P on these two Ps

I know this particular blog is suppose to be devoted to technology and graphing calculators, etc...but reading the article that Katie sent us regarding the 6 Ps nearly sent me into a blind rage while reminding me of a few things.  The first of the two Ps that struck me oddly is "Profit."  In my mind the public education system is about investing in our students' futures,  hoping that their successes after they leave school will contribute to the returns on investments made years prior.  Yet there are billions of dollars to be made off the exploitation of the public school systems in online resources, textbooks, calculators, etc...Everything that we "enjoy"  in the public system (each child/teacher has a laptop, ipad...) has been strategically put in place by companies for profit under a facade of helping each person, but always with an ulterior motive, PROFIT.   You couple that with another "P," Politics, and it immediately makes a bad situation worse.  In my mind, a tough economy should have very little impact on public education.  How can you increase demands on the public system while taking away valuable resources?  It's the same story, do more with less.  People that have no experience in the classroom are legislating from the top down, not the bottom up, and have no idea what their decisions are doing to a system already under pressure.  Take away either of these components from public education and the other is surely to follow.  Great article!