From: mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539)
Subject: Re: Is this a socialist county?
Organization: Texas Instruments, Inc
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 17:17:53 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.231454.23140@oakhill.sps.mot.com> pjm@anegada.sps.mot.com (Patrick J. McGuinness) writes:
>
>How is this different from the situation today, where parents have
>to tolerate less-than-optimal schooling for their children and,
>simply by virtue of where they live, cannot remedy the situation.
>So people spend great sums of money, move house, just to get in the 'right
>neighborhood' with the good schools.

It is 'different' because in the situation we have right now you are
not faced with having to send your child to a school with mandatory
classes in a religion which potentially conflicts with yours.

>
>Needless to say, the best schools correspond to the neighborhoods
>with the most expensive housing.

Generally true, because those are the districts with the highest
property valuations (and hence the most money to spend).  There is a
big stink in Texas right now about the so-called 'Robin Hood law'
which forces this to be redressed (rich districts must transfer funds
to poorer ones, so that all are playing on a more equal footing --
needless to say, richer districts oppose this).

>We have ended up with a kind of educational aparteid.
>A school choice system could end it.

After a fashion, perhaps, but I have yet to hear a 'school choice
system' that would result in any change.  Those with money would still
get the best educations.  Do you have something in mind that would
change that?

>
>>|> Ok, now let's change the situation just a little.  Let us suppose for
>>|> a moment that the Mormon school just happens to have the best program
>>|> in mathematics.  Is it reasonable to require that students who want
>>|> that mathematics program MUST take the religion courses?
>>|> 
>>|> Ok, now change the situation just a little more.  Suppose it is YOU
>>|> who are the 'odd man out' and that everyone else in the area is
>>|> sending their children to a school which has required courses in
>>|> Satanism, which is the only school within reasonable travelling
>>|> distance.  So, where do you send your child to school, and do you have
>>|> a problem with that?
>>
>>	How are any of these situations related to the voucher system?
>>	What if these conditions existed without the voucher system,
>>	you'd still be faced with the same choices. Would you send 
>>	your child to a school that required Satanism now?
>
>This is hardly a hypothetical question. I read recently about a
>kindergarten teacher who was teaching kids that witches weren't the
>bad people that the fairy tales made them out to be, and there
>were actually good witches. Hmmm, your tax dollars at work.

The singular of 'data' is not 'anecdote'.  I fail to see why a school
should be teaching about 'witches' at all, any more than they should
be teaching about Holy Ghosts.  Was this in response to a question by
a student, perhaps, after hearing a story with a 'wicked witch' in it? 

>
>Are the anti-choice people opposed to this blatant act of
>religious indoctrination? :-) 

Well, first, I'm not 'anti-choice', unless 'choice' has somehow been
coopted by people who demand that schools with mandatory religious
training be government funded.  However, to answer the question (yes,
I see the smiley, but there really are some people who would be quite
upset at the idea of teaching about 'witches' at all) I would want to
know a bit more about the circumstances.

-- 
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
 in the real world."   -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
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Fred.McCall@dseg.ti.com - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.
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