Pledge of Allegiance

In reference to the “Pledge of Allegiance” hubbub lately:

There is a fundamental hypocrisy in demanding changes of an inherently Socialist educational system. By definition, a State-run school will have very little direct oversight by the populace, but will instead exist as any other Socialist entity: as a jobs program, and most importantly as a way to perpetuate its own existence as a State institution.

By submitting to a State-run institution, a person may not pick-and-choose by which rules he will abide. If the State dictates that person swear allegiance to a god or a flag in which he does not believe, that person must swear so, based on that person’s prior, implicit submission.

The people who have a problem with public schools make no effort to shut those schools down. They have made no effort to move their kids to a private school, especially if that move means adjusting their standards of living. They have not written their congresspersons. They have not joined local groups to form better education options in their areas. They will not call in sick tomorrow to protest on the White House lawn. They might complain meekly about the terrible state of public schools, but they will not allow their complaints to interrupt their golf games.

I have no sympathy for those who send their children to public schools. The important lesson here is, “You get what you pay for.” The expense of private schools is also irrelevant. By having a child, a person has a personal responsibility to care for that child, and that responsibility extends to ensuring the best education possible, even if this means the parent must cut back on her SUV habit, or his gardening projects.

There is a pervasive and highly incorrect concept, in this country and others, that education is a “right”. There is no such right. Education and information have always been and will always be an extremely valuable commodity, and as such are usually quite difficult to obtain. Our current American education system is not and has not ever been geared towards education. Rather, it is designed for indoctrination.