The madrassases of Iran are compulsory. For most parents in the U.S. government schools are compulsory. Bull.
The madrassases of Iran will imprison and punish those who refuse to send their children to their schools. The government schools in the U.S. will punish and imprison those who refuse to cooperate with government school officials.
More bull.
Oh....and please don't say that parents in the U.S. can choose a private school or home school.
Consider it said
Government K-12 schools are very expensive to the taxpayer. They cost 1/3 more than our military, even in a time of war. This pushes both parents into the workforce just to pay taxes and live, thus making homeschooling impossible.
You think we should be spending less than $8 K per pupil per year educating our kids? Since we have at least 2 taxpayers per pupil, you're claiming an expense of $4K a year forces two parents into the workforce?
Government schools have so ill-educated a generation that many parents are too illiterate and innumerate to homeschool. Hey,,,,maybe that was the entire point of having government schools.
Yeah, right. It was schools that made people illiterate.
It seems to me that those who are the most vocal about supporting evolution and the least likely to support vouchers or tax credits so that all children ( religious or non-religious, pro or anti-evolution) can choose a school that will support and uphold family values rather than undermining them.
Vouchers aren't going to decrease per pupil expenditure that much.
If government schools were abolished tomorrow, the acrimony over evolution and ID would evaporate like dew on grass on a summer's day.
You don't know much about fundamentalists.
Oh....and before anyone accuses me of being a Neanderthal or a mullah....I SUPPORT the theory of evolution.
Do us a favor. Don't.
You think we should be spending less than $8 K per pupil per year educating our kids? Since we have at least 2 taxpayers per pupil, you're claiming an expense of $4K a year forces two parents into the workforce?
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Regarding: Message #419
Using the comment "Bull" does not address my points. If you could refute them, you would have, but I see that you haven't. Calling them "Bull" will not make these arguments go away and thoughtful readers will see the truth.
In 2003, government K-12 schools cost nearly $11,000 per year, per government K-12 child, and this is a deliberate underestimate. It is likely closer to $12,000 or more today.
http://www.reformk12.com/archives/000174.nclk
Regarding: Private school scarcity
But,,,government schools are a price-fixed monopoly. This creates a very hostile environment for the creation of private schools. Scarcity also forces parents to use government schools.
If government were to open food distribution centers giving away free food, how long would ordinary private grocery stores remain in business?
What you would see would be very few private grocery stores providing ordinary food, but we would see a few gourmet food stores catering to the tastes of the wealthy.
This is what we see today in private schooling. In many parts of the nation, especially those states that came into existance after the creation of government schooling, there are very few modestly priced private schools but there are a few "gourmet" private schools catering to the social tastes of the rich.
Regarding schools making children illiterate:
Yes, the reading and math methods used in government schools make children illiterate and innumerate. Then when grown they are unfit as parents to homeschool.
Regarding vouchers and tax credits:
I personally favor tax credits but only as a means of weaning parents from the government teat. Government education is by far one of the biggest entitlements to the rich and middle classes that I can thing of.
In regard to vouchers, you claim that it will not "decrease per pupil expenditure that much."
The wars over curriculum and school policies, of which evolution is merely one of hundreds, is NOT about per pupil spending. It is about Freedom of Conscience!
Government does not have the right to FORCE children into its indoctrination centers and impose upon them a curriculum that would establish the worldview of the politically powerful and undermine the worldview of those with less power. This applies equally to both the evolutionists and the IDers.
You are a pro-evolutionist and are defending government schools. It is an anecdotal observation but it does seem that most evolutionists and secularists are government school defenders and oppose freedom of choice in K-12 education.