SEPARATION OF SCHOOL AND STATE

It is time to get serious about cutting back the size of government. This can only take place when the functions of government are accurately defined. What the government has done is to be vague about the functions that they should be involved in. The one thing that they have done is to define all areas as political. This means that they get to control all facets of a nation. Their tentacles reach everywhere.

The government knows the best way to control its citizens is through the school system. To do this they must get the parents to give up control of their children. The government can do this very easily because they possess the power of coercion. Each state has its laws governing education. The Federal Government has the Department of Education. The only way to rein in the government is to have a change in the law concerning education.

There are those who have taken the bold step and have taken the responsibility of education away from the government. They should be commended for their efforts in limiting the size of the government. While most may not understand the implications involved in home schooling, one effect is that the school system is not receiving any government payments for their children. It is quite clear the more children that are home schooled, the less the citizens will have to pay in taxes.

People, however, are not interested in having their taxes lowered. They may complain about their rising property taxes, but this is the extent of their actions. Here is a shocker, the Washington County, Tennessee school system needs more money. When the school’s director proposed their original budget, the school system was $1.8 million out of balance. They were able to cut approximately $1.2 million, but still had a shortfall of $665,000.

The school’s director Ron Dykes has said that he cannot make anymore cuts without it affecting the quality of education in Washington County. His statement is totally fallacious. Let him define quality of education. Since quality and education are spiritual terms, he cannot quantify them in anyway. The commissioners of Washington County are easily duped by the term quality of education. They, like Dykes, have the same operating principles. They think in anti-conceptual terms.

Rather than doing the right thing by cutting more positions to balance the budget, Dykes has convinced the commission (this was not hard to do) to pass a property tax increase of $.16. At present, the tax rate is $2.35 per $100 of assessed property value. This makes the rate $2.51 per $100. If someone has a $100,000 assessment, this means that they will pay an additional $160 in property taxes. This is on top of rising prices for all commodities.

It is time to abolish the property tax. If people want their children educated, let them pay for it. What lawful right does the government have to take money from someone that does not have children in the school system? Our citizenry have contributed to the growing government control because they do not want the responsibility of raising their own children. They prefer to let the government raise them. They will pay for it too. Next year, the school system will ask for more money. Some things in life are predictable.