Yesterday, Al Gore emailed a special video message to members of the Courage Campaign discussing how vitally important it is that our budget priorities not abandon education. And he asked everyone to tell him what we think about the current threat to education funding here in California at Current.com. Already, 18 members of the State Assembly have recorded video responses and posted them at Current. But even more impressive is that there are already close to 200 (probably more by now) responses by people from all over.

For instance, CarolynGillis said:

We need to increase our investment in financial and economic literacy for all our K-12 students and their parents so they have a chance to use their earnings wisely and to choose skills that empower them to create a future for themselves and their families.

commenter lritz noted:

If we want to retain our competitive edge in this world, we need to refocus our priorities on education, and turn the system upside-down. Make people want to be teachers. Make kids want to go to school. Reward those that show potential with scholarships, and squash the myth that sports is the only way for underprivileged kids to escape their situation. Make college affordable and available to anyone who wants it. Stop grading kids on their ability to take tests. Dismiss the idea that we have to constantly boost self-esteem by not failing kids or holding them back a grade.

This is the sort of dialogue our education system needs if we're going to save it. But I certainly can't say it any better than Al Gore himself:

I don't write emails like this often.

But, with Californians facing a massive budget crisis and potentially devastating cuts to education, I feel compelled to speak out. As members of the Courage Campaign community, I hope you will speak out as well.

I recorded this one-minute video for the Courage Campaign on Current.com. Please watch it and let me know what you think by recording a short video or typing a written response of your own:

http://www.current.com/education

Jann Wenner, the publisher of Rolling Stone magazine, asked me an interesting question in an interview a few months ago:

"How do we engineer the sweeping social and political and industrial change that we need in a short period of time, from top to bottom?"

My answer is that we must create a shift in consciousness -- and, education is the catalyst for this shift.

That's why I recorded this video for the Courage Campaign. Please watch it on Current.com and, if you feel so inspired, respond with a webcam video or text response of your own:

http://www.current.com/education

Education is not a partisan issue. It is a crucial building block toward creating a more informed democracy. We can solve the climate crisis, and every other problem facing our nation, if we begin by transforming America's priorities on education.

As parents, teachers and students speak out about these proposed cuts, they need your support, now more than ever. Please forward this message to your friends who care about the future of California and our country as much as you do.

I hope you will take a moment today to record a short webcam video or write a response to my video. Your voice, and the voices of your friends, can change the conversation in California.

Thank you,

Al Gore