Maybe Steve Jobs should run for president—at least he’s got his act together. Even a few members of MVHS faculty seem qualified for the position. Of course, the same can’t be said about the American government.

Apple Inc. recently released financial results in June, revealing its $79.4 billion cash balance. That makes the Cupertino-based company $2.3 billion richer than the U.S. government.

Washington, D.C. sure does not cease to embarrass.

For years the idea of bipartisanship in Washington, D.C. has come and gone without any real presence. Given the current debt crisis, togetherness is more important than ever. There may come a time when it is reasonable for Democrats and Republicans to argue for their respective sides, but now is the time to back down. As the two parties bicker over how to alleviate the national debt, the United States continues to fall further into debt. At this rate, Apple CEO Tim Cook may even consider lending to poor Uncle Sam.

The principle of togetherness stands true when it comes to our school. It is no secret that California schools have had painful budget cuts, and many schools have fallen apart as a result. Currently, six in every ten California school districts have cut the number of academic school days. Even in such a deteriorating economy, most US representatives have failed to look past their own needs for the nation’s benefit. The school faculty, on the other hand, has served as a great example for its students in such an unstable time. Protests are nearly unheard of and students haven’t had to miss a single day of school. Their actions teach a much more impressive lesson than anything that can be found in a textbook.

Now, the crisis faced by the US government is clearly more menacing than any encountered by a school. Yet precisely due to the severity of the situation, the nation’s leaders hold a greater responsibility to act for the common good—as school administration has done. It would be unrealistic to assume that staff members have just quietly taken all the pay cuts. Though classes have become overcrowded and students are faced with scheduling issues, faculty disagreements have not disrupted the fundamentals of the learning environment or resulted in downsizing. This is more than can be said about many California schools.

Faculty had a choice in regards to their response to the budget cuts: they could have impeded the education of thousands of students in order to fight for the privileges they deserve, but they chose to hang on and move through the pain.

And in the end, their sacrifice alone serves to combat the horrific lack of funding in California schools.