[geeks] education systems around the world

[Mike Meredith]

On Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:19:03 -0500 (CDT), Jonathan C. Patschke wrote:
> Somehow "Elementary education shall be compulsory" stands alongside
> "No one may be compelled to belong to an association", "No one shall

It doesn't say you'll be forced to send children to a state school.
It's more like if you don't make arrangements for your children's
education they'll be forcibly sent to a state school. Ignoring the
rights for now, elementary education is usually regarded as a
pretty good thing ... basic literacy and numeracy are effectively
essential tools in a modern society.  In fact you could say that an
education is the foundation on which the exercise of one's rights is
based ... if you don't know your rights and can't read about them, you
can't exercise them.

> be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home

Not being subject to "arbitrary interference" is not no interference.

> Forcing me to attend anything is compelling me to belong to that
> association (a class).

Children are for some reason regarded as having fewer rights than
adults; I'm not entirely sure why. Besides I think this is a case of
"you'll have your right to an education whether you like it or not".

> Forcing my children to attend anything is an interference in my
> family.

So what? As far as I'm concerned the rights of an individual trump the
rights of an organisation (which a family is) every time. Not all
families are functional. The family can be one of the most repressive
organisations in a society ... something that gets overlooked by the
lunatic fringe of the anti-government tendency.

> compensation, they are held in slavery; if others are expected to
> surrender the fruits of their labor to compensate these teachers,
> they are held in slavery.

Now that's one of the dumbest and probably one of the most insulting
things that anyone has ever said on this list. Just ask a former slave
about how taxation compares to slavery. Surrendering the fruits of
one's labours is something nobody is happy with, but the phrase itself
implies that one is entitled to the fruits of one's labours.

A slave has no rights; he or she is property to be treated as the owner
wishes.

That's a whole different ball game.


-- 
Mike Meredith (http://zonky.org/)
 There has been such a thing as letting mankind alone; there has never
 been such a thing as governing mankind [with success]
  -- Zhuangzi