School Privatization

Benman · #1 09-13-2005, 06:01 PM

There's lots of talk from the right about abolishing or curtailing the public school system and moving towards vouchers, choice, privatization, etc. These are all valid points, even though I don't really agree with them as I think public schools are important. But here's my question: are there very many on the right, at least those on the right that frequent this forum, that would do away with publicly funded education altogether, even if it was privately administered? In other words, no vouchers at all, just every child and family for themselves. I would like to think there's few that take this position, because I can't see punishing young children for the mistakes/laziness of their parents by not giving the kids some form of taxpayer funded education.

lehighguy · #2 09-13-2005, 06:14 PM

I'm sure there are, but I'm not one of them.

edthayer · #3 09-13-2005, 06:51 PM

I'm one of those people.

I believe that no one has a right to an education, because this "right" lays a claim on other people who are then forced to provide you with it.

The idea of a public school system was first really developed in the Communist Manifesto. It is at heart a communist idea. The state forces children to go to a government run school, and then forces everyone to pay for it. If you don't have a kid, you still have to pay for the education of other people's children. If you want to homeschool your child, then that opens a whole new can of worms, (I'm not sure exactly what you need to go through for this, perhaps someone else could elaborate).

Don't get me wrong. I think education is very important. But I also believe that not only is it unjust to force taxpayers to pay for other people's kids, but the state of public schools are so terrible that they can hardly be thought of as providing an education to begin with.

Darryl_P · #4 09-13-2005, 07:45 PM

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I'm with him...

But I'm skeptical about it ever becoming a reality because the purpose of schooling is to keep kids from causing havoc in their neighborhoods, or even worse, against the socio-economic system itself.

Learning is the main goal up to the level of the 3 R's but after that it's basically a glorified low security correctional facility with mandatory brainwashing sessions.

#5 09-13-2005, 08:07 PM

The true goal of school Vouchers is NOT the total privatization of the school system. The goal is to have the same amount of public dollars being fed into the system... but at the discretion of parents (i.e. the person in the childs life who knows best).

The best arguement I've heard supporting vouchers actually has nothing to do with education... but with parent involvement.

One thing I like about vouchers is that parents "could" be more pro-active in helping children obtain a better education.

P.S. I hate that people my age with two kids they can barely afford get tax CREDITS, while 7% of my federal and 22% of my state taxes are already going towards paying for schools and other related services for THEIR kids.

lehighguy · #6 09-13-2005, 08:22 PM

OP is not talking about vouchers. He's talking aobut no federal funding at all.

DVaut1 · #7 09-13-2005, 08:37 PM

[ QUOTE ]
The idea of a public school system was first really developed in the Communist Manifesto.

[/ QUOTE ]

Where do you guys come up with this? Is there a right-wing blog somewhere spreading this kind of nonsense? Are you just making it up? Have you ever heard of the Common School Movement? If not, I'm almost positive some of you went to an elementary school (or a junior high, or a high school) whose namesake was 'Horace Mann' - or perhaps you've merely heard of schools with the namesake of 'Horace Mann' - did you ever stop and consider what he's famous for, and when he lived/worked? Try this:

Google "Horace Mann + Massachusetts board of education + 1839"

Then Google "Communist Manifesto + 1848"

I'm honestly very curious how stuff like "the idea of a public school system was first really developed in the Communist Manifesto" gets said with a straight face.

FishHooks · #8 09-13-2005, 08:43 PM

So what does this have to do with the topic of school privatization?

DVaut1 · #9 09-13-2005, 08:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
So what does this have to do with the topic of school privatization?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sometimes I just read things in posts and think to myself "WTF? Is this a joke?!"

9 times out of 10, it doesn't seem to be a joke - anyway, that "WTF?" kind of confusion/astonishment was what I was feeling when I read edthayer's post.

But anyway, to answer your question, it's not particularly relevant, except that edthayer tried to support his notion that public schools are unjust because they're 'first really developed in the Communist Manifesto' - which is factual lunacy. And another poster echoed edthayer thoughts, saying 'I'm with him', which apparently means edthayer isn't alone in his historical ignorance.

Triumph36 · #10 09-13-2005, 09:47 PM

No, to me it sounds like public schools are unjust because he doesn't have children or his children go to private school - so he's on the hook for money he shouldn't be paying.

So I suggest eradicating public schools and letting everyone pay for private schools - the underclass will just be completely uneducated instead of undereducated. Sounds like a pleasant place to live.