Getting rid of the Department of Education used to be part of the Republican platform. But when people get in power, the temptation to abuse their power becomes too great. It is extremely easy to justify certain government expansions, especially around something that sounds good, like Education. So instead of abolishing the DoE as promised, the Republicans have doubled the size of it.
Ron Paul, Republican candidate for President, often mentions that he wants to get rid of the DoE in his speeches. Indeed, getting rid of useless (or even harmful) departments such as this one are one of the primary ways of cutting government spending, getting the deficit and debt under control, lowering taxes, and improving the economy.
But many people, myself included, have no idea why the DoE should be abolished. After all, there are indeed many things the government does which we are very thankful for. So what’s wrong with the Department of Education? All he says is that we should abolish it.
Here’s what one person has said about Ron Paul’s position: “problem is he has NEVER explained why and it TURNS viewers off. Not once in a debate has he said that he wants teachers and parents to make decisions locally on what their children should be getting in the way of education.”
Another person replied, “I have heard him talk about this in interviews and speeches. Like the other candidates, Ron Paul gives a lot of ‘Readers Digest’ versions of his answers in the debates. He’s telling the truth and he’s appealing to those who favored abolishing the DOE during Reagan’s time, but that doesn’t seem to matter much to a great number of Republican voters.”
But here’s the kicker: “The problem with a lot of conservatives is that they tend to support existing institutions. If something’s been around a while, the idea of getting rid of it seems kinda nutty to them.” Read the rest of this entry »
