Within the federal government budget, education is among the most important, but in 2012 the federal government spent only $107.6 billion out of 3, 7 trillion, or 3% for education. Compared to other funding categories in the government's fiscal year 2012 budget, it is clear that education is not as important to government officials as they would have us believe. Many Americans today are led to believe that education is important to government officials and receives an adequate amount of funding because they do not know how much funding is allocated to other budget categories. Funding for education in 2012 amounted to only 1/8 of Social Security spending and 1/5 of Medicare spending. While most education funding comes from state and local taxes, this $107.6 comes from federal politicians who say they will make education a top priority (Putting a Number on Federal Education Spending, 3). Funding principle number one states that different levels of education funding are needed to ensure equal educational opportunities (The Principles of Equity, 7); but how will students do well in school if they don't have the amount of resources they need because funding for education is scarce? Eliminating this problem requires the federal government to provide more funding, equity must focus on equality in funding, and property tax laws should not influence the amount of funding that goes to local schools. In school systems we overlook the deeper problem of inequalities of educational opportunity due to lack of resources. Adequate funding is not the final solution to the problems of public education, but it is critical and necessary... halfway through the document... to provide equal and adequate educational opportunities (Baker, 3). The existence of funding inequities is not a new problem in the world of education, but the main thing is that no one has stepped up and proposed solutions to the problem. Works CitedBaker, Bruce D. “Center for American Progress.” Center for American Progress. Katie Peters, September 19, 2012. Web.Dec.15, 2013."National Page - Introduction." National Report Card - Introduction. Np, nd Web. January 26, 2014.Sciarra, David G. “School Funding Disparities Persist, Analysis Shows.” Washington Post. TheWashington Post, June 19, 2013.Web. June 19, 2013."The facts." Funding Philadelphia Schools. Np, nd Web. January 23, 2014. “The Principles of Equity.” National Report Card - Introduction. Np, nd Web. January 26, 2014. “The Federal Education Budget.” Federal budget plan for education. Np, nd Web. January 23. 2014.