Replies

"If this were true it would be great, Except that they don't. What they teach is the least common denominator of leftist political indoctrination. And even that is done with a minimum of efficiency.

At present, the only unifying force in our schools is that they are failing to teach everyone, equally. Yeah! An entire generation of equal opportunity failure. I feel so much better."

Nonsense! You pick out a few examples of the PC disease in the public schools and say that "they are failing to teach everyone"? That's way too broad a generalization. I certainly agree that there's some real hare-brained ideas, and teachers trying to implement them, in some public schools. But there's a lot of kids who get a fine education in public schools. Now, if you want the public schools to teach religion as well, then you have a problem. But to paint all the public schools in the U.S.A. as teaching leftist propoganda, as opposed to a few, is not supported by anything I've seen.

But there's a lot of kids who get a fine education in public schools. Now, if you want the public schools to teach religion as well, then you have a problem. But to paint all the public schools in the U.S.A. as teaching leftist propoganda, as opposed to a few, is not supported by anything I've seen.

I agree entirely. The problem with the pro-voucher argument is that it generalizes from a very limited database - the so-called "failing inner city public schools" and applies those problems to *every* public school in the US.

The other problem is with the use of the word "choice." People have had a choice between public & private education since the US Supreme Court ruled in the 1920s that states couldn't make laws banning private schools. Since then, the dividing line is money.

The voucher question from a taxpayer's standpoint is this: why should taxpayers who live in areas which *do* support good public schools have to pay extra taxes to support *both* bad public schools in other districts, AND voucher programs as well? Especially when those taxpayers will NEVER see a dime of voucher money, as the programs are means-tested?

You pick out a few examples of the PC disease in the public schools and say that "they are failing to teach everyone"? That's way too broad a generalization.

Sell it on the Democratic Underground, no one is falling for a red-herring like that here. The public school system is an abject failure. Even by department of education's watered down standards, nearly 10% of all public schools are failing. Take a look at :

http://fyi.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/07/02/failing.schools.ap/index.html

The only people who claim anything else are delusional, or have an agenda. Which is it for you?

The supreme court introduced competition that's all. Parents decide what the children learn, as they should.

"Nonsense! You pick out a few examples of the PC disease in the public schools and say that "they are failing to teach everyone"? That's way too broad a generalization. I certainly agree that there's some real hare-brained ideas, and teachers trying to implement them, in some public schools. But there's a lot of kids who get a fine education in public schools. Now, if you want the public schools to teach religion as well, then you have a problem. But to paint all the public schools in the U.S.A. as teaching leftist propoganda, as opposed to a few, is not supported by anything I've seen."

It would be a major improvement if they would just stop teaching anti-religion...

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The ideal solution would be to reform public education and return it to its roots which were teaching the basic education and skills needed by all Americans. Unfortunately that is just an ideal.

In the real world, the incredible dominance of liberals in the education establishment makes achieving this ideal impossible.

Maybe it will be possible in a hundred years if the liberals love affair with abortion results in only conservatives having babies, but I doubt it.