[geeks] geeks Digest, Vol 86, Issue 11

[Phil Stracchino]

On 01/20/10 08:55, Dr. Robert Pasken 300a wrote:
> Jonathan Patschke wrote:
>> Or how about let people keep the money they earn and spend it educating
>> their children as they see fit?  Money doesn't have to go through nearly
>> as many politically-connected hands that way.
>>
> And then we would end up with the majority of the population unable to 
> read or write. The libertarian/free-market philosophy has been shown 
> over and over and over again to be a total disaster

I think what you would have to do is set a few minimum standards to
require a stipulated level of competency in the basic reading, writing,
math set (up to at least linear algebra), plus a stipulated minimum
background in basic science and the scientific method (including
critical thinking), civics and US history.  Beyond that, leave it wide
open.  Basket weaving?  Multicultural appreciation?  Art history?  Music
theory?  Eh.  As far as I'm concerned, those all fall under electives.
By all means let kids who are actually interested in them study them,
but don't waste the time of kids who couldn't care less about them and
will never use them in their lives.


-- 
  Phil Stracchino, CDK#2     DoD#299792458     ICBM: 43.5607, -71.355
  alaric at caerllewys.net   alaric at metrocast.net   phil at co.ordinate.org
         Renaissance Man, Unix ronin, Perl hacker, Free Stater
                 It's not the years, it's the mileage.