On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show, we lost an American legend: Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80. The news was sudden and hits in a personal way. Dolly was the quintessential American: grew up dirt poor, she became a success not due to socialism or government programs, but through talent and hard work. She wasn't a political hack and had her opinions, but she loved this country and was a great patriot. There was never any hint of scandal in her private life. She had some health problems in the last years of her life and recently posted basically a goodbye to her fans. She'll be remembered along with legends like Elvis and Johnny Cash. Dolly Parton, American legend. She will be missed. Also, Social Security is in deep trouble. Founded in 1935 as government-funded retirement insurance, it's expanded massively from its original scope to more than 58 million recipients. Unlike in years past, soon there will not be enough workers to pay into the system. It's effectively broke. Social Security is meant to be funded by payroll taxes - effectively, a tax on employment. The money is supposed to be deposited into a trust fund, but that no longer exists. Today's retirees get less benefits than they paid in. And those who didn't pay into the system, like illegal aliens, get full benefits. Politicians are running Social Security into the ground like they did Medicare. Then, why are so many young people socialists? Because they don't read substantive stuff. And not these AI-generated books, but real books by real authors who did their own original research. Young people these days would rather get on TikTok and social media than read a book about America, the Constitution, the Third Reich, the Holocaust, or isolationism in the 1930s that led to Pearl Harbor. Ever see these videos where someone goes to college campuses and ask students basic questions about American civics? What does the Senate do? What is the Electoral College? What does packing the Supreme Court mean? They haven't a clue. This is why education is so important, especially early in life. We've handed education over to the government and teachers' unions, and we wonder why kids grow up loving socialism? Finally, Jeanne Allen, author of "The Education Avengers: How and Why a New Class of Heroes Is Fighting America's Biggest Battle," tells the stories of twelve remarkable individuals who, like The Avengers from the Marvel movie, fought for those who can't defend themselves: children. The Education Avengers took on the Hydra - aka the education establishment, the many-headed tangle of rules, compliance mandates, unions and apathy. These people come from different backgrounds: teachers, entrepreneurs, pastors, parents, innovators and business leaders. They're examples of what ordinary people can do when they band together and don't accept the status quo.

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