Posted on 08/20/2004 7:44:54 AM PDT by DeathTaxesNoles
Sure, there is plenty of time and I don't trust all authorities. It is the responsibility of citizens to make sure that the authorities are performing their duties.
Nice attempt but your motive is clear. Well documented in Socialist Russia's accounts is how 'the enemy' is demonized by attempts at separating him from the others by attacking his credibility. Part of 'how to win the propaganda war'. Of course, whether the attack has any basis in truth doesn't matter. If you tell a lie long enough, the lie will become the truth.
Or do you sit in front of your keyboard and just rant?
That is obviously what you authoritarians are counting on!
LOL! Give it up, sparky - stop defending the indefensible.
Very often they weren't. The public schools have lots of problems but the spread of basic education is probably vastly better than it was a hundred years ago.
There is no 'changing the system' by 'dialoguing' with educrats.
Root and branch it must be delegitimized.
KIDS! Disrespect wrongful authority!
The history course when I was in school was both repetitive and boring. Every year I remember starting with the Indians and Columbus discovering America. By the time we got around to the Civil War and things would get interesting, the school year was over. The next year we would start with the Indians and Columbus all over again. It wasn't until my junior year of high school that we got any further. Most of the interesting facts and stories of history I learned by reading on the subject for myself.
America was a highly literate nation long before the advent of public education.
I would assume today that if we eliminated public education today that all parents who truly cared about their children would take responsibility for their education. Why should I have to take responsibility for any else's?
I take it then, that the answers to my questions are NO, NO, NO and YES.
NO, NO, NO to taking any steps to improve the system.
YES that the only thing you do is to sit in front of your keyboard and rant.
The quality of an eighth grade education in 1900 far surpassed a typical high school education of today. A high school diploma of 60 years ago surpassed what one receives upon complete of a four year college program.
The rationale() does not end because the system is not satisfying those objectives.
For example, let us assume that the rationale for exercise is to be fit and healthy. You do not exercise and become an unfit slob. Does the original rationale become false? No.
Even when there were public schools before, they were community based, a small town would build up around an immigrant group which established their own school, brought in a teacher. Or they would be associated with a church. The federal government wasn't involved.
If I wanted to answer your questions directly, I would have done so.
I reject utterly the premises of your queries, however.
P.S. Re ranting - Hello, Mr. Pot!
(I just love having the opportunity to address you thusly!)
Don't be such a crank. ;^)
Because, communist revolutions are very popular among uneducated, unemployed dead-enders.
Because, if we don't educate the members of our society other countries that do (such as China) will eat us alive.
Because, a democracy cannot survive if its citizens are incapable of participating in the body politic.
Yes -- there are many alternatives. They can choose a private school they can afford, they can homeschool, they can form cooperatives of homeschoolers where teaching is shared. They can hire tutors, or any combination of these.
http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.htm
It is a real test, but they make good points in the paragraph further below starting with "Consider:".
Making assumptions can be misleading, because we assume that predictable behavior is centered around ourselves and those with similar values. I would imagine that those that could provide their kid with a private education, would. Of course, there might be a few left over, like those whose parents weren't educated, and those who couldn't because of circumstances beyond their control, and of course, those who just don't "truly care" about their children. At any rate, that could be a lot of kids. It'd be a bad thiing for America to abandon them, so what do you suggest?
Why should I have to take responsibility for any else's?
I didn't say you should. But the fact is that if you go back to the days before public education, literacy was a luxury that was not extended to many, many Americans. And if public education went away, there are many segments of society that would be left out of an education. And once again, that would be a bad thing for America, IMHO.
Really?
One does not increase options by mandating one choice (education), limiting the options within that choice (no public money for private institutions, etc), and mandating a significant proportion of the overall curriculum.
(Note: I'm not against education, I'm against requiring it. I want everyone to want to learn, but one does not foster that love of learning by using legislative force and threats. Remove the compulsory nature of the system, and at least 50% of the bigget probelms go away immediately. Sadly, half of the nation would oppose it, simply because they don't want to lose out on their free daycare.)
One does not increase options by mandating one choice (education), limiting the options within that choice (no public money for private institutions, etc), and mandating a significant proportion of the overall curriculum.
(Note: I'm not against education, I'm against requiring it. I want everyone to want to learn, but one does not foster that love of learning by using legislative force and threats. Remove the compulsory nature of the system, and at least 50% of the bigget problems go away immediately. Sadly, half of the nation would oppose it, simply because they don't want to lose out on their free daycare.)
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