The point raised by by Wendy McElroy in her article “Who Will Build the Roads?” (Future of Freedom June 2024) is so clearly evident in the dominant belief that government must educate children. The state’s involvement in education is said to result in a benefit to all — an educated citizenry.
Public education is actually a vestige of the movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to use government to mold children into becoming good, little citizens of the state. (See Sheldon Richman’s essential book Separating School and State, published by The Future of Freedom Foundation.)
Education is important but more important is food. Yet, we leave the private sector free to provide for that. What if we were to have government operate supermarkets and grocery stores just as they operate schools? There would be food boards run by elected politicians. Citizens would pay food taxes. Children could get free food at grocery stores within their food district, just as they get free education at public schools. Product quality and service would undoubtedly be degraded, just as they are in public schools. People might even be prohibited from shopping in grocery stores outside their particular food district.
With our current system of competitive grocery stores, some people prefer one that has a pharmacy or a garden center. Some prefer a store open 24 hours. Some choose a store known for the best seafood, the best produce, or the best selection of gourmet foods.
If everyone were forced to use a particular grocery store, the elected food boards would undoubtedly be flooded with complaints, not only about the quality of the food and service but also about the ever-increasing food taxes to fund the system.
Imagine if we were free to choose schools and other educational vehicles just as we choose grocery stores. People could satisfy their own preferences, such as those schools that emphasize sports, religion, music, or science. Some might prefer an emphasis on such things as year-round schooling, a non-union faculty, uniforms for students, small classes, small neighborhood schools, a particular LBGT policy, basic etiquette and courtesy, academic achievement results, or preparation for life skills. Others might want to simply hire tutors or combine with other parents to hire tutors. Some might prefer home-schooling. Some might choose educational vehicles that no one has yet imagined but that would come into existence in a free market.
The state’s educational system is based on indoctrination, not education. To restore the ideal of freedom and limited government envisioned by the Founding Fathers, it is necessary to get the state entirely out of education. Freedom is the issue. Why shouldn’t citizens be free to choose an education for their children as freely as they choose a supermarket?
