Few here on Free Republic understand the political and spiritual consequences of government socialist schooling. They fail to understand that government schools trash every First Amendment human right, treat children like prisoners, are socialist and godless. That has **consequences** for our nation!
Children who attend prison-like, socialist, and godless schools risk becoming comfortable to accepting being treated like a state prisoner, thinking godlessly, and socialism.
As for the economic burden, **more** is spent on K-12 education ( not including college) than is spent on our military. Government compulsory and socialist entitlement schooling is crushing our economy.
It's not a fair comparison, of course, because the money spent on schools is (supposed to be) for the benefit of only one segment of the population: children between the ages of 5 and 18. Military spending is (presumably) for everyone's benefit, however that is measured.
The reality is there are powerful, moneyed interests with a stake in sustaining and increasing spending in both areas, as it's their bread and butter.
The taxpayers have virtually no representation in Washington and very little in the individual states, so which way do you think elected officials are going to lean?
Republicans don't get much money from the NEA and AFT, but you wonldn't know it by their votes on NCLB and other schemes to put all government schools under federal mandates.