Do we as a society actually value creativity?

I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed a few days ago and my eyes happened upon this article from Slate:  Do we really value creativity?

The article basically states that in our society, conformity is King.  Many books have been written about creativity and the myriad of opinions and advice we can use to increase our creative potential.  The most basic foundation of creativity is thinking.  You can not be 'creative' if you can not generate ideas.  In the U.S., our schools do not operate on the principle of creative thinking.  Information is input into developing humans and then regurgitated in the form of "Standardized Tests."  Creativity and thinking leads to freedom and less control for the powers that be.
As an artist, I can most definitely relate to the author.  I will share two actual situations that happened in my life when someone asked for my creative input then dismissed my ideas because they did not gel with the established agendas.  The first really clear example occurred while I was a Senior in High School.  I was the artist for my school's yearbook from my Sophomore year(unofficially) and throughout my Junior and half of my Senior year.  I designed the foil art image that appears on the first page of my Freshman year(1992) yearbook.  I was a Freshman, and technically not allowed to be on the yearbook staff.  From 1992-1994, I worked with a great group of people who were open to trying new ideas for a really tired and boring public school tradition.  In 1993, my High School produced it's most expensive yearbook to date.  One feature was the use of velvet on 1/4 of the hardback cover.  There were also many advancements in page layout and this was also the time that I first used a computer program(Corel Draw) to produce images.  In 1995, I designed the school's first seal.. which I believe is still being used.  The folks in my graduating class, however, were not as open and the result speaks for itself.  I left half way through the year after being asked for my opinions on visual direction and design only to have my ideas dismissed regularly and consistently.  You can not help those who do not want it.
The other very clear example was when I worked in the mortgage servicing division for what was known then as J.P. Morgan Chase.  I was hired into an experimental department that 'cleaned up' data from purchased mortgages.  In the beginning, our managers were very open to new ideas and asked for all of our 'creativity.'  Slowly, due to creative brainstorming and testing, the department developed streamlined processes and methods that maximized efficiency.  As the months passed, management came to us underlings less and less frequently asking for input.  Instead, they decided they had enough 'creative' input due to the high levels of productivity.  Apparently, whatever we were doing at that moment satisfied the mysterious "Corporate" god and as in most businesses, they decided to stick with what was working and not 'rock the boat.'  This lead to stagnation of ideas and very low department morale.  The group of energized and productive people who were misled to believe they had some sort of ownership of their department now felt betrayed and disheartened- including myself.  I do not regret having worked in such an environment as it taught me exactly what I SHOULD NOT be doing.  Working in that strict and depressing office environment sent my creative spirit into exile.  I did not draw or paint from 2001-2006.
As a society, I think it is a terrible mistake to collectively suffocate our national creative capital.  A nation that is not creative is a nation that stagnates and fails to move forward.  In 2011, the budget for the 'Defense' Department was 665 BILLION DOLLARS.  The 2011 budget for the N.E.A.(National Endowment for the Arts) was 155 MILLION DOLLARS.  If we do not want a spectacular national collapse-  economically, culturally, or socially, then we should all encourage and nurture creativity whenever and wherever it decides to present itself.