Well, if you think the funding for public education is greater than the funding for Social Security, you are grossly misinformed.
Secondly, I can beef about ending Social Security entitlements: I will be cutting my own entitlements. I don't know about you, but most of the people I have heard talking about cutting off education funding received their benefits already. (Granted, there are homeschoolers and private schooled, but for some reason they don't seem to be among those agitating for ending public school funding.
Thirdly, Most public schools are funded from state and local governments, and, except in certain states, they are discretionary spending. The federal governmnent has (wrongfully) spent considerable sums on education since the Eisenhower administration set up the National Science Foundation. This is also discretionary funding.
Unemployment (also a state issue), Social Security and Medicare are "entitlements" becuase the recipient has paid money to be guaranteed he will receive these benefits should be need them. If you buy a contract with AOL to receive internet access for the next fifty years for a single, low payment of $5.99, it doesn't matter that the value of what you receive is far greater than $5.99; AOL still is required to provide that service. Likewise, it doesn't matter that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme which cannot fund itself and will need massive taxpayer bailouts in the future; those who have paid into it are legally *entitled* to receive their Social Security checks.
That's great. Now how about those of us that don't have kids at all? Where's our check?!
One of the problems with pubic schools is that there are not enough alternatives. I believe that public schools are a necessity. But not all children are suited for them. They tend to favor gregarious, outspoken children. I've heard too many stories of parents sending their shy, scared, & unwilling kids into a situation they are not yet suited for, and their instincts tell them they shouldn't, but they're convinced that it will benefit the children in the long run, only to find otherwise later on. But for too many people, educating children means attending public schools or no education at all. Only the wealthy have alternatives, and everyone else should have them too. There used to be vocational high schools, which prepared their students for a specific trade? What happened to those? Let the public schools have competition.