Education

578 Responses




Ron Paul works towards the elimination of the inefficient Department of Education, leaving education decisions to be made at the state, local or personal level. Parents should have the right to spend their money on the school or method of schooling they deem appropriate for their children.

On November 14, 2008 Ron Paul said in a New York Times interview:

“First, the Constitution does not authorize the Department of Education, and the founders never envisioned the federal government dictating those education policies.

Second, it is a huge bureaucracy that squanders our money. We send billions of dollars to Washington and get back less than we sent. The money would be much better off left in states and local communities rather than being squandered in Washington.

Finally, I think that the smallest level of government possible best performs education. Teachers, parents, and local community leaders should be making decisions about exactly how our children should be taught, not Washington bureaucrats.

The Department of Education has given us No Child Left Behind, massive unfunded mandates, indoctrination, and in some cases, forced medication of our children with psychotropic drugs. We should get rid of all of that and get those choices back in the hands of the people.”

Note: This summary of Ron Paul’s position has been determined to be incomplete! Contact us to join RonPaul.com as a voluntary editor. Help us set the record straight and keep this page up-to-date.

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578 responses to “Education”

  1. Theresa Romano

    About the fact that the virgin birth of Jesus is akin to other myths told about other gods in other cultures can I also say…
    The flood story is the same as the ‘Atlantis’ type myth told in all cultures…
    The fall of man and the need to slay the serpent is like the ‘prince rescuing princess and slaying dragon story”….
    This only proves that there is a common core belief in all human cultures.
    From where?
    Why does every culture tell a flood story???
    Some cultures say the destroyed culture of Atlantis was advanced. So does the Bible. They say that in the days prior to Noah the civilation was advanced.
    Maybe there was a time where all of humanity was told the same thing.
    Then each went off and created a different version of the story.
    Maybe if there was a tower of Babel and languages were confused and humanity was dispersed then each culture, arising out of each new language, passed on the belief that a flood destroyed a very advanced civilization, and an evil serpent like being with the ability to corrupt the human psych will one day be overcome by a powerful God-man.
    Maybe the difference is that Christians believe the victory has already occured in the spiritual realm and will soon be manifest to all who believe that in a more physical realm.
    So yeh…all the mythical aspects are the same.
    But Christianity exhudes a hope and faith that ”it is finished” , the victory belongs to man and to all who will dare to hope that Jesus, a meek, humble, giving, sacrificing manifestation of all that is kind….is God.

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    1. Christine

      And the bible says Jesus is the son of God. It also says we are the sons and daughter of God.

      The bible defines God as love. “God is love. This love is an energy (=light), the highest, purest form of energy. We are this. We are light, we are energy, we are love. We are born from this spiritual energy, thus the terms like “Father” to help us understand something that is not of this world, but the energy realm we come from, manifesting temporarily in human form, just like Jesus and others, to have human experiences, to learn and to advance spiritually.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

      1. Dave

        You might not be reading enough of your Bible. The Lord only loves the righteous. Psalm 11:5-7.

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        1. Christine

          You might not know how to correctly interpret yours. Keep reading. Even better yet, add a breathing meditation to your day. You’ll get to where I am some day and understand.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

        2. Dave

          So what is the correct interpretation of “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares; fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous; he loveth righteousness: the upright shall behold his face.” ? In light of 1 Timothy 2:12, I don’t really see how you have a place in this, though. Continue to try to teach men and your pride will surely lead to your fall.

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        3. Christine

          It’s not my job to teach you or interpret for you. That is between you and the Lord, which is within you (not a person outside of you). It develops as you meditate and it will be your teacher.

          Nor is it your job to teach me, lest you fall.

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  2. Theresa Romano

    Reality,
    After debating with you on the abortion thread I have to let you know that we are in 100% agreement here. Would you believe I also homeschool three children. People don’t realize how much of an advantage the home-schooled children get.
    It is literally akin to having a private tutor.
    Why does Sylavan learning center advertise that they can improve a child’s understanding of any subject in two months…with only three hours a week of tutoring?
    It’s because that is more than the public school gives them in a year…in some cases.
    Teachers in the public school could be the best ever and often are but…children are in large classrooms competing with other children who have totally different learning styles.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    1. Reality Calling

      Well, we can’t disagree on everything ; )

      I do think it is more than one-on-one attention that makes homeschooling a better option, although that it certainly a large part of it. Have you read Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto? Or read his “7 Lesson School Teacher” speech? If not I highly recommend Googling it. The basic issue is that school teachers are not there to teach children actual information, but rather to teach them how to become good sheeple-that’s why the schools still stand when they are a complete academic failure. The government school is not about academics, it is about raising/training children, so it is only natural that most children who come out of it are academically sub par.

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      1. Mark Owens

        Reality Calling, i have never read this by John Gatto and i will google it. Check out this book which is free to download called The Deliberate Dumbing Down Of America by: Charlotte Iserbyte. she was Ronald Reagans foreign policy advisor. She has compiled YEARS of research, interviews, policies and proof that we have been dumbed down for the last 100+ years and they/council on foreign relations /and our own govt. Google this free download. and tell everyone that will listen.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  3. Christine

    Art Genius Akiane Kramarik Child Prodigy !
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw7s4pjHSR8

    3 year old Genius
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrdRrAjpcDM

    Six year old girl wows Simon
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHND2TOSssM&feature=related

    The Original Video of Lilly: The World Map Master
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r43yCiKlbCo&feature=related

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  4. Nashville Girl

    Mr. Paul
    do you really want to know what I think about education? send all the Mexicans home and we will have money to educate our children. Why would I say that? well I stumbled into a closed meeting for adminstrators only of colleges surrounding Tn. and Ky. I can not disclose how I was able to take this liberty, but the information flying around this room made me mad enough to write you.
    The purpose of the meeting at Voulnteer State Community college was to find lou-pools in the paper work for finical aide allowing illegals to go to school on the dime of United States Citizens. These school adminstrators were instructing there staff to not fill in the citizen status, claming she dose it and it has not been questioned, and was able to get pell grants for illegal Mexicans. The adminstrator from Ky. stood up and said our government needed to run their government like Hitler!!!! needless to say she was from outer space or she was a crake head, who knows?

    What I do know is over my three years of going to this school I was able be-friend people that know all of the corruption going on even in our colleges in the United States.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3

  5. Christine

    Here’s a real education about our financial system, credit cards, fractional reserve banking, loans, the 9 yards of how we have been scammed into being slaves and losers in this monetary game, but how we can be winners. They don’t teach us the truth about finances, exchanges, our history, or our laws. We are under contract law, not constitutional or bill of rights as law. If we understand that, as the author explains, then we CAN play their game successfully! A MUST READ! I’m only part way through this 96 page e-book that someone in the forum shared, but oh, my goodness, how illuminating.

    HOW I CLOBBERED EVERY BUREAUCRATIC
    CASH-CONFISCATORY AGENCY KNOWN TO MAN

    http://www.freedomfiles.org/mary-book.pdf

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

  6. Pistol

    I think that religion is a form of education.. albeit a brainwashing..

    To understand the origins of religion is to understand much of our true heritage & history of modern man.. Religion was created by the same forces that rule our world today. Banking & Finance, Politics & Religion, Media, Medical & Military are all created and or controlled by the same forces… Here is a quick bit of info for anyone convinced that religion is real and the Jesus is their savour… By the way, Jesus DID NOT Exist.. The word Jesus is symbolic, and was not a real living person.. Study of all the facts clearly concludes this to be true. To see the LIE that is religion is to receive a valuable education.

    OK, a little quiz. Who am I talking about?

    He was born to a virgin by immaculate conception through the intervention of a holy spirit. This fulfilled an ancient prophecy. When he was born the ruling tyrant wanted to kill him. His parents had to flee to safety. All male children under the age of two were slain by the ruler as he sought to kill the child. Angels and shepherds were at his birth and he was given gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. He was worshipped as the saviour of men and led a moral and humble life. He performed miracles which included healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, casting out devils and raising the dead. He was put to death on the cross between two thieves. He descended to hell and rose from the dead to ascend back to heaven.

    Sounds exactly like Jesus doesn’t it? But it’s not. That is how they described the Eastern saviour god known as Virishna 1,200 years before Jesus is claimed to have been born. If you want a saviour god who died so our sins could be forgiven, take your pick from the ancient world because there are a stream of them, all originating with the Aryan and reptile-Aryan race that came out of the Near East and the Caucasus Mountains.

    Here are just some of the ‘Son of God’ heroes who play the lead role in stories which mirror those attributed to Jesus and almost all were worshipped long before Jesus was even heard of:
    • Khrishna of Hindostan
    • Buddha Sakia of India
    • Salivahana of Bermuda
    • Osiris and Horus of Egypt
    • Odin of Scandinavia
    • Crite of Chaldea
    • Zoroaster of Persia
    • Baal and Taut of Phoenicia
    • Indra of Tibet
    • Bali of Afghanistan
    • Jao of Nepal
    • Wittoba of Bilingonese
    • Tammuz of Syria and Babylon
    • Attis of Phrygia
    • Xamolxis of Thrace
    • Zoar of the Bonzes
    • Adad of Assyria
    • Deva Tat and Sammonocadam of Siam
    • Alcides of Thebes
    • Mikado of the Sintoos
    • Beddru of Japan
    • Hesus or Eros, and Bremrillahm, of the Druids
    • Thor, son of Odin, of the Gauls
    • Cadmus of Greece
    • Hil and Feta of Mandaites
    • Gentaut and Quetzalcoatl of Mexico
    • Universal Monarch of the Sibyls
    • Ischy of Formosa
    • Divine Teacher of Plato
    • Holy One of Xaca
    • Fohi and Tien of China
    • Adonis, son of virgin lo, of Greece
    • Ixion and Quirinus of Rome
    • Prometheus of the Caucasus
    • Mohammed or Mahomet, of Arabia 22
    All but a few of those ‘sons of God’ or ‘prophets’, and the mind-prison religions founded in their names, come from the very lands occupied or influenced by peoples emerging from the Near East and the Caucasus. The lands of the Aryans and reptile-Aryans. Other ‘sons of God’ included Mithra or Mithras, the pre-Christian Roman-Persian god, and in Greece and Asia Minor they had Dionysus and Bacchus. These were sons of God who died so our sins could be forgiven, born of a virgin mother, and their birthdays were on… December 25th!

    In other words, Religion is a BIG LOAD of SHIT. The stories used in the bible were stolen from other ‘saviours’. Christians are meant to read the bible and take it literally, which keep them firmly imprisoned by their own minds. Initiates into the secret societies read the hidden coding within the bible and understand the symbolic nature of names, places and events and DONT take the stories literally. WAKE UP

    Peace I AM
    P xo

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 3

    1. Joan

      I love your post. Religious people tend to skip the part about getting an education because their churches tell them how the Earth was created, how humans were created and that god will help them with everything, so they think they know what is real and have no need for education. That’s the problem. I didn’t mean anything negative when I said I liked Huckabee. I’m an atheist from San Francisco, far from a religious person from Arkansas, I was just going by things he had said about a flat tax and him challenging Obama’s policies. Ryan explained it to me so I better understand now that Huckabee thinks Christians are the only real Americans and things like that. Anyway, loved, loved your post. I wish I could copy it into a chat board in MSNBC where there are like five super religious women in there really mad at all the non-believers. You can’t make them get it that men made gods, you can’t get them to debate god, can’t get through, no way, no how. One says god made her have a child and made her get fat to make her humble. You have no idea. Arguing with idiots??

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1

      1. Dave

        Sorry, to both of you, but it’s “one nation, under God,” where “in God we trust,” and our elected officials and our soldiers swear oaths ending, “so help me God.” Since you haven’t read the Constitution, apparently, let me get you started:

        “We, the people of the United States, humbly acknowledging Almighty God as the source of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus Christ as the Ruler among the nations, His revealed will as the supreme law of the land, in order to constitute a Christian government, and in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the inalienable rights and the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to ourselves and our posterity, and all the people, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 6

        1. Fluidly Unsure

          Might I ask where you got that?

          If it came from sarcasm you might want to use a smiley or two. If it is serious then please let me know.

          Sounds like a preamble or statement of purpose. The one I know it is nothing like that. But maybe I’ve been taught wrong and all my books are wrong so I did some RD on the internet finds:

          “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

          http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Preamble
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution#Preamble:_Statement_of_purpose
          http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

          I’m sure I can go on, but now it is your turn. Please make a decent rebuttal that I can learn from it.

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          1. Dave

            You won’t likely find it in the godless expanses of the internet. It’s part of the vision of restoring the Constitution to its original, biblically-guided wording and intent. The Secular Progressives have been working to destroy that history for two centuries and we see the fruit of their labors in the state of our country today.

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        2. Billo

          Wow. You’ve come close to copying theVirginia Act for Religious Freedom, before its final draft. According to author Thomas Jefferson:

          “Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting ‘Jesus Christ,’ so that it would read “A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;” the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination.”

          Ah, so.

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  7. Jason

    Wow…to quote what you said…”The Department of Education has given…..and in come cases, forced medication of our children with psychotropic drugs.”

    Are you kidding me? I have worked in a public school for 12 years and I have never heard of The Department of Education forcing a parent to medicate their child. I have 3 children of my own..and guess what? Not once has the Dept. of Ed. asked me, or forced me, to medicate my children. I came to your website thinking I wanted to learn more about your ideas and as someone I could vote for President. After reading this…..not a chance!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 8

    1. Reality Calling

      Prior to 2005 many parents were told by their school district to put children on Ritalin (or it’s equivalent) or their child would be kicked out of school. A law has since passed that banned this coercive practice, however many schools still put heavy pressure parents to put their children on psychotropic drugs after they are labeled “ADD/ADHD”…which basically applies to any child who does not behave as like an adult when chained behind a desk for 8 hours a day. Any agency which would intrude on the lives of families like that is obviously corrupt, and just because it has been prevented from participating in that specific practice doesn’t mean that it is magically a good organization now.

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  8. Ryan

    I agree with Ron Paul. We should eliminate the Department of Education, and leave it to the parents to choose what is best for their own kids as far as education goes. As for a public option, which I believe should be available as well, it should be at the state or local level and not a federal bureaucracy.
    The federal government has no business indoctrinating our children with their agendas in mind.

    As someone who attended both public and private schools as a child, I can tell you that the private schools I attended were miles ahead of the public schools. I learned more in any given month at the private schools than I did in a year at the public schools.

    As a kid, I surely hated the 40 mile daily public bus drive to private school, but in hind sight it was well worth it. And if it were the norm, nation wide, that wouldn’t be an issue at all. There could be many different school selections for the parents to choose from. Kids with special needs or special talents could receive the education they need, and deserve, to become productive adults. On the other hand, the Federally designed public schools are like “off the rack” clothing, one size supposedly fits all, when in fact it fits nobody.

    We can do much better with a privatized school system, leaving a public option locally run.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 3

    1. michelle

      well said, I am so happy to find a group of Americans that think and actually know whats going on.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1

      1. Ryan

        Thank you. :)

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    2. Frank

      A private school will always be miles ahead of a public school. A private school can pick who they want at their school. They do not have to enroll the bottom 50% of the population. They do not have to accept the students who can’t read or have behavior problems.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3

      1. Dave

        I know, right? They don’t have to waste their money on educating kids who obviously won’t go anywhere with it. There would still be schools who would accept them. Plenty of parents would still be willing to throw away money on them and SOMEONE will see the potential in that market.

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      2. Reality Calling

        What is your excuse then, Frank, for the fact that homeschooled children have higher test scores than government schooled children? Government school children test in the 50th percentile in combined core subjects whereas homeschooled children score in the 88th percentile. Parents certainly don’t eliminate their children if they don’t test well or have behavior issues. Many homeschooled children even have disabilities and/or special needs, and yet match them up with their peers in government schools and the difference is obvious.

        25% of students in Texas government high schools during the 2007 school year could not say what country was on the border directly south of the United States. That same year, 45% of Washington students could not name the country directly north of them. My homeschooled six year old can name both and find them on an unmarked world map (along with Brazil, Argentina, the US, China, Australia, South Africa, Madagascar, India, Russia, Italy, Israel…)

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    3. Reality Calling

      Ryan-I would take it one step farther and say that those who choose to use government education should be the only ones to pay for it, on a local level of course, but with that footnote I agree with you.

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  9. chris kranjec

    http://www.harlemsuccess.org/about/school-culture

    This school is a perfect example of how when the government doesn’t get involved, education is improved, and its in one of the worst areas in the country. Also the teachers make more money than than public government run schools

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1

    1. Dave

      Charter schools really do great things, but unfortunately they still receive public funds. Why should my taxes be supporting something that has nothing to do with me? No more public schools. No more student financial aid.

      If parents want their kids to get a quality education they need to get involved with the schools and teachers and pay for it themselves. Public education acts against the success of private schools and provides substandard results.

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      1. Frank

        How much will tuition be per child for the top school that provide “quality” education? Just like buying a car, the best are the most expensive.

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        1. Dave

          If you want better, you have to pay for it. If you can’t afford to send your kids to the quality of school you want to, then maybe you need to take a look at yourself and get right with God. Besides, not every kid should get an advanced degree.

          Why waste the resources on the ones that should be ditch-diggers and gas-pumpers? Someone has to do those jobs and if your parents didn’t want better for you badly enough to work for it, maybe you’ll work harder for YOUR kids.

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          1. Frank

            “Right with God?” Sounds like what you are saying is that people who can not afford something are not “right with God” and just “do not work hard enough?”

            What does being “right with God” have to do with income and being able to afford something? Unless in your mind the poor = criminal.

            A HS diploma is not an advanced degree.

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      2. frank

        Because it has everything to do with you. I do not drive on the same road as you, yet my taxes go to paying for your roads. What do you think all those kids will do if they have no education and no opportunities to make a living?

        Either your tax dollars will go to making productive citizens or your tax dollars will go to locking up unproductive citizens.

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        1. Dave

          Why does road maintenance have to be funded by taxes? What’s wrong with toll roads? Every dollar that goes into a government road crew is a dollar stolen from an entrepreneur who could be EARNING that dollar. It’s wasted in an inefficient bloated system of waste that doesn’t make anyone wealthy.

          Also, I wasn’t able to directly reply to the other one because it seems the system only allows so many replies per thread. As far as getting right with God goes, I say you have to look at where you are and look at the choices you made that got you there. Everything happens according to God’s will, you know. Poverty has causes, and despite the best efforts of liberals, it still has consequences.

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          1. Jennifer

            Yeah, kids get leukemia, children are born into abuse, neglectful homes, kids are starving and dying in Africa all because God wants them to. If that’s your idea of a loving and caring God, you can have him. I’ll live my life by my own convictions with reason and objective morality as my guide.

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  10. Agne Nkunyane

    I think it is a good idea to let the Teachers,Parents and local community leaders to make decisions about exactly how thier children’s education should be constracted.I also think Children must also be included hence they are the one’s to perform the learning.

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  11. longshotlouie

    Obama’s Message to Schoolchildren

    http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=672

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    1. christine

      He’s certainly not an American role model for children. The best thing we can do for our children and grandchildren is to teach them to think for themselves, not what to think, but how to think. The last frontier is to have control of our own minds. Far too much brainwashing and programming going on by those who have an overt need to control everyone and everything, as if! Children must be prepared to deal with it, to value themselves, their own creative minds, their own thoughts, to express their own values and high principles.

      People with titles are just that.

      If we all must be alike, one of us is not necessary.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1

  12. Chandler

    Has anyone heard any news on education vouchers?

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  13. Christine

    Obama wants the govt to handle all of the college loans now. Does this mean the govt will control who goes and who doesn’t? Govt programs have a very low success rate, additional costs to the taxpayers for their salaries and benefits that we don’t even get for ourselves. Inequity. Unjust. Control control control. If only the federal govt would actually do the job they were given according to the constitution and leave the rest alone. They have to acknowledge their limitations someday or we’ll have to help them acknowledge it.

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    1. Joan

      He did okay with this move. Someone in here will hate me for saying this, but I think so much like Dick Morris, I think something, he says it. He liked the government running the student loans. Morris said, one of the best things Obama has done. The way it was, all schools would go to the feds anyway for pell grants and for loans, then the government would tell schools which lenders they could use for the loans, and then those banks would process the loans and they could raise interest charges as they wish. What Obama did is cut out the middle man so to speak. Now, no banks issuing the loans the federal government approves, the feds approve the loans directly, they keep the interest on the loans very low, they save money, and now they are giving out much larger Pell Grants. Obama said people shouldn’t have to go into a lot of debt to be able to get an education. I think he did good on this one. JMO, well, me and Dick Morris.

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  14. TJ Davis

    This is an issue that may not get a lot of attention but is dear to me …PLEASE URGE your Representatives to VOTE NO to HR 2054

    Here was my brief hurried letter:

    I am urging to all of my Senators and congressmen to NOT Pass the HR 2054, No Child Left Inside act of 2009

    This was originally a way to get kids outside and learn about nature and conservation and has now been bastardized into an environmental cause instead of what it was originally intended. Currently they are many programs, FREE programs that are not using tax payers dollars and government guidelines that dictate how the programs are taught.

    Do Not pass this bill, VOTE NO. The Department of Education should not get a foothold in this area especially when so much is still just theory. Basically its just another money grab by a bloated useless government organization that needs to be disbanded.

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  15. Education

    Nice post! Very complete and detail information. That

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  16. Jeremy

    RON PAUL YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    1. edna

      With Ron Paul’s policies the rich kids will do fine!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 8

  17. longshotlouie

    Technological Demonizing
    http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=110010

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    1. Janice

      Where’s Your Homework, Mr. President?

      Greg Palast gets a lesson from super-teacher Bill Roney. Listen to the podcast on ActionPoint radio.

      Monday, September 7, 2009

      While I’m disturbed that Obama has adopted George Bush’s war on Afghanistan, Super-teacher Roney is concerned that Obama has, weirdly, inexplicably, adopted Bush’s war on educators, a program best described as No Child’s Behind Left.

      Roney has taken a heavy red pencil to the President’s Bush-Lite program, and found five big fat errors that need correcting:

      to read the 5 things that need correcting……..
      http://www.gregpalast.com/wheres-your-homework-mr-president/#more-2785

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

  18. longshotlouie

    50 page introduction to the 150th anniversary edition of ‘Origin of Species’.

    (Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible)
    http://assets.livingwaters.com/pdf/OriginofSpecies.pdf

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

  19. christine

    The Rockefellers established the Dept. of Education. That ought to tell you something right there. They control what is taught. That’s why we know little about money, our true American history including our mistakes, …they want us to be happy to be just serfs, serving the elite.

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  20. Alan Cherne

    Research Charlotte Iserbyt and the Deliberate Dumbing Down of America, it exposes how our education system is nothing more than state imposed brainwashing.

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  21. Evergreen2U

    Does anyone disagree that an educated and healthy people make for a strong economy and nation?

    If only the rich are educated and healthy we create an increasingly stratified and consequently weakened society. Stratified societies also tend to become unstable through time if history is any help at all.

    Public education ensures a base line education for all. A Public Health option ensures baseline health for all. Both are part of the commons like roads and air and water. They are NECESSARY to promote the general welfare. They aren’t regional necessities; they are the necessities of a nation and require some homogenity to be of full use.

    No institution, be it government or privately run entity (or no one human for that matter) is ever perfect …but I guarantee it is going to get worse as we are now running out of resources at the same time we are increasing pollution and people and haven’t found the sustainable path for our little spaceship earth (yet?).

    We can each say “I’ve got mine, the hell with you” or we can say, “united we stand, divided we fall”. As onward through the carbon haze we trudge.

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  22. Richard

    Schools should be run like a business. When I get a bad product I bring it back. We erronously accept the presentation of knowledge by the school systems as being adequate for all. It is not. When a consumer thinks they are not getting what they wanted for the money they provided they can try another presentation of the product. The products can be sold at little stores. I am tired of this system! No child left behind, utter BS.

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  23. christine

    In order to disolve and then create a system “we the people” would agree to, with our morals, values and priciples as human beings to human beings, we have to get at the root of the problem.

    The elitists, the bankers, control our educational system and have for many years. That’s the foundation upon which America has built the educational system. With that in mind, we can more easily see the corruption in our educational system. If the foundation is bad, all else that is built on top of it will not, and could not be good, nor what we want. We see it clearly in our financial system. Same deal in the educational system.

    The Rockefellers founded the Department of Education!

    It was designed to control what the people in America learn. Many acknowledge that the education is not designed to be at our best or to know the truth. Our American history, for example, is distorted into what they would like us to believe, but is not so. We are then unprepared to properly understand our politics of today. This system, from the foundation guidelines set by the Rockefellers needs to be revamped by sincere and honest folks who are free from this bias. Then, and only then, I believe we could build a great educational system from ground on up that serves all of us well.

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    1. kitty

      Exactly! Thank you – anyone who doubts this, PLEASE read John Taylor Gatto, I would also recommend reading the Constitution, and the Amendments. Which are difficult to obtain in original wording, without paying a fee – what does that say?

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  24. Jan

    Government is in the dumming down business not educating.
    Government is into creating joblessness not educating.
    Government is into destroying the youths minds and their morals not educating……
    Government took prayer out of schools and made God bad.
    Government wants to destroy your mind, and see you waste it, not to raise YOU up to a higher level.
    Government is into to mind control not freedom to think and to speak out about what you think……government wants to rule your mind, not to free it…….to invent or to create.
    Government wants you worshipping idols and to distort your thinking with sex and drugs.
    Money is their game……not your education…..

    The Illuminati Tsunami is fast approaching and nearly at our doorsteps, but I still stand on dry ground for which my Lord has parted the sea for me to walk in……….my eyes are on the sparrow and my heart is with the Spirit of the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    forever Jan in Christ!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3

  25. Never Forget
  26. VR

    Franken voter cracks
    http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=104318

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  27. Eric

    I see little difference in funding or running education at the state/local level except that most people don’t know as much about their local governments and local policies.

    When you leave decisions to the local level you get school boards approving science curriculum about Eve petting dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden and Sex Ed material about the dangers of condoms. Because national news outlets don’t really cover (‘insert you’re county here’).

    But heres something that might work well at a local level.

    A solution to our education system. Imagine for a moment, a 14 year old, who knows as much about any school subject as most 14 year olds do about The World of Warcraft (WoW).

    Computer/Video gaming as an educational medium was tried by a few gaming companies, and was quite successful. However gaming was still seen by the industry in general as entirely entertainment. Why? Because because thats how they sell games.

    Edugaming failed because
    1 the gaming technology available at the time was very limited. Making games was more about working with what you could make.
    2 Edugames weren’t mainstream, and since nobody got their allowance for winning ‘Castle of Dr.Brain’. Super Mario Bros made the Christmas list and Edutainment did not.
    3 Due to the limited technology, Edugaming was limited to essentially testing a players knowledge of a subject. Gameing tech just didn’t have the versatility to actually teach much of anything.

    In spite of its limited application edugames were highly effective in teaching their subjects. Players actually asked their parents or teachers what they needed to continue their games and retained it.

    If local schools bought games which taught the various subjects in a manor applicable to a curriculum based school environment, then the gaming industry would be clamoring to make the best, most immersive and educational games with the best built in teacher and faculty support possible. Industry games would attempt teach subjects as widely as possible, trying to find any niche of learning that could be more easily and more thoroughly taught through games.

    Entertainment is absorbed into the brain much faster than you can cram it down anyones throat from a whiteboard.

    If the gaming industry can market to a 9 year old the absolute importance of whether L3 Intellect buff increases critical strike chance on certain spells more then a charm with a greater Intellect bonus, based on the order said values are calculated, then just how hard would it be for a gaming industry to teach kids how to find the Least Common Denominator?

    That was a long sentence. It would have been so much longer if I had explained a more typical scenario in many popular MMORPGs.

    To put this into perspective, as I type this there are thousands of children who have not yet covered order of operations in math class who are currently disobeying their parents and comparing WoW items on WoWhead.com.

    They are using a limited prerequisite knowledge of the order of operations to even be able to calculate the benefits of various stat bonuses. With the reluctant help of friends they are working with concepts that haven’t been introduced in their math class. Unfortunately this probably won’t raise their grades much because WoW only requires some of the math.

    Unfortunately math is the only subject even touched by any games, with the exception some history in various WWII games or civilization builders for example. But thats kinda like learning from movies, the accuracy isn’t all that great when the only purpose is fun. Besides, steampunk is is taking over and putting historical games in a fantasy world.

    What keeps Edutainment from becoming the standard of education?
    It’s not the tech
    It’s not the versatility of the mediums
    It’s because we expect schools to teach our kids with the same system that was used in ancient Babylon in the Copper age so we can continue our adult lives.

    They used chalk and a slate, we use pen and paper. They used scrolls, we use books. They used a 16″ leather strap, we deduct from their allowances. They had 4 to 6 students to a teacher, we have 30 to 40 students to a teacher.

    All the information tech has changed and grown, from pigeons and papyrus to the internet cell phone and documentaries. Schools have slowly incorporated some of this informations tech, but the teaching itself has remained the same.

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  28. Lindsay

    As a teacher, in my opinion, No Child Left Behind has done horrible things to education. It has caused teachers to simply ‘teach to the test.’ For many teachers, this means dumbing down the curriculum, not being able to actively engage our students or promote critical thinking skills, teaching to tests rather than real world applications, and in Arkansas, Kindergarteners who are scared to death because AR thought it was a good idea to go ahead and start testing them in K. Now, great teachers still find time and energy to accomplish all of these things. But, it is tough. NCLB has not done what it was supposed to. I understand that we need accountability. There are some teachers out there who don’t have the drive to accomplish the goals every day on their own. Fire them. But, we should not punish our children. And, that is what NCLB has done in my opinion. Young children learn through hands on activities, being actively engaged in their own learning, through play, and through real world applications. NCLB takes that away from many teachers because they are so worried about their kids passing this test (because they are afraid that they will lose their job), that they spend their time teaching to the test.

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  29. Christine

    You know how they build a Home Depot store in Chicago, IL that is exactly the same as the store in Seattle, WA…. so that when I travel to IL and go into the store, I know right where to find the item I’m looking for…..Do that for schools! Each state is responsible for overseeing that the work gets done. Change the way education is paid for, not by local taxpayers of each school because that varies too much per population areas. This shouldn’t be that difficult. If Home Depot, Wal-mart, K-Mart, Safeway, Albertsons, Lowes, etc. can do it, so can the states concerning schools. Education needs to be back on top of the list of American priorities!

    Stop spending money making enemies around the world and take care of our business at home! It’s our money and we want it spent here in USA.

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  30. Tamara

    As a professor, the “No child left behind” act has in reality harmed the students and the population in general. The level of reading, writing, and mathematical ability has declined considerably. The majority of the students that are being taught in private and community colleges really should have never graduated from high school as they are lacking key skills. And, some colleges urge the professors to pass the students so they can continue to receive funding. This only leads to an increasing population of idiots entering the workforce. And we wonder why this country has gone down hill.

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    1. ant

      kids who goes to private schools are better equipped study shows

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  31. Nelly

    My problem with privatizing schools is that while it may improve schools, give kids that individual attention they need and have actual teaching going on, there will likely be a whole segment of the country (those families living on around $40,000 or less a year) who simply won’t have the ability to send their children to school. Even if competition between school drive prices down to really cheap, it won’t matter. Even if school cost around $1000 to $2000 a year (which is cheap for a private school), if a family is barely putting food on the table then they are not very likely spend that kind of money on sending their child to school. Or maybe if they have 2 or 3 children, they will chose only to send 1. Another problem I can see happening is what if we run into another recession or economic downturn; people lose their job, start having trouble with their mortgage, start facing foreclosure and suddenly they can’t pay for little Suzie’s education or have to send her to a different, less costly school. Free public education give parents a certainty that no matter what happens to them, whether they lose their job, have some costly medical problem, death in the family, etc. that their children will always have an education.
    I would actually prefer that instead of a fully private or fully public school that we have something in between (semi-private). Where parents have to pay a certain amount (depending on their income) to the school that is educating their children. This would help lower taxes because parents will carry most of the cost of education rather than taxpayers. This would give schools an incentive for improving because they would want to attract parents (especially parents with higher income). This would also facilitate parental involvement because parents would want to get their money’s worth of the education that they are paying for. As far as national tax dollars, schools and states can decided if they want to meet national education standards are not; with the money from parents and state and local taxes they shouldn’t need fedeal money, but a federal guideline should at least be established to give a benchmark. Or even just national test for select grades that can be used across the country to judge where your child places nationally. This would let parents know if their school is teching their child adequately.

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    1. kitty

      Parents already pay for schools through taxes. The government uses the funds unwisely, would it not be better to spend our school tax dollars how we see fit on our own? My school taxes are higher than the cost of homeschooling and equal to the cost of private schools in my area, yet I still have to pay them AND the costs of other methods of schooling if I choose them.

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      1. Nelly

        I know parents pay for school through taxes but I’m talking about a more direct way -money for a specific school, for your individual child. Not the mass allocation of funds that filtered through the education system (like with taxes). That way the money would be more transparent and parents can decided which public school (if any) would get their money. Also parents who want to home school or send their kids to private schools obviously wont pay. Though they still will have to pay a small tax for local schools -children are the future of our country and everyone benefits when ppl invest in their education. Thats my proposal.

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        1. kitty

          I like your ides, but doubt they would work in the real world, too many would get caught up in the fight over who pays what and why, and they would all have valid arguments. Maybe it would work on a local level in some areas.

          I definitely agree that children are our future and education is important, but education is not the same as school. I agree with RP on this one, keep the schools local and make local decisions regarding the children in our communities. One thing lacking is not just responsibility on the part of parents, but of communities as a whole. If we had to make these decisions on a local level, we would care more, know our neighbors more, and be more involved in education as a whole. Yes there would be those who refused to do so, but there are more now who just do not invest because it is another’s job to care.

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    2. dan

      Hi Nelly, there actually IS a good solution to the school system: ALL schools should be private, but if a family cannot pay for their kids’ education, then the government will pay the tuition. That increases competition so if your kids are doing well in a private school where the government is paying the tuition (and of course other kids in the school are having their parents pay for it, depending on income), if your kids are doing very well, getting good grades and all, the government could put your kids in a highly-rated private school at no cost.

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  32. Jan

    Here’s one way to free us……
    Ayn Rand’s essay “Government Financing in a Free Society” published in The Virtue of Selfishness
    Taxation would be replaced with voluntary financing methods under capitalism
    How is government supported under capitalism?

    A government is supported under capitalism through voluntary financing methods.

    How will one support government without taxation?

    The removal of all taxation would be the last step to implement in the transition to a free capitalist society. The costs of a proper government — with an army (engaged only in self-defense and not imperialism), a court system, and a police force — are very small, and easily paid for by voluntary financing methods. Such methods are used by nonprofit agencies, like churches, to raise billions of dollars. Observe how one “know nothing capitalist” Ted Turner recently gave a billion dollars to a useless, anti-capitalist organization like the United Nations.
    Why would voluntary methods fail to work under our present system?

    Only if one wants to turn government into an engine of the welfare state/new world-order (‘one country, with one big leash tied around its neck’, with the untouchable bureaucrats of the ‘United Nations’ holding the leash), do voluntary methods fail to work.

    Most people (not all) would voluntarily give 5 or 10% of their income to support a government that protects rights; practically no one would give 50% to 90% of their income to support a mixed economy/welfare state, which is why the government uses lethal force to physically take it away from you.

    Who would want to voluntarily pay for that? Perhaps a few people would, but they are the ones who think that they will get to hold onto the leash.

    http://www.capitalism.org/faq/taxation.htm

    take the tour of Capitalism.org………
    http://www.capitalism.org/tour/

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  33. Ryan J

    There should not be tax dollars for schools. Schools should also not be run by the government (inefficient). Couple’s who decide to have children should simply pay for their child’s education. It’s the most fair and each school should be privately run.

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    1. James

      What an idiotic statement. Don’t educate the poor, then wonder why they stay poor. Then you’ll complain about increased crime and welfare, DUH!

      Raising academic standards and holding students accountable for reaching them before moving to the next class would be much better than the current system. Claifornia tried an exit exam, more minorities failed = unconstitutional = no student accountability. Also implementing tracking similar to every other industrialized country would be much more efficient. Some students aren’t going to be doctors, let them learn a trade in HS instead of dumbing down chemistry so everyone can pass.

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    2. kitty

      James,

      You are correct in saying that crime and welfare are a result of education, but incorrect in assuming that public school educates.

      Many of the best minds in our country now and in our past are dropouts, self educated. School took away the right of a child to properly learn a trade through apprenticeship, which would qualify as education. It corrupts our desire to learn by making the process unduly difficult. Try looking at documented literacy rates from military rejects in the wars of the past century, you will find that as public schooling increases – literacy DROPS.

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  34. Rick G.

    It is possible to acquire a HS diploma online, and many home school organizations have come together to have their states recognize home school education. Here are a couple of links.
    http://www.hslda.org/highschool/diploma.asp
    http://www.home-school.com/Articles/HomeschoolDiplomas.html

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  35. internet high school diploma at home

    It is possible to acquire high school diploma online through accredited home schooling

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  36. John

    during my time in the educational system i think back on it as a period of time in which i felt repressed and chided. I was used as a state aid case for “special kids” because i was uncooperative and “distracted”. Around 8th grade i started to move my self from a special needs case having realized i had been taught the same thing year after year. It stunted i feel an important moment in my life.

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  37. we the people

    guys we need to stay focused, our main priority should be to ensure that the fed is audited. just today i sent the fax sheet for H R 1207 to every representative and senator in NY and NJ. I live in the Bronx and i can assure the moment i tell someone auditing the federal reserve they are immediately interested. we have to stay on course and let as many people as possible know about the fed. i came across a website call warnthepeople.org and they use a series of videos to enlighten people on bankers agenda.
    along with a flier we should also refer people to sites like this for more information on the fed for it will save us from having to print all the info. again stay focused we need 2/3 of the house and senate to co-sponsor this bill. and ultimately its up to us whether we succeed or not.

    ps if you guys have any creative ideas on how to spread the word and bring more people to our cause please post.

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  38. ant

    and click on (stupid in america)

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  39. ant

    in the us privatising schools are the best way to go .competition of schools would make schools better and cheaper.

    go on youtube put in /john stossel privatising schools/ and learn about it

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    1. Nelly

      I agree that privatizing schools would make some schools better. But I’m sure there will be plenty of schools that will decide, since they wouldn’t be getting government funding, that they will be middle-performing schools that will target middle and poor income families who can not afford expensive high performing schools. Privatizing education will only create a system where the rich can send their kids to the best schools, with the best highly paid teachers, best activities and cutting edge programs while everyone else falls in line along their social-economic standings. My parents were not rich, but I got to go to a nice school because of the area we were in. If schools were privatized, it is likely that my parents could afford to send me, my brother and my sister to such good schools. Take it from someone who just left public school, the problem isn’t with funding, teachers or administration (though they can all take some blame) the main problem is that half of the kids in public schools act like animals. These kids are not thought how to behave in school and it is the problem of bad parenting.

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      1. ant

        through competition there will be cheaper schools

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  40. Be Real

    I see the basic premise for Dr. Paul’s position on Education. What it doesn’t explain is how there will be parity in the educational level received from state to state. Picture a system where a child from Alabama could never aspire to go to a New York school because the system he is in is inherently inferior?

    The system now is broken but to leave this up individual states would be a mistake because we are one country and the education needs to have barometer that crosses borders.

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    1. RonnieP

      Leaving education to be run by educators and the community makes more sense that a federal mandate. Our daughter attends an independent (private) school and her experiences has been phenomenal. She went to public school for two years and was left to fall through the cracks in an over-populated classroom (just like all others.) Now, she benefits from small class sizes, individualized learning plans, foreign language immersion, theater, art and music programs, technology classes- I could could go on and on. There is no reason the public schools could not provide the same if they were not crushed by bureaucracy, meaningless standardized tests, and crowded classrooms. Bill Gates as some interesting ideas- he understands that we are preparing our children for jobs that don’t even exist yet. The days of sitting at a desk all day and then spitting back what you’ve learned on a test are over. Interactive learning, learning to be a creative thinker with creative ideas and solutions- that is what we need in every school today.

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  41. Ryan Twedt

    Dr. Paul I agree with everything that you have about Government spending except on this one. You off all people know what Education can do for someone. It enlightens them in some degree. Allows life to be a little more brighter and easier to see. Knowledge and truth become common ground. Education for people, is like water for plants. Human beings are the BEST investment that this Earth has produced. We are just really confused right now. Mr. Paul, I didn’t even know how our Government was even structured like, let alone learn the constitution, until I was paying $3,500 a semester plus books while making $8.65 as an underpaid Computer Tech at a local Office Supply Store. Granted they raised the minimum wage and washed out all the growth I made, on income ladder, out from underneath me. Everything else went up in cost and guess what they didn’t raise my pay.
    Grants and Harsh Student loans needs money and pay more to teachers. Honestly, I wouldn’t have gone to college if I didn’t find a company to pay for it. Thank you Qwest! I support Ron Paul!
    Vote Ron Paul 2012!!!!!

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    1. One Way

      I’m sure RP agrees with you that education is important and valuable. However, that doesn’t mean that education has to be instituted at the federal level. It can be run privately (like most colleges and universities), or at the state level. And, research shows that the number one most effective place to learn is in the home. Not that home should be the only place that children learn, but parents’ involvement in educating their children through every day situations is priceless.

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      1. ant

        private schooling is better than state schooling

        state schooling is just like federal schooling

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    2. One Way

      I’m sure RP agrees with you that education is necessary and valuable. However, that does not mean that education should be instituted at the federal level. It can be run privately, semi-privately (like most colleges and universities, or at the state level. There are lots of options.

      Developmental research shows that the home is the best place to get the most education. Not that children should only learn in the home, but parents’ involvement in teaching their children through every day situations is priceless.

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  42. Kevin Klebba DDS MD

    The process of receiving an education ( whether grammar, high school ,vocational ,or college ) can be broken down as 1)dispensing of information , 2) assimilation and mastery of information , and 3) certification of the mastery of information. With these assumptions of the education process it is despicable for our traditional education systems to spend the money they do in achieving their results. How can we justify a nearly 10 to 20 fold increase in the cost of college tuition in the last 25 years when the most widely utilized form of information dispensation has been reduced by 10 fold. Yes , I am referring to the cost of the personal computer. In 1985 a personal computer cost $5000.00 . Today , a personal computer which is more powerful and sophisticated will cost roughly $ 500.00 to $ 600.00 . Many universities will depend on use of personal computers and internet for much of their curriculum to be tought. I was recently informed that Wayne State University’s medical school provides their first 2 years of basic science curriculum thru internet utilization in addition to live classes. ( Why not scrap the physical presence in class altogether) This is a cost effective and efficient way for students to learn basic medical sciences in a discipline based (mastery)fashion. If it can be done at the professional level than it can be implemented at all levels to some degree. I call attention to this because we have a true crisis in our education system at all levels where costs have escalated unchecked. The question for all government officials is : why have college tuition costs risen so dramatically in the face of a dramatically inexpensive delivery sytem. The answer of course is : BECAUSE THEY CAN ! The creation of easy financing credit in the form of government backed student loans, entitlements , grants, and endowments have created a system where NOBODY has to say the word NO and instead of walking away from a school with an unrealistic cost, the government backed credit system is employed and a true market cost is never realized until it is too late . ( $100,000 to $200,000 later) This tuition cost crisis needs to be investigated not to spend more money on college as the Obama administration wants to but rather to spend less by encouraging students, parents, and eventually all educational systems to realize that it is not the money spent on an education or tuition but rather the time spent in the discipline. (I encourage President Obama and congress to ask of the education lobby sucklings: why are your tuition rates so high ? Is there not a way you can reduce your costs without siphoning off more federal dollars , grants , or loans.) Yes we still need teachers and professors and we need to pay them well , however, their salaries have not risen 10-25 fold either in the last 25 years. Most money spent in educational systems is spent on physical structure not on teachers or professors and when certain volumes of information can be dispensed thru a more efficient manner the cost should de-escalate .

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    1. One Way

      Absolutely!

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  43. Zach

    Nelly wrote:

    “I can tell you that when public schools are ran correctly that can change a society”

    Thats the exact problem. A federally run school will never be run correctly. That exactly why states should be taking care of them WITHOUT federal nannying.

    Personally I believe in a school voucher type system. it creates an incentive system for teachers and administrators. School not doing so hot? well there goes some funds. School doing well? pay increase! unfortunately this also Necessitates parental involvement in the schooling of their children, which as most know is not exactly a priority of a lot of parents (partiularly inner city ones)

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    1. Mike

      My biggest reason for wanting the schools run at a state level would be this very fact of inner city schools that recieve much more funding every year than a school like where I went. I lived in a rural community where we had a fraction of the tax payers and still had a nice school because of fund raisers and, yes, even people from the community coming out to do work on the school! My high school baseball coach built our field from the ground up. He recieved little monetary help from the school and our field is recognized as one of the nicest in the state. Then, inner city schools come out and play us on our field and go home and wine about how they don’t have as nice of things. People need to get the sense of community back instead of asking for government handouts which are innefficient and support a BS program.

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      1. Zack

        The same thing happens at my school we have an artificial turf field and one of the nicest tracks in the State. So of course when other teams play us they complain yet guess who paid for the field. Yes it’s people in the community and local businesses. I agree 100% with you because also right now at my school I am trying to lower the outrageous lunch prices (3.00 for one slice of pizza) through of course the school PTSA a bunch of people trying to improve the school.

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  44. Chris

    I do not think you will find Ron paul claiming that ALL public schools are bad. There are cases of everything, its up to the individuel. By eliminating standard framesets you create more space for these individuals to evolve.

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  45. One Way

    I agree that most of the problems with public schools is bad parenting. The problem with public education is a social problem. For education to improve, society has to improve. It won’t help to “improve” programs, funding, testing, standards, teachers’ salaries, etc. But, I think that’s RP’s point. If we eliminate a dependency on federal education, individuals, parents, families, and communities will have to become self-sufficient. People will be forced to pursue greatness in education for their own reasons: to solve problems in their communities, to be financially stable, to achieve personal success, etc. Then everyone who enters a school, teachers and students, will be there to accomplish their own goals, and will participate enthusiastically.

    However, as great as that would be, I do worry about how to pull out of the bottomless pit we are in with education now. If we suddenly shut down the current, failed system, we may just make things worse in the short run, and we need to be prepared with a response to that.

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  46. Nelly

    I know for a fact that the public school system can work -I’m a proud 2008 graduate of Montgomery County Public Schools – but I think the biggest problem it has is that for it to succeed it would take more effort than most students, parents, teachers, school administrators and politicians are willing to put in. One of the biggest problems is with students and parents right now. There are so many parents who are not raising their children and many capable teachers are now reduced to glorified babysitters and many schools are now daycares. I know this for a fact as I just left high school last year. I mostly took AP and honors classes so most of my classmates where rarely disrespectful but I took a SAT Prep class in my junior year and it was mostly filled with the students who took regular level classes and they were the rudest kids I have ever seen. They were so bad that the teacher ended up in tears several times and usually had to call security in about once a week because of problem students – and this was only a 45 min class. There were many days were I learned nothing in that class because the kids were so disrespectful that teacher couldn’t teach. It wasn’t the teachers fault because I also had her for AP English were she was brilliant and I learned a lot; in there our class participated in brilliant discussions, did several 7-10 page papers per semester, read at least 7 books per semester (with accompanying test and essays) and I got a 5 on my AP exam. It was one of my favorite classes in my whole high school experience. So before politicians and other start critiquing the schools and the teachers, most of what is wrong with our school system is down to bad parenting.

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    1. Randy

      I wish I could agree with you Nelly but I have to agree with Ron Paul on this one. Did you know that honors and AP classes are currently under assault and may eventually be removed in California? People argue that the best teachers tend to teach those classes which makes normal classes even worse. Although there is certainly some truth to that, it would be a continuation of the effort to lower the bar to a point where everyone can “feel good”. Forcing someone who isn’t very good at math and hates the subject to learn the same material at the same pace as a talented math student who is eager to learn is shear lunacy. That is the type of nonsense that public schools have given us and there is no sign of them changing directions.

      Private schools consistently produce better students and, on average, actually cost LESS than public schools. Check out http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-025.html or any other source on the subject if you don’t care for the CATO institute.

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  47. Cathy

    I agree with Ron Paul. I’ve worked in higher ed for over a decade and watched with dismay as the quality of students has declined. I think most American parents would be shocked if they sat with a group of students from a typical college and discussed such basics as history, geography and mathematics. If they read student’s papers, they would be horrified at the level of writing.

    I don’t know what exactly is the problem, I just know that our K-12 system is failing to prepare our children to do college-level work.

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    1. Fred

      More people are going into higher ed now than in the past and intelligence is a relatively stable attribute within populations. Therefore, you are more likely to run into students who just don’t seem to have what it takes. Also, there is so much more to learn today for example history…how many years since you were in high school…think of all that has happened since then and where it fits in with a current affairs course. Also, in the realm of science…cloning and stem cells for example.

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  48. Aaron

    No Child Left Behind is atrocious. My daughter went to a school under this terrible plan for 2 years. She now goes to a private school. The difference in homework, class size, and general attitude of the school were completely different. If I hadn’t personally pushed my child to excel at reading and math she wouldn’t have been able to assimilate into the private school well at all. Not only that, but the other kids picked on my daughter because she was too advanced. Which discouraged her to perform well or even behave well.

    Standardizing school programs nationally is a mistake. It eliminates competition between schools which eliminates the cultivation of educational programs that exceed “the norm”. I don’t want my daughter to be held back by national standards. I want her to know success through her drive and ability.

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    1. Gen

      Sorry, there is competition in public schools. It is a problem. Schools get money for higher scores in their minority populations, having an advisory, having smaller learning communities, winning sports teams (in TX – yes it’s there, the funds hide), for # of students taking AP tests (not # who pass them), and extra for special ed students. It puts a lot of pressure on kids and creates a lot of useless admin positions. So even though a school will say “we spend X dollars per student”, you never really know how much benefits students. Going after the almighty dollar causes a lot of good teachers to be sacrificed and used as scapegoats.

      Trust me, as it stands, I do not want my kids in public school in the “good” school district I teach in. They do not fall into any special categories such as the aforementioned. They both have a high propensity for learning. I suspect the oldest may even been at genius level: he does something once, can do it again at will and avoids boredom by entertaining himself (you just might not like the results), and on top of it all… he’s hyper. I see him being pushed by the wayside. The younger one’s says quiet, so I’m sure it’ll be the same for him.

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      1. ant

        public schools has an unfair monopoly in communities

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        1. Gen

          Yes they do, but if they we run as they were twenty years ago, we wouldn’t have the problems we do now.

          There’s no x money for x students… it’s all about getting more money and looking good on paper b/c principals receive extra stipends and bonuses for this and that. There are even “specialists” that do little to nothing making six figure salaries while teachers pay for their own supplies.

          It’s a sad affair; but no one listens to teachers about how to fix it… only to blame them.

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    2. Nelly

      I agree with most of Ron Paul states but I disagree completely in education. I’ve just graduated from a public school and am now a university student – I can tell you that when public schools are ran correctly that can change a society. My school offered me more oppertunities than most private schools. There was an award winning Journalism program, an IB program, Engineering program, AP classes, partnerships with the local community college, internships, new technology in the classroom, great teachers. One reason for this is because the county I live in spends a good portion of the tax money on the schools in our area. In order to get the same education that I got from my public school my parents would have had to pay over $25,000 per year to get me into one of those great private schools. The sad part is that I know that my school is 1 in 100 public schools, with most of them being horrible schools. What should be done is trying to reform the public school system, not abolish it. The only thing that would do is create greater disparities in wealth with rich parents sending their child to amazing private schools and middle class parents sending to good but not great private schools and poor parents sending their children to barely passable schools. Letting the state take over education would also be wrong as their will be no standards. The state can make test as difficult or as easy as they want. We are now competing with people from Japan, China, Europe, Russia, India and every other and we need to make sure that our educational standards are as high and that our children achieve as much or more as those in other nations. The national government should be allowed to set the standard – and the states should be allowed to decied how to meet them or even if they want to meet them – but more money should go to the states that do meet the standards as incentive.

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    3. scream619

      I attended private school from k-8th grade. The only public school I ever attended was high school. What a difference! The class size was far larger. Teachers didn’t seem to care if you passed or failed. Also as Aaron mentioned, doing well in school is looked down on by the “popular” students. My parents could not afford to send me to a private high school, otherwise I would have loved to have gone. I think private schools are a great option for parents, and as a parent I ask: Why would you not want to send your child to a school that you know will encourage the development of your child? If they fail, they don’t get paid. Public school teachers get our tax money, regardless.

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  49. Alex

    Those are good points, and I wonder what Ron Paul’s response would be. I think that by far the biggest factor in a good education is the teacher, and I wouldn’t mind at all if a lot of the money going other ways (welfare, military, subsidies, etc.) now were put into paying teachers more, as long as there were some kind of system (not based on pathetic standardized tests) for eliminating the bad ones. Other than for that (I realize it would be substantial), though, I don’t think there needs to be a whole lot of school funding. A bad teacher in a modernized classroom with new textbooks gives a bad education, and I don’t think there is any way around that. If anything is a good investment of government money, I think it is paying teachers more.

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  50. Ryan

    While I would agree that the federal government has not done a good job with regard to education. Leaving the job up to the states would create a gross inequality, especially in states that have a high population of retirees, who would more than likely vote down any educational ballots.

    I’m on your side buddy with almost everything else, except this. Kids don’t have a choice. So, when a parent doesn’t want to be involved, or just simply isn’t there, the child suffers. If they neglect their children, which I see quite a bit, those children lose.

    It has to be standardized, and improved. The system has been the same for centuries. Change is needed….actual change.

    I agree there is no provision in the consitution, and I’m on the fence about whether or not there should be, but the massive lack of college educated kids, and even the high school dropout rate is staggering.

    We no longer live in a society where a high school diploma will allow one to be innovative and spur the economy. Yes, there are outliers and rare opportunities, but for the most part, college is now a necessity. Children not graduating from high school is just shocking.

    Personal responsibilty people! Bring it back!

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    1. Chris

      Coming from a family where there is no incentive for education, why would we think that attending a government-school would be any different in that particular childs mind? If they lack interest, and its based, developed, created at the home between the parents and the children, from a very young age, well then by giving them a “fair chance” wont help anything, neither private or governmental. You can not force people to educate themselves.
      Thats just what i think.

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    2. we the people

      hey you really think that the same guys who are responsible for the IRS and fed reserve really want us to become critical thinkers. Ive attended public school and they are fuk…ing horrible. i wanted to run out screaming pulling my hair out. trust me these guys knew exactly what they were doing when they subsidized education. they want a population of people who rather entertain themselves with the idiot tube. rather than enjoy the process of learning. once you know who your enemy is(the fed) and know what weapons they use(money=budget). If you don’t believe me ask any teenager in any public school what is the bill of rights or about the fed. and you’ll see a glassy look in their eyes.

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      1. Delia

        Ha! So true. I have just been reading about this very subject in “Someone’s gotta say it” by Neal Boortz. Quite an eye opener and very scary (he’s hilarious, tho). The govt is only interested in churning out a generation of less than mediocre zombies who will obediently pay their taxes and not rock the boat.

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    3. kitty

      Ryan,

      I fail to see how one can take personal responsibility and still have standardization. Standardization always takes away our personal responsibility as well as our civil rights, the current educational system is a violation of our rights per the 9th, 11th, and 13th amendments to the constitution.

      Please read anything by John Taylor Gatto and his referenced materials. Much of his work is free to read on his website.

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      1. Ryan

        Standardization is a bare minimum. There are always those that will do the minimum, but at least with high standards (and not including subgroups), those parents that do not take their own responsibility seriously toward their own child won’t have a hugely detrimental effect on said child.

        If children in Atlanta (hypothetical here) are being taught theology and english with no other cirriculum, and kids in Nevada are being taught a wide breadth of things, including science and math, you can see how the divide would grow.

        I don’t necessarily agree with public schooling, but minimum standards for students.

        The 9′th ammendment arguement is valid and brings up federalist and anti-federalist sentiment, though your other two listings here are non-sequitur.

        Its a tough subject, and has a lot of debate left in it. Remember, what I said was a minimum, not a maximum and not a limit. Don’t assume I’m speaking of robot armies of kids.

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        1. kitty

          Your first point: Even if standardization is a bare minimum, many will only aspire to achieve that minimum if given no real opportunities to aspire to instead.

          I understand your theory, but do not see it as any better than what is already undermining our country. Yes, there is the possibility for divide, but that very same possibility allows for more specialized growth as well.

          Please explain to me how the 11th and 13th amendments are non-sequitur here. I admit, I do not understand your point there.

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          1. kitty

            I double checked, I apologize, it is the 14th, not the 11th.

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          2. Ryan

            The 14′th doesn’t follow either. You would have to phrase something specific from these ammendments that show exactly waht you are trying to point out. I can’t guess for you.

            What is destroying the opportunities are the government run schools.

            When you say specialized……that sounds great, but when kids in Alabama are getting a high school education that is equivalent to a 4′th grade Michigan education, there is a problem.

            This would be all moot if ALL parents gave a crap. They don’t, and kids suffer.

            Also, I never said how high the minimum would be. There will always be those that go above and beyond, and also those that fail.

            And if you are reaching to compare slavery (involuntary servitude) to public education, you have reached too far.

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          3. kitty

            You have not answered my questions.I asked for an explanation, and you gave me a bunch of garbage. I am not sure you have actually read the amendments or understand them from what you have said.

            If you are for freedom of the individual, as I am, and RP is, then you have to realize that some individuals will NOT have the same view point as you, and what you think of as inferior may be excellence for someone else.

            Why don’t you read the DEFINITION of slavery and then tell me that our current COMPULSORY schooling system is not.

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          4. Ryan

            The 11′th ammendment isn’t even close to applying here, which makes me think you made another mistake. It would also be a gross misuse of the 13′th ammendment to make an arguement against public schooling by comparing it to slavery.

            RP is for a lot of things, some of which I agree with and others I do not.

            And it is pretty obvious that not everyone shares the same viewpoint……as Obama is in office.

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        2. kitty

          Apparently you and I just cannot agree , and you just want to dance around the question I asked you – HOW?
          Please explain your point. If you cannot answer this with any sort of valid argument, there is no point in continuing.
          I made a correction to my previous statement when I realized that you were correct on one point, I am willing to make others if you show me where they are. There are many violations of many of the Amendments with public schooling. I am glad you can see one of them at least. Again I do not understand how it is going too far, please show me. Saying that without justification is no different than yelling louder to make your point, especially when I have conceded a mistake I made, as well as asked for a reasonable explanation 3 times now.
          Portion of 14th that is relevant: my argument relates to liberty:
          No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

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          1. Ryan

            I’m not dancing around anything. The 14′th ammendment is irrelavent because it says right there in black and white, “NO STATE.”

            The feds are not a state.

            Nor would it even apply to individual states, because it talks about due process of law.

            You are reaching for straws.

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    4. Lindsey Brutus

      Ryan: The amendment that applies here is the 10th amendment. All powers not specifically designated to the Federal government will be reserved to the states. Education is not mentioned in the constitution so the states are responsible for it and not the Federal government. I say abolish the Department of Education!!!!!!!!!!!!

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      1. Ryan

        Now that I can agree with. It doesn’t mention medicare and medicaid either. Nor does it mention any of the other multitude of government agencies. What is DOES mention is a general welfare clause……and thus the department of education, which can be stretched into the “general welfare” of the people.

        It is so plainly obvious that the delegates are not listening to the people, and why should they? We have a very diverse population of undereducated, ignorant people that wish to continue repeating history.

        Do I think that is a gross misinterpretation of the 10′th ammendment? Yes.

        It IS nice to see that ever since the patriot act was signed into law, people are coming out to take a new look at the constitution and what our government is doing to destroy its principles. Unfortunately, many look at the words, pass on by, and then ignore them to be enthralled by the media and power of numbers.

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  51. Christine

    If you don’t want to receive the emails of new comments, go to the bottom of this or any topic to find the link that says “Manage your subscriptions”. Follow the directions there to stop receiving email notifications.

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