When people in The United States talk about “choice” there seems to be only one issue that comes to mind, and that is abortion. Those who define themselves as “Pro-Choice” will tenaciously defend a woman’s right to “choose” whether to give birth to a baby that they have partnered to conceive. My readers know that I believe that life begins at conception, but I also understand that this issue is not a simple one. Rape, incest and protection of the life of the mother are just a few of the complicating factors that can make this “choice” difficult. I still believe that the best political position came from Bill Clinton, when he said, “abortion should be legal, safe and RARE”.
But I do believe strongly in the concept of “choice” in America. In fact, our country was founded on the concept of “liberty for all”, which implies that people should have a choice to do just about everything in this country. However, when it comes to the choice to get a Covid-19 vaccine shot or not, these same people who doggedly defend the right to choose to have an abortion mysteriously forget the very principle they have been fighting for. And the same goes for mask wearing.
The argument that they will make is that if you don’t get a shot or wear a mask, “you are killing people”. But let’s all recognize how ridiculous that rationalization is. First, this disease has over a 99% survival rate, and we have long since learned that people who get the vaccine can still be infected and can transmit this disease. People who choose not to get vaccinated or wear a mask are making a choice about the risks they are willing to take in order to live a normal life. This is a stance that even Dr. Anthony Fauci has recently suggested that we will ALL need to accept since Covid-19 may be with us forever. People who choose not to get a shot or wear a mask may also be making a comment that they are not willing to submit to fear, especially an irrational one that has been sold to us all by our politicians and the media.
Just a side note, it is amazing that the people who support the absolute right to an abortion will use the “you’re killing people” argument against people who would decline to get the shot or wear a mask. Can the hypocrisy get any thicker? Abortion has a 0% survival rate for the life being aborted. Whether you believe that a fetus is a lump of cells or a child in-the-making, as I do, you must admit that if an abortion is not performed, a child would be born in almost every case.
Another “choice” that many of these same people want to deny is the choice of a parent as to where to send their children to school. We all pay for a public-school education through our taxes and virtually every penny of that funding goes to the public-school system. If you would “choose” to send your children to a private school, the public-school system will keep your tax money and then you get the privilege of paying for a second education for you children through the tuition you will pay.
What this system says is that people with resources have the “choice” to pay for two educations, but the rest of country has no choice. Today, only about 9% of US families send their children to private schools and 91% have only one choice – public schools. If education was a business in America, it would be considered a monopoly, which is one thing our government is supposed to protect against. And that is because monopolies deliver high costs, poor service and virtually no innovation in a capitalistic society.
Do you know what percent of Congress people send their children to private schools? 45%. That is five times the rate of the average American. And, of course, virtually every US President with children of school age “chose” to send their children to private schools. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama “chose’ to send their children to the snooty and expensive Sidwell Friends School which would cost the rests of us over $40,000 a year to “choose” to send our first grader there. Of course, Bill said that Chelsea made that “choice”. What a cop out. John Kennedy actually created a school at the White House for Caroline and 10 of her closest friends, not a “choice” that the rest of us will have or could afford.
But as public schools stray from teaching the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic and embracing controversial concepts like Critical Race Theory and Gender fluidity, parents need a real “choice”. CRT is not history and it is not even fact. It is, as its name implies, a theory that might have a place in colleges after minds have developed. It is not, however, appropriate for impressionable five, six and seven-year-olds who can’t understand the long-term implications of their decisions. For example, could I convince a five-year-old boy that he was actually a girl if I had access to him for six hours a day and almost 200 days a year. Certainly, but is that my job?
In America, shouldn’t our average or even poorer citizens have the same choice in the education of their children as our political leaders? Of course, but most our citizens can’t afford to pay for two educations, one through their taxes and one through tuition. Fundamentally, our tax money should follow the child, not a building, as in a voucher system. The sooner we can make that happen the sooner our educational system will begin to improve as public schools are forced to compete and get better, or die.
Now, as my friend Matt would point out, there are issues that need to be worked out as we make this transition. Private schools, for example, will need to ensure that children can even get to these schools as public schools do today. They will have to offer resources that will accommodate all special needs children and not just strip the most capable students from public schools. This would leave that system with only the biggest challenges to educate.
All of these issues can be worked out, but we must demand a commitment to real choice for all American families, not just the elite. When we get there, our schools will be better, our families will be stronger and our children will be smarter.
Other options:
ReplyDelete1. We could just work to improve our public schools.
2. We could realize that much of the anti-public school crusade is by crisis actors seeking to capitalize for themselves and their charter school clients.
3. We could acknowledge that if private/charter schools operated under the same rules as public schools most of them would not be financially viable.
4. The "money should follow the child" makes little sense economically. It's a good slogan, like "school choice" and should be appreciated as marketing, but that's it.
5. The "school choice" movement as it is proposed is a recipe for leaving the poor even further behind outside of major cities with ubiquitous mass transit.
6. Many charter schools are financial scams, and the regulation as it stands is minimal.
7. Abortion/public schools is a false commparison.
School choice in our rural poor state is largely driven by wealthy Little Rockers trying to get a break on private school tuition and that's about it.
In what school is this happening?
ReplyDelete"For example, could I convince a five-year-old boy that he was actually a girl if I had access to him for six hours a day and almost 200 days a year."
CRT is yet another GOP faux-outrage generated in lieu of actual policies to improve the lives of all Americans. It bubbled around the GOP mediascape for several years while they tried other potential outrage marketing, then when it struck a chord they amplified it to the point of ridiculousness.
The primary purveyor, Christopher Rufo, did very well financially off of it, and in the process admitted it was just marketing. He's now moved to the latest GOP outrage marketing du jour, that teachers are pedophiles "grooming" school kids. In an ironic twist, the GOP allegation has prompted Democrats to start listing all the GOP politicians convicted of harassing not only kids but other women.
This is the modern GOP though. Devoid of conservative principle and thus policy, and just casting wildly from scare tactic to scare tactic. It's sad, but who knows it might work, at least in the South. Here in Arkansas we're about to elect as Governor a woman with literally no credentials whatsoever!
Matt, Why then do you think our legislators and Presidents "choose' to send their children to private schools vs public schools? Shouldn't everyone in America have the same choice that our politicians seem to prefer?
ReplyDeleteAnd allowing school choice is probably the best way to make public schools better - you're #1 point above.
Where is it taught? Certainly was in Florida and Virginia, and is now in NY, California, Chicago, etc and yes, right here in Fayetteville Arkansas.
In a major city with public transport like D.C. that's certainly a good thought. We live in Arkansas. Where "school choice" as it currently is proposed here will only drain the public schools of funds and leave the poorest and most at-risk kids in underfunded schools.
DeleteThe school choice math just doesn't work in a state like ours.
CRT hysteria will last approximately 7 more months. Then the midterms will be over and they'll be on to the next outrage of the moment.
Using your argument, if we have school choice for the whole state, it will only flourish in the big cities like Little Rock, NWA and Fort Smith and will not affect De Witt. Bring it on!! No harm in De Witt and huge benefit for Little Rock, NWA and Fort Smith.
DeleteAnd CRT will be an issue forever because it is a racist theory that just switches the skin color that can be discriminated against. And remember, whether it is CRT or DEI, a rose by any other name smells as sweet (or in this case as disgusting).
It won't even "flourish" there because our current school choice proposals don't require those schools to transport kids who want to go. So the kids whose parents don't care, the kids whose parents work shift work and can't get off, etc. can't get there. Especially in a city like Fort Smith, with a lot of factories.
DeleteThere's a reason there is no transportation requirement - school choice is not economically viable if the non-public schools have to live by the same rules as the public schools. Transportation is a big part of the cost they don't have to bear.
CRT is political hysteria in lieu of actual principles. Just like the trans hysteria. Until the Republican party returns to actual conservative principles, there will be an undending stream of outrage marketing. It'll make some crisis actors rich, create some unconstitutionally vague law, and that's about it.
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DeleteFirst of all, did you even read the article. I even gave you a mention and said that transportation would have to be fixed as a part of school choice. And it will when private schools get the funding that currently goes to public schools.
DeleteAlso, CRT is being taught and so is gender fluidity. Why do you think Disney is getting blasted right now? Because they want to teach gender fluidity to K thru 3rd grade students when they are clearly not ready to understand what is being taught and are ripe for indoctrination.
Finally, the public school system in America and in Arkansas are monopolies. When parents don't have a choice because of lack of resources and the public school system is guaranteed 9!% of the students each year, that is a monopoly, and monopolies have no incentive to improve, innovate, economize or accomodate their customer base. That is why it is one of the things our government is supposed to protect us from. With real choice, public schools will get real competition and will be forced to do all of those things - improve, control costs, innovate and respond to the desires of parents in what and how they teach our children. Everyone wins.
I read it, but if you're still pushing "school choice" then right now you're just pushing underfunding public schools where our most at-risk kids go.
DeleteDisney is getting "blasted" right now because there's money in it for some, and because the GOP has no underlying policies and principles. So it lurches from outrage to outrage without any particular baseline of beliefs. As one teacher put it, "if I could indoctrinate children it would be to get them to put their phones away and finish their homework on time." If you think these latest Disney actions are serious then you're not paying attention. They're going to pass this law, realize the economic/political ramifications of shifting all that tax cost to the citizens, and walk it back while proclaiming victory of some sort. Or they'll pass something so vague it won't stand constitutional muster, which they'll know, then blame the courts when it is declared unconstitutional. The modern GOP is all show, no substance and this is yet another round of that.
Back to school choice, if you're against monopolies, will you be moving to put the utility companies in a free market? Your water, electric, wastewater treatment? All moving to free market?
The state is constitutionally required to provide education for minors in Arkansas. So the monopoly cry goes out the window when you remember that.
There will never be "real choice" in our state because the school choice movement in Arkansas is not trying to "end a monopoly." That's an empty talking point because even a cursory look at school finances in Arkansas tells you that if the non-public schools had to operate on the same terms as the public schools they would last about 10 seconds. The financial math doesn't work for them.
So the "school choice" movement is offering you good soundbites without telling you the truth that in our state at least it only creates further economic segregation. I suggest you follow the money behind "school choice" not only in terms of who is promoting it but in terms of the costs of actually running a school with the same rules as public schools.
I have to say, the "conservative" movement that cheered the Hobby Lobby case now cheering the Disney legislation is probably suffering from serious intellectual whiplash. That's what happens though when you're not guided by any principles.
Delete"big cities like Little Rock, NWA and Fort Smith"
ReplyDeleteWhat public transportation goes to any school in those cities? Maybe some in Little Rock??
A nation of hypocrites is what we are fostering. Politicians should not be allowed to send their children to private school - can we make that a law?! How will they ever understand the challenges of the majority of their constituents?
ReplyDeleteWow, that will never happen, but you make a great point and it might be the only way for our politicians to learn. Well said PaigeCG.
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