The 108th Congress should
- identify and list all federal education programs;
- abolish all programs and agencies (including the Department of
Education) not provided for by the Constitution; and
- return education to the state, local, and family level.
The most important thing any candidate can say about education is
to come out strongly in defense of the
separation of school and state. Bureaucrats do not
educate children as well as
parents. Schools do better the more they resemble a family and
the less they resemble a government institution.
America's Organic Law on Public Schools
If most politicians ignore the irreplaceable role played by
families in education, they seem hell-bent on ignoring the most
fundamental purpose of schools: to teach religion and morality.
Politicians take an oath which the U.S. Supreme Court has said
indicates an affirmation of America's "organic
law." One part of America's Organic Law makes a stunning
declaration about the purpose of education. In his concurring
opinion in Engel
v. Vitale, 370 US 421 at 443, the case which removed
prayer from public schools, Justice Douglas admitted:
- Religion was once deemed to be a function of the public
school system. The
Northwest Ordinance, which antedated the First Amendment,
provided in Article III that
- Religion, morality, and
knowledge
being necessary to good government and the happiness of
mankind,
schools and the means of education shall forever be
encouraged.
Those who try to keep religion and morality separated from
education violate their oath of office. Not a single person who
signed the Constitution believed that education could or should be
"secular" and that public schools should not teach
"religion, morality and knowledge." Nor should we.
Because education is intensely personal and inescapably
value-laden, government coercion is inappropriate. Atheists should
not be taxed to provide Christian education, and Christians should
not be taxed to provide secular education.
See also:
After federal intervention in education is eliminated, we should
work for the complete abolition of government interference in
education at state and local levels. Members of The
Christmas
Conspiracy support the
separation of school and state.
Virtue
101- character education in
schools
Culture
(independent.org)
Teaching
Captivity?
Discover the Reality of the Gay Agenda in Public Schools
- Guidelines
for Religious Expression in Public Schools (Nov 5, 1999)
- Taking
Religion Seriously in Public Schools (May 26, 1999)
- Vouchers
for Christian Child Care (May 1, 1999)
- Pop
Quiz: 20 Questions Parents Should Ask about Their Children's
School (Mar 4, 1999)
- Can
Public Schools Teach Character? (Feb 16, 1999)
- Parental
Choice in Education (Sep 2, 1998)
- Charting
a New Course (Jul 30, 1998)
- Does
the PTA Still Support Parents? (May 18, 1998)
- Self-Esteem
in the Sacred Story (May 15, 1998)
- Religion
in Public Schools (Feb 25, 1998)
- Home
Schooling (Feb 25, 1998)
- Private
Schools (Feb 25, 1998)
- Creation/Evolution
Controversy: Selected Books, Curriculum and Organizations
(Feb 25, 1998)
- Selected
Books and Organizations Addressing Public Education (Feb 25,
1998)
- Parental
Rights in Public Education (Jan 1, 1998)
- Free-Market
Predators vs. Well-Meaning Reformers, Harry Browne, August
15, 2001
- How
Did We Lose America?, Harry Browne, January 31, 2002
- Spoiler
for Gore?, Harry Browne, November 4, 2000
- What
Do Libertarians Want?, Harry Browne, October 25, 2000
Next Education Issue: Vouchers
vs. Tuition Tax Credits
Next Cabinet Level Department: Energy
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