High School Under Scrutiny for Giving Up on Its Students. A class-action lawsuit against Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn charges the institution with prematurely pushing kids to leave school. By Jennifer Medina and Tamar Lewin. [New York Times: Education] ------

Following is by David R. Remer   Political News & Analysis

The above article discusses law suits brought against a public school system under pressure to raise its performance standards. To accomplish that, the allegedly booted poorer performing students, including handicapped, pregnant, and under achieving students out of the system.

The Republican's, make no mistake, view the public education system as a form of socialism to be dismantled in incremental steps beginning with starving the public schools by forcing them to give up part of their tax based revenue to vouchers that will subsidize private school enrollment. The Faith Based Initiative is a part of this master plan to end public schools by funneling federal tax dollars that would have gone to public schools around the nation to religious based charitable organizations which can set up charter schools and private schools.

Their concept is to put competition into the schools which will pressure the schools administrators to produce results or bankrupt in the face of the competition. What this will lead to is exactly what is discussed in the NY Times article above. Private schools will not accept any under achievers - they will dump students who become under achievers because under achievers will hurt their profits and threaten their competitive advantage over other private schools in the area.

Currently, few if any private schools open for public enrollment, take special education students, handicapped students, emotionally disturbed students or any other special needs students. In the future of a national privatized school system, competition will be for the best and brightest of students who will generate positive marketing and advertising advantages to enhance profits. What then will happen to the average students? The below average students? The handicapped?

The Republican's disdain for all that is socialized and their policies designed to rid our nation of them are already underway. Why is the deficit and debt growing? In 12 years, at this rate, we can declare the social security system dead on the arrival of the baby boom generation's entry into it. Clever, eh?

Why the insistence on privately owned companies participating in the new Prescription Drug Plan. It is the first installment on ending Medicare and Medicaid altogether.

Along with limiting law suits against, and capping awards for, medical malpractice. They say it is to curtail rising health care costs due to litigation and skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates. But, think about this for a moment. Wouldn't eliminating malpractice itself reduce law suits and malpractice insurance rates. Ah, to end or significantly reduce malpractice, the health industry would have to take more time with the patients, increase nursing salaries, and eliminate Dr. fatigue. All of these measures would cut into the profitability of the shareholders and owners of health care facilities. And the Republican's are so far out there defending profitability and free enterprise, such a notion to reduce profitability is considered unAmerican and probably socialistic in some way.

The way to improve education is not to gut the public school system and relegate to history as a failed experiment. The way to improve education is to elevate it as a national priority. And in turn, elevate the teaching profession to one comparable to doctors and lawyers with a middle to upper middle class income. While that income is rising, teaching skills can be elevated and standards for teaching and teacher performance can be elevated.

But, where is the money to come from. We property owners are already taxed too much in support of public schools many say. The answer lies with asking the right question. Who is the largest consumer of public education? The answer is small businesses and corporations. Who is complaining the loudest about having to import brain power and education levels from overseas? Corporate America. Who benefits the most in society from a well educated work force? The business and corporate communities. So, there is the answer. The federal government has it within its power to put before the people of America a bold plan to make the American public school systems around the country the best in the world. Offer tax incentives to businesses and corporations who support public schools in their area. An additional small tax can also be levied on corporations to support rural schools where business and industry are scarce.

Ahhh.... but, there we are. Back to the feared and dreaded socialist concept of taking a little from those who can afford to give it in order to benefit the nation as a whole. Interesting that Republicans don't recognize that profit sharing is straight out of Karl Marx's concept of labor owning the fruits of their labor. Republicans don't seem to mind using general revenues from all Americans to bail out private industries like the airlines, Chrysler, Savings & Loan institutions. In fact, they have bailed out foreign nations with general tax payer revenues, Mexico, Korea and Germany come to mind.

The truth of the matter is that idealogically Republicans adamantly believe in free market capitalism, except when, their supporters need a handout from the public till. The oil and gas industries, the mining and forestry industries are perfect examples of Republicans using tax payer dollars or public resources to socially support those who support them. The Republicans are willing to practically give away public lands to cattlemen to feed their cattle on, build at public expense, roads into timber areas so loggers can go into national forests to earn their profits on cutting timber, provided some of those profits come back to grease the palms of Republicans at campaign season. In this regard, there is little difference between the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats at least aren't so two faced about it.  

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