[Jumpmaster]

Majority of "hot" issues were explained to me by required reading in (public) high school.

Lord of the Flies

Gulliver's Travels

Are these classics still required?

[Chickensoup]

these classics are disparaged or ignored.

The ignorance of the people who consider themselves educated today is profound.

That is why things have gotten so bad.

The Goals 2000 education manifesto, warned about in the late 80s and nineties by homeschoolers, Focus on the Family and other conservative groups, has had its way with our culture.

[Jumpmaster]

Left off list: The True Believer by Eric Hoffer.