Preface: When the Berlin Wall collapsed and the Soviet empire disintegrated, Americans took great pride in their heritage of individual liberty and free markets. "Capitalism is superior to socialism," Americans told the world. "Free enterprise is the economic system the world should adopt." Yet, despite their apparent devotion to freedom, Americans refuse to let go of their model of socialist, central planning: public schooling, an institution that is found in Russia, China, Cuba, the United States, and all other countries of the world. How does public schooling work? It is run by a political commission, either at the local, state, or national level, by which politicians or bureaucrats plan the educational decisions of thousands, sometimes millions, of children. How is it funded? The state uses its coercive power of taxation to take money from some, even those who do not have children, to fund the schooling of others - a perfect embodiment of the Marxian principle, "From each according to ability, to each according to need." What do the students learn? They learn official, approved doctrine from government - approved schoolteachers who use government-approved textbooks. How do public schools get their customers? Through compulsory attendance laws by which adults are commanded to deliver their children at the age of six to these government - approved institutions. Sheldon Richman's thesis in this book is a powerful one - and one that is certain to startle people: public schooling has proven to be a tremendous success. Why? Not because it has educated people, but because it has fulfilled the primary goal of those who institutedpublic schooling one hundred years ago: to create a nation of good, little citizens who view the government as their daddy - a daddy that takes care of them - and disciplines them - from the cradle to the grave. Ultimately, however, the case against public schooling rests on moral
principles, rather than on results. Should the state have the power to
take children from their families to put them into state approved institutions
to receive state-approved indoctrination? Should the state have the power
to take money from some in order to fund the schooling of others? Should
educational decisions be made by politicians and bureaucrats, rather than
by parents?
"But education is too important tobe left to the freemarket," the supporters of public schools tell us. Actually, education, like religion, is too important to be left in the hands of the state. What would education look like under a free market? As with religion, families would decide the best educational vehicles for each of their children. And entrepreneurs in the educational marketplace would provide those vehicles. There would be Christian schools (with daily prayer), secular schools, music schools, and sometimes schools in the parental workplace. As Mr. Richman points out, it is impossible to predict the fantastic results that will flow from educational freedom. And how would the poor get educated? The way they were educated throughout the 1800s in the U.S., before public schooling was implemented - through fellowships, scholarships, and other financial assistance provided by the wealthier members of society, on a purely voluntary basis. It is time for the American people to rediscover and move toward the principles of individual liberty and free markets of their ancestors - and to lead the world out of the socialist darkness of the twentieth century. The best place to begin is to liberate America's families through the separation of school and state. -Jacob G. Hornberger Founder and President The Future of Freedom Foundation Get The Book!Separating School & State: How To Liberate American Families by Sheldon Richman - the complete book with more details & facts about the scam known as modern public education.Suggested Reading List - the Demise of the Educational System - OBE (Outcome-Based Education), NEA (National Education Association), educational psychology, German psychology & influences, demise of public education, educational sabotage, Wundt, Pavlov, Dewey, Skinner, Watson. Say NO To Psychiatry! Back to Education Main Page Back to Main SNTP Page
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