Economist, author and actor Ben Stein, likely most famous for his role in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (remember “Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?”), sees doom and hope simultaneously. Known for his dry delivery, Stein took the stage at PARTNERS today to deliver a keynote address to a packed room.

Stein touched on the decline of education in the United States. A teacher for several years, Stein told the audience he gave up the profession because students didn’t do their homework. As evidence to support his point, he cited a study that says that one-quarter of U.S. high school students are capable of obtaining C’s in college. And then he told of his experience with a reality-type TV show starring models, two of whom he spoke to who didn’t know when World War II was or what language was spoken in London.

This is in contrast with Don Tapscott, who spoke Monday, telling the audience that this generation of students is the smartest despite their use of video games and online learning aids. Putting the two on stage together might be an interesting event.

An economist at heart, Stein says that at the end of the day we have no idea what will help turn things around: “You can watch CNBC all day long, but we don’t know what really works to stimulate the economy.”

Small-business lending is down, another indicator Stein perceives as negative. Couple that with the uncertainty about President Obama’s healthcare plan and the possible nuclear armament of Iran and other “mortal enemies,” and Stein isn’t seeing a bright future.

Where, then, lies hope for this country? Stein sees it in what he calls “real stars.” He’s not talking about the TV and movie stars who make their living in Hollywood. Instead he’s referring to the men and women who daily don body armor and risk their lives for little pay in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.

During his frequent trips to Washington, D.C. (the site of this year’s PARTNERS conference), Stein, a resident of Malibu, Calif., frequently stops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he visits with hospitalized soldiers and their families, which he refers to as the “backbone of the United States of America.”

Of the soldiers, along with police officers, firefighters and teachers, Stein says, “It is in their hearts, in their courage and their sacrifice that salvation lies.”

Evelyn Hoover
Editor-in-Chief
Teradata Magazine