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RobertK · 02-19-2008, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron

I liked Ron Paul, until I got into the education part of his plans.

I can see, under his views, parents not educating their kids at all. They could take the money he gives to parents for home schooling and spend it on drugs/alchohol.

"I will veto any legislation that creates national standards or national testing for home school parents or students. I also believe that, as long as No Child Left Behind remains law, it must include the protections for home schoolers included in sec. 9506 (enshrining home schoolers’ rights) and 9527 (guaranteeing no national curriculum)."

I don't like it at all. That alone has the possibility to lower the [i]literacy rate[i] of our country. Currently, there is nothing holding parents back from educating their kids at home at a quicker pace, but with his new plans there will be no legal standards for education.

I disagree. As a graduated homeschooler I couldn't be more concerned about my education. The government isn't responsible for the education of the youth, the people are. And since society needs intelligent, well schooled people private and career oriented schools would sprout quickly. There are plenty of homeschooling materials for teaching children available on the market at present.

I know a lot of homeschoolers, current ones, and I can tell you there isn't a one who isn't intelligent and is possessed of full literacy. Even in the poor families I know they are better educated than most. The money he talks about are tax credits, and I can tell you the poor families I know who homeschool need these credits.

It is irresponsible to cling to a system that is failing, and it is proven to be failing. Our ancestors who crossed the continent heading west were far more intelligent and better schooled than your average public school graduate today. The tests they used still remain, and a frightening majority of modern students outright fail these tests.

Furthermore, when my father was in school half a century ago he saw signs that the system was failing that he still talks about today. Things have only gotten worse, and without a radical change we will be the worst educated country in the world while spending the most money on education. I don't want that.