[seventhson]

I'm sure you have heard all the hoo-haw about the budget crisis in Oregon and I'm sure you have opinions to offer on that.But the assertion that schools could be better operated under a free enterprise system? Do we want our schools to be operated like Wal-marts,where everything is about cost? I seriously doubt that private enterprise would have an interest in offering more for less.You might end up like Wal-mart,where you have alot of plastic junk for less.Where would the motivation to pay teachers more come from,if profit was the driving force behind offering this"commodity"? We all know how to maximize profit,one way is to cut corners and forget maintenance,the other way is to offer a better quality product and hope the masses realise this and buy it.But quality products are more expensive,and the people who really need this product will not be able to afford it.Label me socialist or whatever you want.I care about those that could not afford to pay.

[Jolly Rodgers]

I suspected that you might be from Oregon. And, that is perfect -- because I live in Oregon City. hehehe. I'm quite intimate with the budget status here in Oregon -- where we have the 7th best funded public school system in the nation. They rant and rave about "stable" funding, but have had double digit increases in every budget for as far back as you can see. Our schools are literally awash in money and yet they are screaming for more. It is absolutely sickening.

You seem to be dissing Wal-Mart pretty heavily, but a great many people are more than happy to pay less for middle of the road quality, wide selection and consistent service. Wal-Mart is not the enemy that the Eugene anarchists pretend.

As far as teacher pay -- private enterprise would be light years ahead of the bloated and corrupt public employees union plantation mentality. As a matter of fact, private teachers already make more than public school teachers, even though the cost per pupil is about 1/3 of public school. Not only that, but in a private business, quality is rewarded and incompetence is removed. Try that in a public school. It just doesn't happen. Heck, right here in Oregon we changed the tenure law to 3-year revolving contracts, such that we can give a poor performing teacher 3-year notice that they are going to be removed. After the first 3-years they gave the notice to exactly zero teachers. Now, I know there are more than zero incompetent teachers in Oregon. I've met some of them. There's got to be at least one or two in the Portland district where the failure rate of students is shockingly high.

I really have no desire to label you. You should pick the label that best represents your position on ideological/philosophical issues. If socialism is where you fit, then so be it. However, if you care about children and you want them to have a chance to get a decent education, then there is NO WAY you can be a supporter of government schools.