They make much of their fight for school vouchers. The
argument goes something like this…Basically in the United States we pay
property taxes that go toward paying for public schools. People like me who
home school or others who send their children to private schools are paying
these taxes but receiving no direct benefit. Of course so are the many people
who don't have children in school. The Voucher argument is that these families
should receive a subsidy or voucher to then pay for the private school, charter
school or whatever. It's about choice, fairness, and liberty they say and
resisting the government schools and their agenda.
While I have little sympathy with the government school
agenda I will suggest doing something people on the Christian Right refuse to
do...often out of principle. Step into the other person's shoes for a moment,
not to validate them, but to give a little larger perspective.
For many generations must modern industrialized states have
successfully argued they have a compelling interest in seeing children
educated. Morals aside, it's pure sociological math and demographics. Kids that
aren't educated end up with lower incomes paying lower taxes, incarcerated, or
on state assistance. The Conservatives
at this point have many arguments regarding assistance subsidies, the prison
system and many of the other issues tied in with our general social collapse...
But the changes they suggest aren't minor, but a complete overhaul of large
segments of society. The track they push for does not reflect present
realities, and in many cases lacks historical precedent. And the past models
which they sometimes wish to resurrect are not above critique either and often
had their own large-scale problems. I'm talking about our previous social
models with a harsher penal system, no social safety net, large portions of
society completely disenfranchised and forgotten. It’s a hypothetical but many
historians have argued that had Roosevelt not taken some of the steps he made
in the New Deal, the United States would have seen insurrection and possible
revolution before the end of the 1930’s. Something to keep in mind as we listen
to those today who would just wantonly cut off large sections of society in the
name of fairness. Sure it can be done, but what are the long-term consequences?
Frankly it's unlikely they're going to make those kinds of
sweeping changes in the near future, in the short term. And the more they try,
the more people will take to the streets. The Conservative movement may
literally push the country into social collapse. Something has to be done. Our
public schools have failed, but so has our society in general. The schools can
only do so much.
Historically public education has worked because virtually
everyone pays into it and virtually everyone participates in it. That's how it
works. Again, you can look for a macro-social engineering agenda...and there's
something to that, but largely it's just math.
When people start pulling out and diverting the funds, the
system collapses. Our public schools are collapsing anyway. They're miserable
failures and have erred greatly for many years by looking to more funding as
the solution to their problems. The reality is the whole model is broken. Kids
in k-12 one room school houses were more educated than our modern children with
Smartboards, laptops, and all the modern methods. It's failing, and I frankly
don't really care too much. But I do a little. Realistically the average American
pagan isn't going to homeschool their children. Our up and coming spoiled and uneducated
generation is going to be unproductive and I think we're going to see an
increase in criminality and fraud as a result. Since I am to pray for the peace
of Babylon, I do hope the Babylonians can come up with something, but I don't
think they will.
But from the standpoint of an educator, they're in crisis
mode and then all these people come along that want to start Charter Schools,
Homeschool, Cyber-Schools and all the rest...AND, they want to pull money out
of their already ailing system.
Of course they're going to resist. Certainly there are some
crusaders in the public school system that want to get a hold of your children
and teach them anti-Christian ideals, but many of them are just lost people
doing the best they can. Are they arrogant? Sure, that goes with
Institutionalization. You'll find it in every sphere and the Church is by no
means exempt. With regard to the Educators, though I believe many are sincere
and doing the best they can, that doesn't mean I'm going to send my kids to
them, but I don't have to despise them and hate them either.
The irony is that historically it was Christians who made
the argument for public schools. In their quest to create a uniform uni-cultural
society (a Sacralist ideal if there ever was one)...it is they who initiated
public schooling. Starting with the Reformation, it was Protestant countries
that forged the path... Protestant ethics demanded education and Dominionism
(under different guises) was aided by the education. Look at Prussia and
Scotland....very Protestant countries that pushed hard in the area of
education. Their cultures were different and came up with different results,
but the push was there. During the optimism of the 19th century in
the United States similar steps were taken.
I've written elsewhere that I don't believe for one moment
if the Dominionists gained control of this country that they would permit
educational liberty. Are they really going to let Muslims and others
homeschool? Will they allow Leftist hippies to pull their children from
Christian dominated public schools? Will they allow homosexuals to establish
private schools for their kids...Blacks? Hispanics? In any of these schools
they might teach a version of America history very different than the one David
Barton would have us learn. They might gain a very different understanding of
Civics and the US Constitution. Are they going to permit it?