If We Bought Groceries The Way We Buy Education

WPTF Radio ^ | 02/28/04 | Jerry Agar

[Copernicus]

If We Bought Groceries the Way We Buy Public Education

By: Jerry Agar

Public education is a monopoly controlled by the government. Whenever I point out that socialism doesn’t work, I am invariably told that I am wrong and that education is too important to be left to the private sector. Children have a right to education, and some children would not be educated without total government involvement.

Should we then decide that food is too important to be left to the private sector, in the belief that only the government can equitably distribute groceries? After all, if we don’t eat, we can’t learn.

What would it be like if we purchased food the same way we purchase education?

Grocery stores would be government owned and operated.

There would be a Department of Groceries with a highly paid Superintendent of Groceries, along with tenured positions such as Secretary of Celery, Deputy of Donuts and the Administrator of Arugula, all with fine offices and a staff (assistant Secretary of Celery.) Naturally, they would be housed in an expensive office building, full of people who never actually stock shelves, run the register, bag the food, unload trucks or retrieve the carts from the parking lot.

Every person would be assigned a grocery store. Despite public hearings, in the pretense of listening to the public, your grocery store would be assigned and you would NOT -–I repeat NOT – be allowed to shop in ANY other public food store regardless of its proximity to your home.

From time to time, due to population changes, each person would be reassigned to a different grocery store.

[Copernicus]

This is actually a forwarded newspaper column, but the online version is available at the radio station website.

My analogy has always been to compare public education with the number of (private, non government)Churches, but I think the Grocery Store comparison is more universal.

Someone please forward a copy of this to the White House and the "No Child Left Behind" Crowd

[netmilsmom]

Thanks!

I'm a "Homegrower".

[Copernicus]

Greetings!

I am unfamiliar with the education lists, but found your post with the search term "educrat".

Please crosspost to those who might find this of value if convenient.

Best regards,

[snippy_about_it]

Good article, thanks for posting it.

[SAMWolf]

Government schools suck Bump

[Copernicus]

I'm a "Homegrower".

So was my sister back in the days before "homegrowing" was cool.

She is amazed at the resources available today.

My nephew composes email with perfect grammar,spelling and punctuation.

He keeps me on my toes.

Please crosspost to any education lists.

Best regards,

[nopardons]

This article is disingenuous. The government is, and rightly so, involved with what we can buy in grocery stores. Before the PURE FOOD AND DRUG ACTS, foodstuffs were adulterated,put in unsanitary situations,and things sold for what they weren't.

Prior to the government stepping in, education was a catch as catch can kind of thing in this country.Unfortunately, teachers Unions and LIBERALS have now taken over much of education and ruined it.The government SHOULD step in and reclaim education and fix it, but it won't.

[reformed_democrat]

I'm a "Homegrower".

LOL!
Excuse me for a few minutes. I have to go water my child.

[Volunteer]

My best friend is a School Psychologist back home in TN. He works for a good public system in East TN.
He stands out for a number of reasons, the most important of which is that he HAS A WORK ETHIC and most of the people he works with do not.
Wake up folks. The best way to get ahead in the current system (make more money, have a better position, etc.) is to "escape" actually teaching in the classroom.
If this is what we will accept, is it any wonder that our schools are so darn bad?

[netmilsmom]

ping for a good one!

[netmilsmom]

LOL!

Well we do bathe.....

[Copernicus]

foodstuffs were adulterated,put in unsanitary situations,and things sold for what they weren't.

I respectfully disagree. Market mechanisms moved to correct disturbances in the food supply and private canners and bottlers invented techniques long before the FDA was a gleam in a Bureaucrat's eye.

Many would argue the FDA has INHIBITED innovation and new sanitation techniques rather than encourage them.

Many thanks for your comments.

Best regards,

[PureSolace]

interesting.

[AmericanVictory]

If we bought education the way we buy groceries, everybody with any sense would be homeschooling, given the technology available to us today.

[Gabz]

Holey guacamoley...........

[netmilsmom]

You're funny!

[Hank Kerchief]

This article is disingenuous. The government is, and rightly so, involved with what we can buy in grocery stores. Before the PURE FOOD AND DRUG ACTS, foodstuffs were adulterated,put in unsanitary situations,and things sold for what they weren't.

Prior to the government stepping in, education was a catch as catch can kind of thing in this country.

Guess we know where you went to school, and it took too.

You can begin to correct the problem here: Separation of School and State

Hank

[Gabz]

If this is what we will accept, is it any wonder that our schools are so darn bad?

I understand what you are saying - however not all of them are bad.

My husband and I attended the semester award program at our daughter's school yesterday....they awarded certificates of excellence in various subjects and also for behvior (granted they call it citizenship).

A simple "boys and girls, we need to be respectful" out of the mouth of the principal brought immediate silence from a very large group of 4-11 year olds with absolutely no problem.

Granted our daughter is only in kindergarten and we are new to the area, but as we were leaving the building, the principal greeted not only our daughter by name, but also both my husband and I.

I agree there are a lot of bad public school systems, it's one of the reasons we moved last year - but they are not all bad.

[Gabz]

I've got to be good at something, don't I?????

[SpookBrat]

Bumping your thoughts.