Here’s a good question for you: Why have public schools at all?

Here's a good question for you: Why have public schools at all?

O.K., cue the marching music. We need public schools because blah blah blah and yada yada yada. We could say blah is common culture and yada is the government's interest in promoting the general welfare. Or that children are the future. And a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Because we can't leave any child behind.

The problem with all these bromides is that they leave out the simple fact that one of the surest ways to leave a kid "behind" is to hand him over to the government. Americans want universal education, just as they want universally safe food. But nobody believes that the government should run 90 percent of the restaurants, farms, and supermarkets. Why should it run 90 percent of the schools — particularly when it gets terrible results?

Consider Washington, home of the nation's most devoted government lovers and, ironically, the city with arguably the worst public schools in the country. Out of the 100 largest school districts, according to the Washington Post, D.C. ranks third in spending for each pupil — $12,979 — but last in spending on instruction. Fifty-six cents out of every dollar goes to administrators who, it's no secret, do a miserable job administrating, even though D.C. schools have been in a state of "reform" for nearly 40 years.

In a blistering series, the Post has documented how badly the bureaucrats have run public education. More than half of the District of Columbia's kids spend their days in "persistently dangerous" schools, with an average of nine violent incidents a day in a system with 135 schools. "Principals reporting dangerous conditions or urgently needed repairs in their buildings wait, on average, 379 days … for the problems to be fixed," according to the Post. But hey, at least the kids are getting a lousy education. A mere 19 schools managed to get "proficient" scores or better for a majority of students on the district's Comprehensive Assessment Test.

A standard response to such criticisms is to say we don't spend enough on public education. But if money were the solution, wouldn't the district, which spends nearly $13,000 on every kid, rank near the top? If you think more money will fix the schools, make your checks out to "cash" and send them to me.

Private, parochial, and charter schools get better results. Parents know this. Applications for vouchers in the district dwarf the available supply, and home schooling has exploded.

As for schools teaching kids about the common culture and all that, as a conservative I couldn't agree more. But is there evidence that public schools are better at it? According to the 2006 National Assessment of Educational Progress history and civics exams, two-thirds of U.S. high school seniors couldn't identify the significance of a photo of a theater with a sign reading "Colored Entrance." And keep in mind, political correctness pretty much guarantees that Jim Crow and the civil-rights movement are included in syllabi. Imagine how few kids can intelligently discuss Manifest Destiny or free silver.

Right now, there's a renewed debate about providing "universal" health insurance. For some liberals, this simply means replicating the public-school model for health care. (Stop laughing.) But for others, this means mandating that everyone have health insurance — just as we mandate that all drivers have car insurance — and then throwing tax dollars at poorer folks to make sure no one falls through the cracks.

There's a consensus in America that every child should get an education, but as David Gelernter noted recently in The Weekly Standard, there's no such consensus that public schools need to do the educating.

Really, what would be so terrible about government mandating that every kid has to go to school, and providing subsidies and oversight when necessary, but then getting out of the way?

Milton Friedman noted long ago that the government is bad at providing services — that's why he wanted public schools to be called "government schools" — but that it's good at writing checks. So why not cut checks to people so they can send their kids to school?

What about the good public schools? Well, the reason good public schools are good has nothing to do with government's special expertise and everything to do with the fact that parents care enough to ensure their kids get a good education. That wouldn't change if the government got out of the school business. What would change is that fewer kids would get left behind.

my bf only cares about getting the car he wants?

Ive been living with my bf for a year now, been together for 1 yr 8 months, and our salaries aren’t that great we both work in supermarkets, and it seems that all he cares about is buying some flash expensive car that normal people like us can’t afford to pay for and pay for insurance etc. He’s just told me that we are not going on the holiday we planned this year because he doesn’t have the car. We have a car, and it’s nothing special its just a car and it gets us from a to b and to me that is all that matters, but I feel like he cares more about getting a car then he does about our relationship, to cancel our holiday that we have been waiting for all last year as we never went away last year, he doesn’t call me to see how i am at work or to tell me he loves me, he calls me and starts talking about the car. I’m really at the end of my tether, I can’t handle anymore of listening to all this stuff about cars, about how we can afford it etc because I know we can’t afford it, we barely make it through each month as it is wanting to spend the money that we work our backsides off to earn every month, having to pay the rent, pay to feed ourselves and our kitten and he wants to spend the rest on paying off some stupid car. I love him but I don’t think I can stay in a relationship where buying a flash car is more important than the relationship itself. I don’t know what to do, what would you do?
its like my opinion doesnt even matter, he says everything he needs to say then i try to say what i think and he interrupts and tells me everything im saying is wrong, i really don’t know if i should carry on this relationship, why should i not be allowed to have my opinion and not go on holiday just because he wants what he wants and thats all that matters?

Am I allowed to keep my son If I file Custody until the custody battle is over?

I am 19 years old and have a 10 month old son. From the time he was born she was the primary caretaker because I go to school full time and I work part time at a supermarket. She has recently decided to take me for child support because she says, “I do not financially support him enough.” But whenever I had spare money left over from car insurance and my gas expenses which is about $50 a week by itself I would ask her if my son needed anything. Her reply was always the same, “no I have everything he needs.”

I am sick of having my son used as a weapon against me. I also plan to take her for full custody. I love my son with all my heart, and will not stand for being called “dead-beat” when I am the only one planning for his future. She has no license, no high school diploma, and no job. While I go to college full time, have my license, and work part time.

I cannot prove that her actual physical handling of my son is incorrect, but the environment in which he lives in unsuitable for a child his age, or any for that matter. She lives with her grandmother in a 1000 Sq ft. house with 12 people total (including my son and 4 other small children). Every adult in that house is a chronic alcoholic which has caused the cops to be called to that house over 30+ times just this past year stemming from violent incidents. Also when they have family picnics or get-togethers there is a man that comes there that is registered as a sex offender.

I love my son and I want the best for him. I will fight until my heart cant fight any longer, But I would like some educated advice on how my situation looks. Also if I do file custody can I keep him until the judge makes his ruling.