Russell Blackford wrote:
>
> Miriam said
>
> >I have nothing against private education, but it is not the solution to all
> >educational needs. Likewise free market economics can be extremely useful,
> >but there are definite limits to its usefulness.
>
> I basically agree with this.
>
> I'm not sure just what the gripe is on the other side. Is it that government
> money for schools is a violation of our "natural rights" unless it is given
> voluntarily? Or is it simply that the state school system is economically
> inefficient?
>
> If anyone believes the former, I can't help you. We are getting into these
> metaphysical doctrines that purist libertarians believe and which I reject.
A public school system CAN be economically efficient if it is subject to
the same competetive pressures of the free market, and if all of the
people are given their freedom to choose (why is it left wingers seem to
think we should have freedom of choice in some things, but not in
others?).
>
> However, arguments based on economics are another story. I'm as fiscally
> conservative and as alert to the practical advantages of competition and
> individual decision making as most people.
>
> So, is there a way to redistribute money to the poorer people in the
> community to pay for a good education for their kids, while keeping the
> advantages of competition, decentralisation, etc, which Lee has extolled so
> persuasively?
Yes. Do as I've been describing: all the state needs to do is to state
that all schools must provide financial aid based on a family's
disposable income, and graduates contract to pay a percent of future
earnings for a specified period. This reinstitutes the sort of
'apprentice' system that has worked so well for thousands of years.
Another proper function of the state is to protect children: to ensure
that parents don't put their personal addictions ahead of the welfare of
their children, whether they be drugs, booze, smokes, or lottery
tickets.
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