 12 years.” (¶
11) Dean Kamen, who is quoted, uses distinctio to remove ambiguities in what the
government is capable in doing. The government has the ability to bail out banks, but
without the proper education, the problems causing the financial crisis would remain
unresolved in the future. Knowledge can only be attained through school and if the
government invests more in schools and education, new talented people from the
youngest generations would prosper in guiding America through recovery from the
financial meltdown. The use of the eponyms of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates also plays a
part conveying that with knowledge and education, prosperity and wealth would come.
“A student who normally would not be interested in science but gets stimulated by a
better teacher or more exposure to a lab, or a scientist who gets the funding for new
research, is potentially the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.” (¶ 12) Here, Steve Jobs and
Bill Gates are eponyms for prosperity and success. They are entrepreneurs who thrived in
the technological world. Not only did they gain recognition worldwide, but also became
rich. If future students are encouraged to make discoveries and research in labs, they too,
can be as successful as Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. With more talented people similar to
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, America would thrive with new inventions which would ease
our everyday lives. This would also lead America into a brighter future economically and
technologically.
The use of an objective and sarcastic tone, along with the rhetorical devices of
distinctio and eponym helped Friedman in expressing what America’s stimulus requires.
The stimulus should educationally and financially help America recover from the
financial crisis.