[justshutupandtakeit]

Anyone who believes public schooling is immoral (as a concept) is a screwball and probably a lunatic as well. Certainly not one who thinks very deeply. But they also believe government is immoral, taxes are immoral etc.

You call things immoral but can have no accurate concept of morality since you don't believe in God. Without belief in God all things are possible since none can be condemned as wrong (evil).

What could you swear to if called to testify in court not "so help me God." How could one protect rights without swearing on a higher power? Man as the measure of all things is folly as shown by the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution and the Nazi revolution. Man acting to create justice based on God's laws and calling on God's help produces great things as shown by the American Revolution.

[gjenkins]

"Anyone who believes public schooling is immoral (as a concept) is a screwball and probably a lunatic as well."

Education as a concept is supremely moral. Public (group defined) education is immoral because it removes individual motivation, understanding, and responsibility for the educator and the educated.

[freefly]

"Anyone who believes public schooling is immoral (as a concept) is a screwball and probably a lunatic as well."

Anyone that thinks it is ok for the government to hold me up at gunpoint to pay for public schooling is a socialist.
It's hard to get much more immoral (and gutless) than that.

[ThinkDifferent]

Tell me, if socialism in education is such a great idea, what other areas should it be applied to? Food is even more of a necessity than education, perhaps the government should take over all food production. Transportation is pretty important too; should the government be manufacturing cars and giving them away?

I'm reminded of a debate I read between advocates of public and private schools. The public school advocate made the standard argument that education is too important to be left to the free market. His opponent countered that given government's track record of wastefulness and inefficiency, education is too important *not* to be provided by the free market.

[Dukie]

Since you are evidently a spiritual person you must recognize that education is based upon some underlying philosophy. State run education comes with a curriculum which, subtly but sometimes overtly, influences - some might use the word indoctrinates - its students with the "approved" viewpoint. I find it remarkable that the most spiritual people I know have forsaken public schools in favor of church schools and home schooling for exactly these reasons. While it may be within the state's interest that the population be educated and it may be that the state can properly require a degree of education, by what right or authority does it presume to engage in the enterprise of schooling ?