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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (6809)	2/27/2001 6:00:19 PM
From: Mac Con Ulaidh	Respond to of 82486

But an uneducated mass is a boon to people who prefer a theocracy to a democracy.

To: epicure who wrote (6809)	2/27/2001 6:18:16 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 82486

Education in America is one of the few places where people come together and are forced to learn to get along- despite all their differences- whether religion, race, socioeconomic level or what have you. Education is of prime importance to a democracy because we expect the people in this country to bear some responsibility for electing their own governors. If this were a dictatorship- our education level of education wouldn't matter much- since we wouldn't get to make any decisions. The goal of education- from the government's perspective- should be to inculcate those common values in it's citizens, via public education, that are most likely to glue a diverse population together. Parents have the right to isolate their children from people who are different- but that should certainly not be encouraged by the state. It does not serve the purposes of a democracy to further, in any way, the stratification of education and the formation of some sort of aristocracy of education. While in isolated cases vouchers might improve some children's lives- overall it would be a horrible move away from the ideals of democracy and a citizenry with equal opportunity for equal education. Vouchers would make for even more uneven and unfair distribution of education- it would allow for even more segregation, it would spread limited money even thinner, and God knows what sort of regulatory structure would need to be employed to oversee the voucher program. Our public schools should be a number one priority, and fixing them for every child in America our number one goal. And despite what most conservatives like to say- money is the answer. Money buys solutions. Money buys expertise. Money isn't some magic commodity that only works in business- it works in education too. Of course some people would love not to pay for education- but you do get what you pay for- and to say money is not an answer is just laughable. I can't tell you how funny people actually working in schools find that. Of COURSE money is the answer. With money you can afford teachers who are really talented. With money you can afford equipment and special programs. To see that money is the answer just look at the differences between a rich district spending 11,000 per pupil and a poor district spending 3,000 per pupil. These districts exist, the differences are obvious, and it all comes down to money money money. And it is shameful that any American would not want to pay for education, imo.