Dear Mr. Ambassador, Officials of the Dutch Parliament, Madame Minster of Education,
I suspect you noticed my surname (Vande Pol). My great-grandfather, Hendrikus van de Pol, came to America from Lunteren, near Arnhem in 1864. He built a substantial farm near Pella, Iowa. There he raised nine sons. He asked for nothing from his government, and instead, gave much to his country in return for its gift of freedom.
You probably noticed that our family name is spelled incorrectly. It's an amusing story. Some bureaucrat at Ellis Island wouldn't allow more than three names and they all had to be capitalized. So great-grandfather Hendrikus made a decision and signed the form. Somehow, there's something appropriate about this story as relates to the topic of this letter.
I have been to Holland for extended trips several times, especially in the South, both for business and pleasure. It is a beautiful country and especially kind to visitors. It is the product of a staggering amount of work; one is constantly surrounded with works older of high craftsmanship from every trade. I am proud of that heritage. Accordingly, my wife and I went there on our honeymoon. The trains were wonderful, directions easy to understand, and scheduled such that a person could read a map and catch the connecting train before it left (unlike Germany). The VVV was always helpful and the pensions were uniformly pleasant. I greatly enjoyed learning about dog training by observing a full KNPV trial. In speaking to the businessmen there, many wanted to come to America for freedom from oppressive bureaucracy and taxation.
On our honeymoon, we witnessed the repetitive rows of blockhouse apartments, drank excellent beer with retirees in their 40s, and exchanged ideas with students pursuing subjects with no career objective. The joyless emptiness of so many of these residents was obvious. Holland was a paradox to us, of comfort, of decency, and a history of arduous work. It was built into one of the great societies in history: a middle class country seeking religious freedom, now (from what I have seen) a people with a dispiriting view of their future.
I am writing to you to offer them hope.
Here in America, you can see the same ennui as you see all over Holland in the shuffling footsteps of our middle school children. To sit outside such an institution and watch them leaving when school lets out is a most instructive exercise. Try it sometime. Ask yourself, 'How many of them look happy?'
It's socialism. We don't want any part of it.
I home school my two children, 9 and 11. We do it because we have no faith in the schools here in California. Have no fear, because we want the best for our children and know them better than anyone, they are getting an outstanding education. The eleven-year-old starts college calculus this year and her nine-year-old sister will be doing geometry. Both have read Homer and Herodotus and study French. Both have a clear understanding of how much work restoring natural habitat can be. They have traveled all over the West, and learned much of the threat government corruption poses to farms, ranches, and communities. You can read one of their term papers online at
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/737140/posts. I am proud to say that these kids are the delight of the neighborhood. They are happy, kind, and witty. They don't cuss. We have had parents beg us to "loan" them for a time to serve as a positive influence over their children. We never want for free supervision. They are an asset to this community.
You now know why I wrote you this letter, so I won't tire you with an entreaty.
Zeer aangenaam,
Mark Edward Vande Pol