I won’t pay it, Senator. (Concerning SB 112)
Whereas the Constitution of the United States has no public education language within its construct,
Whereas Article VII, Section 1, of the Constitution of the State of Alaska states, mistakenly in my opinion, that the state legislature “… shall by general law establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the state…,“
Whereas “Open, Free and Compulsory Schooling” is an oxymoron,
Whereas the State of Alaska has presently an oil revenue surplus of approximately $1.2 billion,
Whereas compulsion and coercion have never built a good society,
Whereas education competition - CHOICE - rings truly AMERICAN in a free market republic,
Whereas technology now offers innumerable education opportunities outside of “brick and mortar” buildings which decay over time,
Whereas I rely on the Alaska Marine Highway System, local libraries, highway repairs, etc. because these offer positive, tangible outcomes - more bang for my tax buck - than do the state‘s public “schools,”
Whereas exceptional, selfless, dedicated educators and administrators who have personally shared their stories, frustrations, dilemmas and observations with me concerning this “school tax” issue over the years will hopefully take little or no offense (GULP!),
Whereas public school “per-pupil costs are roughly 40 to 45 percent higher” than those of private learning centers,
Whereas pork-barrel education with its “squabbling constituencies” is not a sound investment for my personal, meager retirement dollars,
Whereas different individuals learn differently, and the realistic, open education wake-up call in America goes far above and beyond the dying, cookie-cutter, “one-size-fits-all” oil and tax-supported mess we witness today,
Whereas the number of degrees it takes to be truly “educated” has yet to be determined,
Whereas open and honest education is vital to a free and successful society,
Whereas, in a free society, education decisions should be left up to parental and/or mature individual selection,
Whereas, in a republic of free citizens, parents should be encouraged to teach their children in environments that reflect their values without having to pay twice,
Whereas research and media continually point to compulsory government “schooling” as a major contributing factor to problems such as family breakdown, unsafe campuses, misbehavior, bullying, drug and alcohol consumption, staff-student sexual relations, administrative corruption, intimidation and manipulation, pill-pushing, teen pregnancy as well as psychological and emotional distress,
Whereas it’s not the government’s responsibility to train up my children,
Whereas coercing children into mediocre-at-best public “schools” is not in their best interests and smacks of bounty-hunting-for-tax-dollars,
Whereas research shows that parent expectations are significant predictors of children’s educational outcomes,
Whereas warm, caring family structure bears directly and positively on educational success,
Whereas parents who find it difficult to “pay” for so-called “free” education may be better off bartering or trading for private tuition and other related courses and costs,
Whereas smaller, parent-led alternatives and more specialized academic centers seem to be working and in demand,
Whereas “schooling,” aided and abetted by the National Education Association, its associates, lobbyists, and certain elected officials at federal, state and local levels, has taken a critical turn-for-the-worse, fostering a chronically self-serving agenda, oft-times disassociated with reading, writing, and arithmetic,
Whereas the “herding” approach and constant answering to a bell may work for mice, these methods tend to stifle intellectual growth and the free and open sharing of ideas in human beings,
Whereas, as well-meaning as some teachers and administrative staff are, this citizen believes public “schooling” damages the parent-child relationship in many instances by FORCING children out of the family home prematurely into the hands of strangers and by FORCING them to stay away from home as a literal “captive audience” beyond their time or interest, leading to cultural rot or to the forgetting or replacing of cultural values and family priorities,
Whereas it is my conviction that subject mastery is key, “schooling” is for fish, and “grading” is best left for produce and dairy products,
Whereas it is my conviction that we citizens must learn and practice self-discipline and self-sufficiency as much as is humanly possible,
Whereas government should be our last resort,
Whereas I share this village with approximately 800 other inhabitants, with only two miles of paved road, on an island in the Pacific Ocean, and am easy to find in case of arrest for non-payment, thus non-compliance, of this unnecessary, manipulative and obtrusive “tax,”
Therefore, be it resolved, that I, Rory (Rosemary) Schneeberger, a non-partisan, independently-minded voter, presently residing in a tiny trailer on the bear path at 478-F Airport Highway in Hoonah, Alaska, refuse to pay, should it become law, this “tax” proposed in SB 112, supporting the public school monopoly. I proclaim publicly that I favor ending government involvement in education.
You know where to find me. I’ll go peaceably. Please leave me my books.
posted by Eagle Forum Alaska @ 4:54 PM
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