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Politics : Evolution -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Zirdu who wrote (587)	9/16/1999 1:02:00 AM
From: Tunica Albuginea	Respond to of 69300

RRaney, thoughtful post: " no public schools". "Only voucher system". I agree almost 100%. I would add that there is no need for a voucher system. Why send the money to Washington and waste stamps and money doing so? And for what purpose? Instead, just tell folks that they haveX no. of tax exempt dollars to spend on education and let the parents send the money directly to their school of choice. All schools should be required by law to follow a minimum basic curriculum in the sciences, literature, math, history and pass a National Exam to receive a minimum high school proficiency exam to guarantee kids don't get short changed. The teaching of Religion, Philosophy and controversial subjects such as evolution, creation, birth control, abortion etc etc, should be up to each school to decide if and what to offer; it should optional up to the parents to decide which their kids should attend. Of course all courses should follow the law: thus courses in murder, theft etc. would not be offered, < vbg> TA you said Message #587 from RRanney at Sep 15 1999 11:02PM < - I believe everything that most people strongly believe in should be taught to their children> Well, maybe. I suppose I would say there are some limits to this. For example what of the parent who strongly believed in rape, pillage and murder? I can't see that a public school system should be teaching these things. I think one solution to the problem posed by this thread is to do away with public schools as we know them, and go to 100% voucher system. All the money now spent on public education would be given to the parents in the form of vouchers, which can be "spent" only for tuition to send their kids to the private school of the parent's choice. The scientific minded could send their kids to science schools, and the religious minded could choose schools specializing in their particular religion. Those who were opposed to the teaching of evolution, could choose a school that didn't teach this subject. A great free market in schools would arise. The result would be that the education of our children would, in time, be improved immensely, and at a much lower cost than the present system. I myself wouldn't worry that some children would not be initially taught what I belive is the truth - i.e. the fact that life arose on this planet several billions of years ago, and by a most amazing process of natural selection all the myriad of life forms we have now, and the many, many more now extinct, all evolved from this first life form. This idea is there in the public domain, and any child not exposed to it in school, will eventually learn that some people believe this. The truly curious will investigate for themselves, and learn the truth, no matter what they might have been taught as a child.