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"Home schooling is a social threat to public education," says Chris Lubienski, who teaches at Iowa State University's college of education. "It is taking some of the most affluent and articulate parents out of the system. These are the parents who know how to get things done with administrators."

While I agree that home schooling is a [very real] threat to public education, I think it is so for an entirely different reason: it shows that there is a real alternative to sending your children into the hell holes that are our public schools. Obviously, having this kind of [extremely attractive] alternative threatens the State Mind Control Centres.

Funny that, the only people I've ever met who were home schooling their kids were fundamentalist christians who objected to all kinds of perceived immorality and wrong teaching like sex ed and evolution. In my

Interesting. I have not known many home-school families, but none of the ones I _have_ known were fundamentalist christians, or for that matter, fundamentalist *anythings*. In fact, the most successful home-schooler I know is a long time cpunks member (although I haven't seen a posting from him in about a year <frowny face>).

My reading of the 1st also leads me to the conclusion that the tax-exempt status of the churches is wrong. They should pay their fair share of the fucking property taxes like every other victim.

Of course they should. But the religious communities are well organized, and present a real threat to government if pushed to the point of acting in unison, so the government has chosen (as do all such schoolyard bullies) to graze in easier pastures. For a modern example of how this works, look into the history of the Church of Scientology.

Another facet is that the well-to-do are attempting to remove their funds from the systems so they can use those funds to educate their children as they choose. A voucher system would surely benefit me financially. This is a reasonable desire but it will have a negative effect on the public school systems and a subsequent negative effect on the society as a whole.

So I must educate my children according to the public good, and not the good of the kids themselves? Fuck you.

I know the masses are a bit thick but do you want them to be even thicker?

To be frank, sending kids to public schools is practically *requiring* that they become "thick", merely in order to _survive_.

I wish there were more ( and better ) educational choices and that those choices were reflected reasonably in the financial systems but every proposal I've seen so far sucks moose bladder through a hairy straw.

While you claim to favor choices, you have just argued that these choices should not be available. Make up your mind.

Mike

-- Yours, J.A. Terranson sysadmin@mfn.org If Governments really want us to behave like civilized human beings, they should give serious consideration towards setting a better example: Ruling by force, rather than consensus; the unrestrained application of unjust laws (which the victim-populations were never allowed input on in the first place); the State policy of justice only for the rich and elected; the intentional abuse and occassionally destruction of entire populations merely to distract an already apathetic and numb electorate... This type of demogoguery must surely wipe out the fascist United States as surely as it wiped out the fascist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The views expressed here are mine, and NOT those of my employers, associates, or others. Besides, if it *were* the opinion of all of those people, I doubt there would be a problem to bitch about in the first place... --------------------------------------------------------------------