Michigan and Charter Schools

The Michigan House of Representatives has passed a bill which would take the cap off of charter schools in the state. Passage is expected in the State Senate, perhaps as early as today. Governor Rick Snyder is likely to sign it when presented to him.

This is precisely the sort of special interest breaking law which Michigan needs. For after all, public education, no matter how its supporters wish to paint it, is a special interest, and an arrogant one at that. Why is it that parents with no option except the local public school must be forced into it? The is a question which must be asked of even the well performing, richer districts. Why ought the Grosse Pointes and Bloomfield Hills regions be able to make those who do not wish to, attend their schools?

It is a particularly galling that so many conservative citizens have bought into the perceived right to a public education. They forget, or, worse, ignore, that all public education funding ultimately means is that the bare majority can make everyone pay taxes for what they happen to want. If that leaves the unwilling unable to send their kids to a different school, then that's just their bad luck. We're the majority: we rule.

Such irrational sentiment can only be seen as blatant hypocrisy when the same conservatives argue for less government intrusion in other areas of their lives. If the government can control something as important as education, it seems there are few other areas where it can have no say.

Public education should be seen for what it is: no different than necessary social welfare programs. It should be paid for from the public coffers only for the families who could not otherwise afford it. Everyone else, like they do for their childrens' food and clothing and housing, should pay even for their education directly and completely by themselves. Any other approach to education is socialism, plain and simple.

One would think conservatives could recognize that.