Government Funding

I recently read about a casual conversation between friends who agree on nothing (politically) because one is a political conservative, and the other is a political progressive. The conservative friend, trying to understand the root of his progressive friend's ideology, asked the question, "what is the purpose of government?" to which the friends, after a moment's consideration, answered, "to provide for the people." In my opinion, there is no worse answer because such an answer runs contrary to everything upon which this country was founded. Thomas Paine spoke for many when he observed that "government, even in its best state, is merely 'a necessary evil'". As history has repeatedly shown, 'government' is unfit and incapable of providing for its people. It creates nothing. It only spends and every coin or bill that it spends is taken from others (and almost never as a result of their own free will).

"The entire question of government spending is perhaps best perceived when one realizes that the government is not a source of wealth. The people themselves are the only true source of wealth. Hence, the government can only give to the people what it has already taken from the people." - Frederic Bastiat

Many Americans think that the answer to fixing our schools means simply taking more money and giving it to the schools, and this is precisely what we have done in the decades since Carl Sagan observed how our schools were failing our kids. Former New York State Teacher of the Year (1991) John Taylor Gatto observed,

"Good schools don't need more money or a longer year; they need real free-market choices, variety that speaks to every need, and runs risks. We don't need a national curriculum, or national testing either. Both initiatives arise from ignorance of how people learn, or deliberate indifference to it."

Despite the extravagant spending, our schools are still failing our kids. Carl Sagan saw it in the 1970s and 1980s. John Taylor Gatto saw it in the 1980s and 1990s. And we all see it today. Our schools must be freed from the shackles of government and returned to the hands of the people.