[umgud]

Cut all public funding of education, and those who want an education will somehow find a way to become educated.

Increase public funding for education a thousandfold, and those who don't want an education still won't get one.

[Remember_Salamis]

"The lack of balance in governmental activity reflects primarily the failure to separate sharply the question what activities it is appropriate for government to finance from the question what activities it is appropriate for government to administer--a distinction that is important in other areas of government activity as well."

-- This is probably the greatest point Milton Friedman has ever made: Government FINANCING of services and Government ADMINISTRATION of services ARE NOT THE SAME THING.

In Health Care, if we simply GAVE Medicare recipients the money that we would have spent providing them health care, you would see the cost of Medicare dramatically flatten, instead of growing at 7%+ per year. Is this socialized medicine? Absolutely not! And that is Friedman's point. Unfortunately, some of us on the right don't understand this, preferring to shudder at any form of government involvement.

Fortunately, most conservatives and libertarians have discovered Friedman's point when it comes to education and now support vouchers.

The only industries that cannot be managed in this way are: (1) national defense, and (2) the administration of justice. David Friedman (Milton Friedman's son), a member of the anarchocapitalist movement, believes it can be done. However, Ayn Rand herself believed that national defense and the administration of justice were within the proper role of government.