Abolish the Federal Department of Education!!!

Great Post!  I  agree that we need diversity in our education.  Yes, we should certainly get rid of the Department of Education.  Keep speaking the truth!

Excellent article. Not a lot of people are aware how the Republican Party was against the Dep. of Education for a very long time.

Like Jake says, it's an unconstitutional department, and it's a right that belongs to the people or the states. (IMO, it should never belong to the state - the parent should educate the child) With any and all unconstitutional departments, the bureaucrats think that throwing money at the problems "ED" has created will fix "ED". It won't. It'll just cause more problems. Abolish the Department of Education! 

Why is it that instead of talking about reform, we talk about cutting spending?  Seriously, " 'tuition is so high because of students access to loans"?  You know why we have these programs?  So that people who otherwise could afford it, or that would be denied a loan from a local bank, could have access to higher education.  All this talk about "diversity in education" and State and local control of education sound like one thing to me.  Suburban kids who's parents can afford to, pour money into school, and those in the city, who can't afford it, get even less education than they presently now, because not only is there no longer any federal subsidy, there is less than apathy for education in the inner cities, and all the good teachers will run en masse to the suburbs to where they can make good money.  All of this might seem like nonsense to you, but you didn't attend an inner city school.  Perhaps before you put this glorious idea out there, you should spend time in an inner city school, in a major city, and look at how little funding they get as it is.  Then you talk about decreasing that funding?   And what about the poorer states in the Union?  Put yourself in another man's shoes before you decide that you know what is best for him.  Al these conservative ideas about what is good for people, don't come from and knowledge of the hardships that these regular, everyday people deal with.  1.  We need IMMEDIATE healthcare reform.  Not the kind of reform that Republicans promised after Bill Clinton's failed attempt, which turned out to be nothing at all.  WE need to REFORM our educational system, not cut funding.  In this country, education is always the first thing cut for some reason.  Who needs an educated Country?    You would rather cut money for education, than for defense spending.  This country is headed for trouble, and it is not because of some terrorist across the sea.  It will be the under-educated masses.  People who will let some political party tell them how to think rather than thinking for themselves.  But maybe that is what conservative want?

I absolutely agree.  Excessive federal involvement is the reason education sucks now.  Get the govt. out of our education (and healthcare) and things always improve.  Just ask Germany.

Great job, Jake!

How can one not see the similarities between our health care and education debacles?  Both have been compromised by Federal intervention, control and funding.  There was a time in America when everyone with want or need could get both and now where do we find ourselves? A cursory analysis of either will certainly prove that government is the very reason why the cost of both exceed inflation by a factor of about 2:1 with potential of easily pushing anyone into financial ruin. 

Jake, I'm with you 100% but if "ED" (like so many other indiscretions) is unconstitutional, then why hasn't it been challenged?  If it has been challenged, then why has the challenge not been successful?  If it was "created solely by presidential authority without the permission of Congress",  then why can't it be abolished in the same manner?  How would YOU accomplish what Reagan was unable to?

There was a time when this country was indeed great, prosperous and generous thanks to an education system run by parents, teachers and local authorities.  Hmm, I wonder what happened?

To Mr. Anonymous:

Per-pupil spending in inner-city schools is significantly higher than in suburban schools. It is not a lack of funding that is crippling those schools; it is the systemic decline of the population fueled by a bureaucratic self-propagating machine.

We *do* need healthcare and educational reform: for both, we need the Federal government OUT.

I direct my comment to anonymous speaking on the pure socialist agenda:

Please read your U.S. Constitution Article One section 8. No where within does it mention Federal involvement or spending of our federal tax dollars on Public Education. That is County responsibility. "Public school management and funding should come from the County level" Thomas Jefferson 1817. The Founders Views on Public Education will be posted on www.lbccs.org shortly. I suggest you check this web/blog site frequently for some amazing insight.

By the way I attended an inner city public school system in the 1940's (City financed not even County) and went on to attend Universities and College level Lectures and Seminars in many Countries World Wide for self edification , when not protecting your safety for freedom of speech.

There wasn't any Medical insurance in my day, and Doctor/Patient relationships were far more efficient and less costly based upon your family's income. $4.00 office visits and $6.00 house calls. Now today that would have to be cost adjusted. BUT NOT BY TOO MUCH. If Government would get out of the way and let the free enterprise system work.

It all begins and ends with YOU, and no one else!! Those less fortunate will get all the help they need through our wonderful Charities, which (again) work far more efficiently, and can provide far more assistance if left alone to do it. Private sources use to fund educational grants more than you can imagine. Over taxation  and misspending of these taxes have stymied many of these efforts too.

The Old Allentown Curmudgeon

  Great job Jake!  I so wish I lived in your District, haha

  It just proves that the more Federal Government is involved in anything the worse off it is.  Can you tell me if there has ever been a lawsuit from the people against the Government and DOE for its blatant unconstitutionality? Or is that something that isn't even possible??

Thanks,  Wayne

Jake,

Maybe you can rethink what office you are running for and instead reform Harrisburg. After all, the Federal Government would not have overstepped its Constitutional bounds without acquiescing States to allow it. All politics is local.

 I received an email response which I wanted to share with my reply to the reader who sent it to me since I think it will add to the conversation:

Reader: "While I do agree that our government has grown, and continues to be growing, bloated and wasteful…..simplistic statements like this one:

“The Department of Education is one of many federal departments that, if they were to be abolished and disappeared off the face of the earth tomorrow, almost no one would notice.”  …..don’t give me any confidence in the other “opinions stated as facts” scattered throughout the article.
 
I agree, we spend too much money on too many thing……but, the assumption that state governments a magical places were only good decision are made, is a fool’s statement.   States don’t like Federal oversight, Counties don’t like State oversight, Towns don’t like County oversight, Municipalities don’t like Town oversight……etc., etc.
 
 Where do we draw the line?  Or do we just go back to cowboy justice, and the guy with the fastest gun makes the rules because otherwise he’ll just kill those who disagree with him until the new faster gun comes along?
 
Sure we have bloat, and sure we have waste, but I’m not a fan of slash and burn fixes……I’d prefer to see reasonable options debated and evaluated.
 
Look at it this way…..you don’t need indoor plumbing, or electricity, or central heating/air conditioning….back in the 1700’s these luxuries were not available, so why don’t you voluntarily give them up?  They’re wasteful and unnecessary to human existence…..think of all the money you’d save!!!"

My reply:

Thanks for your reply.  Of course, the one sentence that the reader picked out was where I tried to summarize the whole preceding article into 1 sentence, so it's a bit unfair -- happens when you write articles :)  Granted, I also wrote the post a bit from the perspective of a federal Congressman-to-be   But I think, perhaps indirectly, he/she hit on a great point:  " States don’t like Federal oversight, Counties don’t like State oversight, Towns don’t like County oversight, Municipalities don’t like Town oversight……etc., etc."
So the question is which type of oversight is best?  Personally in the case of schools, I believe that the closer the control over the funds are to the people, the better.  As a federal representative, it is really only my place to say what the federal gov't would do... perhaps the job of a State Rep would be tougher :)  Thank you for your note!  In liberty, Jake

So tell me, What about the poorer states?  What do we do about funding their education?  And to curmudgeon and others, why is it that the conservative always think that somehow the world would be better, if only everyone thought like a conservative?  School's are failing because our parents are failing.  But everyone want to blame the school.  Teachers work hard, and their reward is having to deal with children who's parents could care less about actually parenting, and would rather rely on the school to do that.  Then, they blame the school when things like columbine happen.  They blame the federal government.  They blame the music.  They blame everyone but the person (s) who are actually responsible.

"It is not a lack of funding that is crippling those schools; it is the systemic decline of the population fueled by a bureaucratic self-propagating machine."   The systematic decline of population...Um, no bigger words don't make it true.  Conservatives need to stop blaming everyone else for the problem in this country, when they have had as much a hand as anyone else in destroying it.  You complain how government involvement is somehow crippling the American way of life, and that all would be so much better if we just took the government out.  WRONG.  Cutting spending for education is just not acceptable.  Reforming education spending is. 

You people talk about this like somehow, someway, all that is preventing this country from being great is the Government.  News flash, what is preventing this country from being great is the people who believe that if only everyone would become a conservative then the world would be a better place.  Conservatism has it's place, like liberalism, to balance the country.  The "liberals" are not out to destroy the country,

"Those less fortunate will get all the help they need through our wonderful Charities, which (again) work far more efficiently, and can provide far more assistance if left alone to do it. Private sources use to fund educational grants more than you can imagine."  You are seriously out of touch with reality.  Charities?  That's like saying that we don't have a healthcare problem in this country because people can always just go to the emergency room.  Have you ever worked in a charity?  Have you every worked in an E.R.?  With all due respect, Allentown, PA is not a good barometer of the way that things actually work in this country.  An inner city school in the forties?  Really?  The American landscape has changed a little since the forties I assure you, even though I was not alive.

"Please read your U.S. Constitution Article One section 8. No where within does it mention Federal involvement or spending of our federal tax dollars on Public Education. That is County responsibility. "Public school management and funding should come from the County level" Thomas Jefferson 1817"--  I suggest you read the constitution and Check for the powers of the Vice President, and then look at Dick Cheney's unconstitutional attempts to expand that power, I didn't hear conservatives complaining then about things that aren't in the constitution.  The point is that There are things that are a part of our government that have been changed as the needs arose.  As much faith as you wrongly put in the States to solve all of our problems, I would think that you would know more about how inefficiently most states are run.  There is no perfect solution.  Returning the powers to the states would yield the same results because it is all government and politicians, and they all run with the same level of inefficiencies.

I know this is kinda not in a cohesive argument, I just wrote it down as it came to me.

Just my two cents:

Great report, Jake! Thanks for your extensive research and thought. A responder above seems to think that this is a 'conservative' v. 'liberal' argument. Not at all. The argument is Freedom v. Coercion. This particular responder asks if you've ever worked in an E.R. or a charity. I've worked in several of both. They work. Another point he or she tries to make is that the country "changes" as its needs arose. Sadly this is true, and many of these unconstitutional changes have been the source of our present problems. 

Keep writing!

The link between the public school prison system and violence are becoming more pronounced by the day. It is time that we throw off this inhumane and monstrous institution.

You say that this would cause inner-city schools to become tougher and send teachers running to the suburbs. You're probably right but ask yourself what this means:

When schools begin to "fail" and teachers and students head to more prominent schools this should open the eyes of our local governments. Like a capitalistic economy, competition has been created and the organizations (in this case the schools) must conform and adapt or continue to fail. When the parents, teachers, and local government and community decide to update facilities, offer better equipment, offer incentives (clubs, sports, parent involvement organizations), etc. then, much like a private sector business it can survive and improve. When we take the generalized approach as we do with DOE, in which all schools are created equal, there is no incentive for improvement or to provide an exceptional or extraodinary "product." I understand that all you capitalist-hating, socialists can't understand the concept of competition, but try to open your minds briefly.

Second, and this will hurt the feelings of those who believe that children are accountable to nothing and should be treated like a bunch of sissies who can't think, act, or learn for themselves. The fact that teacher's will be running for the suburbs...(because they want to teach children that want to learn) validates the fact that learning is not up to the teacher, but up to the student. I don't doubt that exceptional teachers can gain buy-in and get the attention and interest of some students but as a whole, students control their own actions. The other side to this is that parental involvment and the manner in which they raise their children will determine the students' willingness to learn (personally, I was always "encouraged" to learn through the fear that Daddy was going to whoop my behind if I didn't get good grades, but that's another subject for another time). Nothing the unions and organizations can do will change this simple fact, so, what better to encourage students to want to learn than by ensuring that local citizens and not Washington bureaucrats are responsible for their education.

Let local government serve its purpose. After all, don't we elect local citizens that we know, trust, and depend on to represent the beliefs of our community, rather than depend on a Federal Government that we all seem to disagree with more often than not?