PJ Media

“When another monopoly . . .”

“ So-called public education is a govt monopoly . . . we have to start with the basics..putting competition back into the system. There has to be an incentive, a motivation to get this done.”

This is, of course, is using the language of the anti-public school movement, created and funded by a small number of tightly linked ideologues and rightwing thinktanks, with the ultimate aim (at the level of leadership; ordinary supporters are no doubt often sincere and well-meaning) of destroying our public school systems and replacing it, as much as possible, with privatized, for-profit schools. (See also: social security). Part of the motivation is free-market fundamentalism and a deep aversion to any notion of the common good, of a democratic government providing its citizens public services. Redirecting taxpayer dollars to private profit is another aim, as is the partisan goal of weakening or destroying teachers unions in order to deprive the Democratic Party of part of its fundraising and organizing base. (Why did you think they are so constantly demonized, to a degree far beyond any genuine issues?)

Interestingly, there isn’t really any liberal equivalent to this sort of radical ideological fixation. Liberals, after all, understand that many things are done far better by the market, and should be left to it, while some others are best provided by government. There simply isn’t anyone on the American political spectrum who wants to shrink the market until it can be drowned in a bathtub, or who advocates for government production of soup, say, or cars.

Do you want to hear about another government monopoly? Fire fighting. (Do we need to introduce competition there?) Another? The police. Also, the military, of course. Appreciate the taken-for-granted flow of clean, clear water out of your tap? Thank your friendly government monopoly. And etc.

“When public schools are faced with competition, they will find solutions to problems they can’t solve now.”

Magical thinking.

“Right now the public schools don’t have a reason. Let’s give them one.

My wife teaches kindergarten in an extremely poor, drug-ridden, and rather violent neighborhood in Philly. It’s true she doesn’t have a reason. As she puts it, she has 30 reasons.
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Why public schools? There are many reasons, but one is that – like firefighters, police, the local water department, libraries, etc., etc, – they’re a public institution, a community institution.

__________

“If you think our education system is healthy

Again, most public schools – the ones serving middle class + populations – are doing fine.

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Just for fun (and without googling), everyone feel free to take a guess: Of one dollar spent on education, what’s the federal government’s contribution?

a) 9 cents
b) 29 cents
c) 49 cents
d) 79 cents
e) 99 cents