The notion that local governments should have almost total monopoly control over our children's education is not only unjust and tyrannical, it is also absurd. Children need education, to be sure, but they also need food, clothing, and shelter. The same poor or irresponsible parents who public-school apologists claim will not educate their children without compulsion, might not feed, clothe, or shelter them either.
Yet, we do not see local governments owning and operating supermarkets, department stores, or apartment houses. Instead, government food stamp or rent subsidy programs give temporary financial help to those parents who are too poor to provide for their children.
When it comes to education, however, instead of giving vouchers or other temporary loans or subsidies to poor families so they can pay for their children's education, we've created a government-owned-and-operated monstrosity called public schools. As we noted earlier, millions of parents now pay for private pre-schools, kindergartens, and colleges for their children in a vibrant, competitive, education free-market.
Most parents who can't afford college tuition for their kids usually apply for student loans either from a bank or a government agency. Yet for 1st through 12th-grade education, suddenly government must step in, treat all parents like idiots or potential child abusers, and own and operate all the schools.
To more fully understand the absurdity of this system, imagine for a moment that well-intentioned government authorities want to make sure that every child has enough to eat, that no child gets "left behind" when it comes to food. To insure this goal, local governments across the country take control of all supermarkets and grocery stores in your town.
Under this new system, bureaucrats now own and operate all food stores, and store workers become tenured civil-service employees who can't be fired. Your local government then passes a new "food tax" to pay for these stores and employees' salaries. This tax is added to your current real-estate tax bill. If you don't pay this new tax, local government officials can and will foreclose on your home.
Also under this system, suppose the local Food Board forces you and your family to buy from a particular store. The store clerks know you have to shop in their store, and that they can't be fired. As a result, they soon become indifferent to their customer's needs. The store managers can't be fired, so they manage the stores badly. The stores can't go out of business because they are supported by taxes, so they give you poor service and rotten food. If you want to change stores, you have to ask permission from your local Food Board bureaucrat, who will usually refuse your request. Also, changing food stores doesn't accomplish much because they are all the same-all owned and operated by the same government food monopoly.
If this system sounds absurd to you, if you would scream bloody murder at having to put up with such a system simply to buy food, why do you put up with such a system when it comes to your children's' education?
Also, as we noted earlier, those we elect to office are our agents, not our masters. They derive their powers from our consent. They are supposed to represent our interests and follow our instructions. Politicians, bureaucrats, and school authorities therefore have as much right to dictate how we educate our children as a real estate agent has to dictate who we sell our house to and at what price.
The following passage from Isabel Paterson's book, The God of the Machine, sums up the proper response to local governments and school authorities who think they have the right to dictate how you educate your child:
"The most vindictive resentment may be expected from the pedagogic profession for any suggestion that they should be dislodged from their dictatorial position; it will be expressed mainly in epithets, such as reactionary, at the mildest."
Nevertheless, the question to put to any teacher moved to such indignation, is: Do you think nobody would willingly entrust his children to you or pay you for teaching them? Why do you have to extort your fees and collect your pupils by compulsion?
Joel Turtel is the author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children."
Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Email: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Phone: 718-447-7348.
Article Copyrighted ? 2005 by Joel Turtel.
NOTE: You may post this Article on another website only if you set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com
I've been thinking again. I know some of my readers... Read More
As of late steroid use in sports has been the... Read More
President Bush and Secretary Powell should hang their heads in... Read More
We know that the International Terrorists like the idea of... Read More
There are so many problems with our perceived perfect checks... Read More
Even the most devout proponents of free marketry and hidden... Read More
In the previous article, we described the various methods developed... Read More
In discussing the OODA Loop theory on Limited War by... Read More
Our government is set up like a modern day franchise.... Read More
As the Baby Boomer Generation continue to get older, one... Read More
Utah introduced a bill designed to limit the use of... Read More
In typical bureaucratese, the pensive EBRD analyst ventures with the... Read More
The current field of political sciences is dominated by a... Read More
I. The FactsJust days before a much-awaited donor conference, the... Read More
SYNOD OF DRUM CEATT (494 - 5):It is interesting to... Read More
The American Dream is the promise to have it all... Read More
America has some monetary issues, which need to be addressed.... Read More
Non-lethal Goo Concepts have been tossed around by many war... Read More
I have witnessed a new era of security in the... Read More
Many of those who wish to fight for our country... Read More
Thought of the day; Questions about the judicial system. If... Read More
ACCREDITATION: - Scholastic regimentation from the post WWII period has... Read More
I am an incurably ill American male forced to leave... Read More
When this president's father was in the Oval Office, he... Read More
IT'S NO LONGER NEWS THAT CHINA IS BECOMING A MAJOR... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..Richard Nixon was by far a most fascinating and colorful... Read More
The gun control debate in America is a battle between... Read More
The clause (c) of Electronic Crime Act 2004 has been... Read More
Websites designed to help people overcome their gambling addictions have... Read More
The head of the Club of Rome has said that... Read More
The paper industry in the US is hurting. Due to... Read More
To be justified, taxes should satisfy a few conditions:Above all,... Read More
Many MLM sales people mean well but they inadvertently commit... Read More
Rufus King: (Said to be the fifth most important person... Read More
Our trade deficit is directly proportional to our attacks on... Read More
Recent international wars and the often spectacular ways in which... Read More
Some call it the "unofficial" or "informal" economy, others call... Read More
I propose a special Projection Device code-named: "TIPED". This system... Read More
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development issued a report... Read More
In a move that rocked the online world and left... Read More
I'm starting to feel squeezed by all the political correctness... Read More
Ever wonder why labor unions consistently endorse democrats over republicans... Read More
Heaven, Hell, or some sort of Purgatory.I cannot seem to... Read More
As pictures and videos surface showing young American soldiers humiliating... Read More
Well, another election has come and gone in the US... Read More
The newest pebble reactors are easy to build and manage... Read More
Previously Senator Dick Armey and his staff in 2000 to... Read More
Unions are angry at the high salary of the executives... Read More
When Boris Yeltsin spoke about an experiment that 'they' wrought... Read More
Heavens, what are we up against? It seems these days... Read More
Political |