| You're the only voice of reason on this thread. What we should be really scared of is a population whose majority clamors for democracy yet prefers to trust government over holding representatives accountable. The problem is the people have been rendered powerless through mis-education to the point they've forgotten their non-interventionist history. Keeping guns is necessary but not sufficient for the government to fear its people. People have also been convinced the only way to get educated is to go into debt, since independent thought is ridiculed on mainstream entertainment venues. That gives governments an opportunity to control what people learn. It goes on and on but it all starts with what you rightfully noted, that this is no Capitalism, but Corporatism. I wouldn't expect a university professor (even an economist) to understand this finer point as I know first-hand those people either have approved opinions or they don't have a job in academia. For those who only dabble in economics (and here I include up to Ph.Ds in Economics) here's a hint: if your economy only has one money, and its price is centrally controlled, as interest rates are by the Fed in the U.S., what you have is not Capitalism, because no saving of capital is taking place. |
On the topic of mainstream education, my brother is "unschooling" his children. They went to public school for one year, then he saw what was happening not only with the level of standardized education, but also the drills to "prepare" for school shootings. Schools prepare not by hiring security guards, but by having realistic simulations of a shooter, and having the children cower under their desks. Welcome to the new normal: Dept of Education's standards for dealing with ~~nuclear~~ handgun proliferation.
i visited my brother last year and it was interesting to see his kids interact socially. this is typically one of the big arguments that comes up for homeschooled children: How will your children grow socially? How will they learn to interact? After watching them at their golf practice, surrounded by tons of other kids, it was clear: my brother's kids were leaders, and the other kids were mostly followers.
his kids learn what they want, guided by their father's loose curriculum. They started learning algebra at 7, with the assistance of some very clever iPad apps. They read. They play games. And most of all, they enjoy life. They're not just waiting for recess. Or high school. Or college. Or their first job.
Those kids will be just fine.