Various people have various ideas for solving the problem of America’s out of control government.  Here is a sampling of their ideas.

• Starve the beast by depriving it of tax revenues.
• Rid ourselves of professional politicians with term limits.
• Eliminate the influence of special interests by publicly financing political campaigns.
• Sunset all legislation.
• And so forth.

Many of these proposals would perhaps be great improvements, but few get to the root of the problem.

What is the problem? We are born into the world ignorant savages. Like sponges, we absorb the beliefs and the attitudes of those around us, particularly our parents and our teachers. However, it does not stop there. We also learn from entertainers, particularly in this era. In fact, many people partake of entertainment for hours each day.

Because people act from what they believe, there is a poem that says the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. That is why all governments strive to control what children learn. In the past, the self-appointed elite fought to control churches. Now they fight to control our schools. Meanwhile, because they understand the consequences if they do not, they educate their own children separately.

If we want our children to run their own lives, we take upon ourselves the responsibility of educating our children.  To learn how to participate properly in our society (to work cooperatively with others), we must ensure that our children receive their instruction in civics and in religion from people who love them, not bureaucrats appointed by the minions of politicians.

If you are an adult, then consider the quality of your own education. What did our socialist school system teach us about civics and religion? Did our instructors teach us about the virtues of good citizenship or good bureaucracy? Do you suppose it is getting better? Then consider this absurdity. Most communities have both School Boards and Boards of County Supervisors. Every state has a legislature, and our country has that immensely popular body we call Congress. Each of these legislative bodies has a role in school finances and regulation. In addition, to see to it that educators carry out their wishes, each of these legislative bodies appoints its own administrative trolls. Thus, we have four levels of bureaucracy hounding the lives of teachers and confusing the minds of our children. If we were not so poorly educated, why else would we ever allow such a system? How could we believe that such a system would improve upon what local communities once did on their own initiative?

Because it stands in the way of parents fulfilling their responsibilities to instruct their children, the public school system must inevitably be harmful.  Therefore, we must focus first of all on education reform. We must put parents back in charge.

–Tom Salmon