Free Republic

My "chip on the shoulder remark" wasn't meant as a tactic in anything. Even "sitnick" agreed that on this particular topic he/she has a chip on his shoulder and he/she explained why.

Whatever...

Your wife's anecdotes do not constitute evidence of anything other than simple bias.

You know if you had read the whole thread I posted to the user "sittnick" you would have seen what my wife really thought. She didn't think that at all... as a matter of fact just the opposite. Oh I forgot... once you have it in your head that someone is making a certain claim there is no convincing you that you are wrong. You are determined to prove me and now my wife are Marxists even though I clarified in other posts I was not trying to denigrate home schooling. Know what... it seems to me you really are just looking for someone to yell at and I posted something that remotely gave you an excuse to do so.

Also I am well aware that Smith predates Marx. My point was to show how ludicrous your question was: "Do you believe education is a proper function of government? If your answer is even conditionally yes, then with regard to that issue, at least, you are a Marxist."

Know what... let's end this here right now. People on Free Republic lately seem to be so angry that anything remotely resembling criticism turns them into rabid animals. I tried to clarify my original post and since you are unwilling to accept that I don't really feel the need to discuss this issue further.

While I am not against home schooling... I am also not against public education. If I am a Marxist, I guess that makes Adam Smith one as well.

From The Wealth of Nations:

After the public institutions and public works necessary for the defence of the society, and for the administration of justice, both of which have already been mentioned, the other works and institutions of this kind are chiefly for facilitating the commerce of the society, and those for promoting the instruction of the people. The institutions for instruction are of two kinds: those for the education of the youth, and those for the instruction of people of all ages. The consideration of the manner in which the expense of those different sorts of public works and institutions may be most properly defrayed will divide this third part of the present chapter into three different articles.

But though the common people cannot, in any civilized society, be so well instructed as people of some rank and fortune; the most essential parts of education, however, to read, write, and account, can be acquired at so early a period of life, that the greater part, even of those who are to be bred to the lowest occupations, have time to acquire them before they can be employed in those occupations. For a very small expense, the public can facilitate, can encourage and can even impose upon almost the whole body of the people, the necessity of acquiring those most essential parts of education.

The public can impose upon almost the whole body of the people the necessity of acquiring the most essential parts of education, by obliging every man to undergo an examination or probation in them, before he can obtain the freedom in any corporation, or be allowed to set up any trade, either in a village or town corporate."

However I agree with Milton Freedman on the issues surrounding public schools. The fact they are accountable to no one is a huge problem that never gets addressed.

Now if you wish to call me a Marxist so be it. However you better start calling some of the Conservative members of SCOTUS Marxists as well because some of their rulings such as Scalia's opinion on VERNONIA SCHOOL DIST. v. ACTON and the opinion that REHNQUIST joined in NEW JERSEY v. T.L.O not only validate their existence but validates their authority of "in loco parentis" (to act with parental authority in place of the parent). I don't agree with such rulings

Oh horse manure. You said absolutely nothing that indicates you are in favor of home schooling. To the contrary, your remarks indicate you are deeply suspicious of it.

Read one of my replies Post 33

I said "As I said in my last post many of the homeschoolers my wife deals with are very smart, well behaved and are great children. My point was that the "few" that seem left behind, well... they are really really REALLY left behind."

Still feel the same? If so that is just too bad...

And so we hear the cry of the Marxists who would brutally suppress anything that competes with their precious indoctrination centers

You know... I don't know what I said to make you think I was a Marxist... matter of fact I didn't say anything at all to elicit the response you sent me.

I never said I was against home schooling, just the opposite. So why don't you check your knee jerk reaction at the door.

My fear is that this handful of non-social kids will be used as an excuse to monitor and regulate all.

I took my wife out to lunch and ironically she started to tell me about a parent she deals with that is homeschooling her child. She told me the parent has been keeping every single piece of work that the child has done since 8th grade so that when her child goes to college, she will be ready to prove that the child has done the work. She said virtually all the parents she deals with are VERY serious about their children's education.

I do concede that such parents may exist (in some cases it might be because the child is going to be, literally, a truck driver like daddy, and that is not the worst thing in the world).

You know... I must apologize which is something I rarely do on this forum but it has been known to happen. When I made my earlier statement it wasn't to "bad mouth" home schooling at all. I "felt" I needed to point out that when children get left behind in home schooling it can be pretty bad. The reason I "felt" I had to say it was because... all I ever hear every night from my wife was her complaints about two home schooled children she deals with. However... she fails to talk much about the others... which she told me today that they are wonderful kids. It seems... when one hears so much of the bad news... one never gets the good news.

Now you noticed I put the word "felt" in the last paragraph in quotations to point out that I was "feeling" instead if "thinking". I am currently kicking myself in the head for such a stupid mistake. I am very sorry for that as well.

Such children exist in greater numbers in the public schools. In fact, the public school environment can exasperbate these problems.

Maybe in the inner cities schools have such issues but around where I live the public schools are not "bad" at all. It would be inconceivable for a child to have those deficiencies in knowledge in the public schools around my area.

What do you mean about "social issues"? If it is rude or aggressive behavior, that would at least mean that the rest of the children aren't being influenced by it.

Without going into great detail, because it probably would not be appropriate for me to do so, "some" of the home schooled children have serious issues. I mean... something along the line of a "complete inability" to deal with other children (who also happen to be home schooled). There is nothing wrong with simply being "weird" (hey I was guilty as that as a child.

If it means being considered a bit weird, well there are those in the public schools as well. Moreover, I would rather have a child with "social issues", if that means non-conformity with modern anti-culture, than for him to be trained into docile acceptance of all sorts of peer pressure.

Why do you have a chip on your shoulder?? As I said in my last post many of the homeschoolers my wife deals with are very smart, well behaved and are great children. My point was that the "few" that seem left behind, well... they are really really REALLY left behind.

I don't have anything against home schooling at all. If anything it seems to produce some very smart children. I simply think there are "some" parents that do a very bad job of it and according to the parent, it is on purpose. Things like "math isn't important" type of attitudes. That kind of thing where they come right out and say that some of the basic tenets of any education just aren't deemed important enough to teach.

My wife works with a number of home schooled children every day. She said a number of them are very bright, sociable and very well behaved children. However...there are a number of them that cannot do the even the simplest math problems for their age and they have some serious social issues.

It seems when home schooling works, at least in this state, it works very well. But when it doesn't, the child seems really "left behind". I am not sure if there are standards set as to what the child must know and be tested on, but it doesn't seem to exist here.

Now that brings back memories...

According to Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747, the from 1990 to 1996 there were 342 747's delivered. From 2000 to 2006 there were 141. Not a pretty statistic.

The Factory in Everett is a very neat place to visit but it was sad to see so "little" work being done.

According to http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation%20history/aviation%20timeline/1980.htm it completed it's 500th on December 9th,1980. Since Boeing started production in 1970, that would make 10 years.

After lying back and letting them Swift Boat him in 2004 makes him the #1 Pansy in my book. Hey Kerry: go off with Mike Dukakis and have some policy discussions.

Oooouch!! Now that has to sting...

Ouch... some of these stories almost make it sound like the A380 is going to bust the company..

As long as they don't run Windows they should get the job done.

Because public schools are entities of the State. They are more open to public scrutiny because they are funded by the tax payer.

Private schools have no such issue. They have a much broader range of authority over the students than public schools do. States have little jurisdiction over what a private school does with students in issues like this. As long as no laws are being broken, what exactly can an "outside" group do?

While I don't agree with the school... it is a PRIVATE school right? What is all the talk about investigations? Unless some laws were broken or they took the kids without the school's permission, there isn't anything to investigate right?

If the parents of the kids gave their permission for the kids to go, that is their business. If it was a public school, that is a different matter.

I must have missed that episode...

I never knew about Walldude before. Not the sharpest tool in the toolshed.

Because Unix/Linux was designed to run on high powered scientific equipment. Windows was designed to run on the original "desktop computers", or low low horsepower.

With all due respect, Linux was originally based off of MINIX which ran on Intel based PC's, not high powered equipment. Embedded Linux can run on all sorts of small devices like Linksys routers,Palm handhelds and some mobile phones.

Windows if anything is serious bloatware by comparison.