tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292304578955387941.post2528530485978757931..comments2023-05-01T03:29:23.896-07:00Comments on An American Anti-theist: Apples, No Apples, Apples: The Sleight of Hand of Obama Inc.'s Elite Economic Corps of DunderheadsAmerican Anti-theisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287086913599484297noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292304578955387941.post-8011483874430634982009-03-08T01:41:00.000-08:002009-03-08T01:41:00.000-08:00Well, yes, I am not a big fan of Keynesian economi...Well, yes, I am not a big fan of Keynesian economics. I do tend to prefer laissez-faire systems both on ethical and practical grounds. I think you are making a lot of unjustifiable assumptions in your appraisal of privatization of schools, but I think that your concerns deserve an appropriately thought-out response, so that I can do them justice. Of course, we should not off-handedly risk our children's well-being on any policy until it has been thoroughly examined. As an educator myself, I fully acknowledge the seriousness of our responsibility to design an educational system which fully accommodates the needs of our children. But the principles inherent in that system will have an effect on everything relating to that system from our definition of what education is to the structural lessons our children will learn from the morality encoded in the system itself. These are all aspects which need special attention. Since you have brought up your concerns with this, I will try to respond as well as I am able by devoting my next article exclusively to this issue. As I am not one of the economic elite "personally unaffected", as you imply, by the problems in this world. As such it may be a while before I have time to properly formulate a response, but I promise to address it in due time.<BR/><BR/>P.S.<BR/><BR/>I never thump my copy of Atlas Shrugged. I try to explain the chain of reasoning that has led me to my conclusions. Some of that reasoning is encapsulated in that book, and thus it is easier to refer to, by referring to it, than by recreating every explicit detail of an argument. To do so would require I write a book-length response to any criticism. Referencing the source of certain ideas is accepted academic practice in any field. It saves time and space. I will respond to any specific criticisms of the ideas inherent in the sources I choose to reference, but I will not apologize for having referenced them.American Anti-theisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18287086913599484297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292304578955387941.post-55054874868246820082009-03-07T22:58:00.000-08:002009-03-07T22:58:00.000-08:00Ok, I’ll bite. So, you are not a big fan of Keyne...Ok, I’ll bite. So, you are not a big fan of Keynesianism are you? Well, it is unfortunate that you are not able so time travel back the Chicago School, maybe you could have been one of the Chicago Boys and joined in to give dear old Pinochet some advise, because that turned out so well . It is so easy to give high minded criticism and your own solutions to problems, particularly if you are not personally affected by them, as I suspect you are not, Mr. Abroad. <BR/><BR/>Privatize all schools? Is it realistic to tell a single working mother of two that she will have to pay thousands of dollars a year to send her kids to school? My state just cut the education budget drastically because of a budget deficit, and cut out “superfluous” educational programs like all day day-care. So, they may still offer the all-day option, at a cost to parents of $300. Private K-12 schools can cost $15K per year, so what do you think would happen? Sure, the costs would go down slightly due to higher demand and competitive pressures, but my guess is a lot of people would turn to home school, which has its own merits but seems to work best for the “we want to teach our children our own morals and our values” crowd.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and Friedman’s school vouchers? They are the quickest way to erode the middle class by assisting those of means to shop for schools, while the poor keep their kids in the deteriorating local schools, because of the prohibitive cost of private schools. The corrosion of these local schools is then exacerbated by the exodus of the rich. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? It is easy to thump a copy of Atlas Shrugged at your chest and list out prescriptions on how to fix the country and say that government is evil and inefficient and that the (illusive) free market is always the answer, but in real life there so many practical issues to be considered.Keahouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00089403950941381717noreply@blogger.com