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Tidewater Liberty 
To: Don,
I’ve seen your comments on the Pilot’s site, and knew we agreed on most things. But I write only about education. (The Pilot nowadays censors my letters, so you know I’m doing something right.)
The bit below is something I was just working on. It’ll serve as a short wrap-up of my work.. And maybe you can use parts of it. Anyway, edit as you please.
Main idea was just to say hello.
Good luck,
Bruce Price
—–
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Republicans Should Make Education A Really Big Issue
Here’s the main point: tens of millions of parents have been dragged into the Education Wars, the Reading Wars, the Math Wars, etc. They are profoundly sick of it. They know how incompetent and sometimes dangerous a public school can be. They are very angry. They want change and improvement.
The Republican Party has got to step up and hit this easy pitch. The Tea Party as well.
Almost every American has watched Jay Leno go Jaywalking, and probably exclaimed the same words: “ These people are voters but they don’t know anything. This isn’t acceptable.”
It’s been a great frustration for me that the Republican Party does not see the huge political leverage in pushing common-sense reform. Give the people what they want: a return to smart schools that emphasize reading, writing, arithmetic and geography, to be followed by history, science literature and the arts. These are the eight points of light every good school invariably follows.
Conversely, explain that the schemes pushed by the Education Establishment are often counterproductive and lead to dumbing-down. The most charitable thing we can say about our self-proclaimed experts is that they are clumsy bureaucrats. The public no longer likes them or trust them.
So we have two urgent pieces of business here: saving the country from stupid education policy; and gaining political advantage by doing good.
Two years ago I put a piece on the internet called “Republicans must attack Dems on education.” I presumed to advise the leaders of the Republican Party: hey, wake up! It’s still a good read and I’m still saying the same thing. Everybody knows it’s liberals who are screwing up education. Make them defend their 50 million functional illiterates, and probably an even greater number who can’t do simple arithmetic without a calculator.
(I’d like to be a strategic ally for others trying to improve education. There are 50 essays on my site Improve-Education.org and 150 columns on other sites. Please use as ammo. Or ask me if I’ve written or can write on a particular subject: bruce @ Improve-Education.org. Republican operatives, please contact me for a simple five-point education agenda you can use.)
Obviously, I am not a Libertarian, but I do agree our education system is in serious trouble. Mainly, I believe our system fails our youth in a number of areas. However, without going into the details of my complaints with the system I will only say this: The system fails because of, ‘Teacher’s Unions, and poor quality teachers.
Whenever I get on a roll about our education system I am reminded of my eighth grade class in a Catholic School where the teacher, 86 year old Sister Ustess Mary had 46 unruly, hormone driven kids and each of us received our degree of education in all the pertinent subjects.
After reading your essay above I am convinced your ideas and assumptions are correct, but difficult to project.
I do not think I would be much help to you as I do not have the time required for the subject.
Good luck in your endeavors.
Ron from (Conservatism Upper Division Studies)
Like I said, I’m not a Libertarian but I agree with most of what the party stands for, and this country is the better for your input. I am more like Boortz in my political thinking. However, I do not think it a good idea to allow free drug trade and I believe in our military strength.
As far as the education system in our country goes, it sucks and needs a complete reformation. Maybe you will be the one who accomplishes that mission.
Ron
My compliments. That is a fine column found in today’s Virginian Pilot. I have noted you before especially in reactions to letter to the editor. I could always count on you to correct misinformation.
Some of those writers published by the editor are truly screwy. What’s more scary is that they vote and neutalize the vote of the wisest man in the nation.
Sincerely,
Boisselle
I, too, enjoyed your Virginia Pilot column today as I have your past columns. Although I agreed with your assessment of the problem as an example of the Tragedy of the Commons, I differ regarding solving it by amending the constitution to redefine the Necessary and Proper, the General Welfare and the Commerce clauses specifically and narrowly “as originally intended”. I would prefer to see spending legislation that is better informed as to the sustainability issues you so well elucidate. My reading of Gordon Wood’s histories of the colonial era, the revolution and the early days of the republic persuade me that not only is it difficult to discern one original intent among the authors of the constitution, but even if it were possible those intents would have to be understood in the context of those times and that the cultural, social and political issues they addressed were the temporal manifestations of issues that had been evolving since the Enlightenment and are still evolving. The Founders recognized the temporality of their solutions when they provided the mechanisms to amend the constitution and wisely made it very difficult to do so. I doubt that it is wise, even possible, to stand in the way of the trajectory of history by changing the ground rules of our deliberative democracy by amending the constitution. Better to join the political fray to help shape pragmatic solutions informed by our best understanding of our current, and to the extent possible, our future social/political context to our problems such as then ones you wrote about today. Our world is too complicated and the future too unpredictable to do more than the best we can today and hope that we will continue to muddle through thanks to, with all it’s problems, the best political system so far devised by men and women to optimize the ever changing balance between social order and freedom.
Thank you for your well considered comment. I would agree that it would be better if we elected legislators who would act on principle and not predictably succumb to adverse incentives, but that is not a good bet.
I would suggest that the Framers allowed for amending the Constitution BOTH for the purposes of adapting it to changing times and for clarification of misunderstanding of its intent. Clearly, the application of the Commerce Clause and General Welfare Clause have become problematic and a more precise definition of their meaning would serve the Constitution’s primary purpose, which was to restrain the government from escaping its intended limits on government powers.
Dear Mr. Tabor,
As usual, what I find to be good piece of yours was published in today’s local newspapers.
I realize the limits imposed by an article. I wish to add my views and reactions to your opinion.
The population explosion is a very real concern. There is no solution to any of our problems without first addressing this ever increasing human population of consumers. The January issue of National Geographic reports on the tripling of humans since 1930. The growth is most prevalent in the poorest nations on earth as with black Africa. It will be to no avail for whites in this country to limit their growth if we are to import poverty from the third world to replace our missing babies. Immigrants come here to improve their standard of living, and to change our culture to theirs. Improving one‘s quality of life entails consumption of depleting natural resources, which in turn produces pollution. There are already too many humans on earth to enjoy America’s standard of living. Can’t be done. Yet, with America’s assistance, the human population is expected to double again by 2050. To learn what the world is destined for is to study Haiti.
Those external cost you speak of seem very real. I have personally driven through the “rust belt,” and seen the abandoned shoe shops along the rivers of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. It is a reason why our government established the super fund for cleanup. All taxpayers are paying for this external cost. But, what are we to do if we are to compete with foreign producers who care not about their environment? Americans will not pay more by buying American although it means being more friendly to the environment. Americans go for the cheap price regardless of the environment. It is a reason why Walmart is so successful.
I appreciate finding someone who speaks my mind and is respected enough to be published. Please don’t stop now. We need you.
Sincerely,
Warren E. Boisselle
Dear Mr. Tabor,
Just to let you know that I appreciated your latest column. I am comforted to know that like-minded conservatives are being printed.
I feel compelled to encourage you to keep writing. The Virginian Pilot is devoid of decent editorial writers. I am grateful to the editor for printing you.
Sincerely,
Warren E. Boisselle,
Dear Mr. Tabor,
As usual, I have much admiration for your work. the gist of today’s column expresses my views but so much more erudite in manner.
The one thing, in my view, that damages most our economy is the very large annual trade deficit. Yet, I never read about any measure to correct this export of $dollars to alien nations.
Following WWI, for a whole generation, we became filthy rich by selling more than we bought. We are now buying more than we sell, year after year, for decades.
In my opinion, a nation is a lot like a man managing a household. No man can survive by spending more than he earns, not for very long.
Additionally, there is no solution to any problems, environment included, as long as our national population keeps growing. It is an insanity to kill our babies and replace them with third-world immigrants of poor quality. Resources are finite and cannot sustain an infinite number of humans in our country or on earth. It is just a matter of time before the whole world creeps down into abject poverty.
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. Tabor,
I always take an interest in your opinions in which for the most part I agree.
In this case concerning whom should come first during calamities: women and children, or more valuable personage regardless of age and sex.
To make your point, you use the incident of the Titanic with limited life boats.
My example somewhat similar would be: who should be canonized to Sainthood, St. Francis or Bill Gates?
St Francis was the son of a rich man who decided to relinquish all of his father’s wealth and inheritance in order to take the vow of poverty and dedicate his life to serving God by helping the poor. Whoops! How do the poor help the poor? St Francis had to beg from the rich for the money needed to help the poor. For this and other things, he was canonized saint by the Catholic Church. But, Bill Gates, a rich man, helped the poor by creating 100s of thousands of good paying jobs elevating people out of poverty and into middle class status. However, no sainthood for Gates. But, one could wonder who deserves sainthood more.
In your story of the Titanic, the tycoon creating jobs deserves to be saved over the immigrant women and children. I tend to agree. But just a blanket start with first class to the lifeboats does not necessarily mean all such passengers contribute to society by spending inheritance. Many are parasites living off inherited fortunes that will not disappear with their demise; someone will inherit to circulate the money. As for the tycoon, there is usually a company hierarchy and the man will be replaced by another ambitious and talented successor.
On the other hand, the man paying a higher price for his ticket deserves better service to include life and death.
Also, saving the doctor is not necessarily best for the long term. Earth is already overpopulated with people who need to die without artificial assistance.(Human population tripled since 1930 with an expected doubling by 2050).
Then again, Women and children were important when a nation’s security depended on a large population producing warriors. The environment was always full of human predator nations to fend off. It only takes one male and ten females to produce 10 new citizens five of whom grow up to become warriors, annually.
In modern times, in America, we are being overwhelmed with diversity and multiculturalism precisely because we don’t produce enough home-grown replacements and population growth to generate a robust economy.
As you say, selling the organ to the highest bidder is less likely to bankrupt the nation. Chances the highest bidder can take care of himself, financially, while the beggar will live to consume more of societies financial assets. The system will treat the parasite equal to the industrious and productive man. It is a reason why our current democratic system of one man one vote dooms us. The vote of a parasite is as strong as that of the tycoon and the wisest man in the land.
Sincerely,
Warren E. Boisselle,
As always, an interesting reply.
Its good to see someone thinks past the usual knee jerk responses.
Regarding who should be canonized, I don’t care. It’s who we benefit from keeping around longer that I am interested in.
Hello All,
I’m a recovering Republican looking for like minded Libertarians who believe in limited government, individual freedoms and self reliance. Please tell me I’ve come to the right place.
Respectfully,
Drew
A Libertarian behind every lines looking for refuge!
Not sure why I didn’t get an alert to the comment, but by all means, welcome.
The TLP meets the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month for breakfast at the Providence Grill in VA Beach. at 8:30 AM.