[edited to reduce clutter]: State implemented - big problem - the state no longer promotes but instead, provides. Recipe for tyranny as is noted by the massive spending in opposition to parental control of their children's education through any school voucher initiative process by the unions which are inextriably tied to big government. My wife is an educator and the pressure to vote and influence the vote away from parental control is ever present by both the union and the administration. The fastest way to become a pariah is to openly buck that pressure.
That is true of any group to which one belongs, be it a union or a corporation. But back to eductional matters: I'm not sure what you mean by state "implementation." Are you opposed to consistent, national education standards? If yes, then should children in Iowa learn one form of algebra, and children in New York another? Please explain further.
Regarding vouchers, they may be opposed on several grounds: 1) If they go to private, religiously oriented schools, they are in violation of the First Amendment's prohibition against government sponsorship of religion; 2) They may undermine and financially strangle public schools; 3) Once one accepts government funds, one can expect to receive government regulation (and deservedly so, as taxpayer money should not be given away without oversight) -- this would by necessity change the independence of private schools, an independence from government regulation which attracts many parents in the first place.
: This small example only scratches the surface of the danger in accepting government schools as the norm. History is replete with examples of monopolistic state education facilitating facism and tyranny.
So what? Public control, i.e., democratic government, would serve to counter fascistic and tyrannical tendencies in schools; if that public control is insufficient in that area, then we're all in far more trouble than we think. Indeed, I believe our democracy is already teetering on the brink of destruction, but I'm not yet ready to accept that as a foregone conclusion.
There is already a certain facism developing with respect to intolerance of Christian views on marital sex and homosexual issues.
What you call fascism, I call pluralism. Christian views, along with other religious views, should be taught in houses of worship and the home. Public schools ought to be secular. You may not like this, and it is a challenge to religious individuals, but it is far better than the alternative. We live in a complex world, and people should expect to have their beliefs challenged; if their beliefs are well-grounded, they should not begrudge such challenges.
:Often the children are not only taught viewpoints which contradict their parents views but they are also taught their parents views are archaic and wrong.
I would oppose teachers telling students that their parents' views are wrong or outdated; I support teachers telling students what the modern, secular view of the world is. Let the parents and preachers teach the children otherwise, if necessary, and then, let the children make up their own minds.
: So much for freedom of religion if this trend is not reversed.
The United States is the most church-going nation in the Western world. Everytime I pull a coin out of my pocket, I'm confronted with words I do not follow: "In God We Trust." If anything, this country is veering towards a theocracy -- that is the real danger.
- MDG
None.
