Lake Wobegon Economics and the Welfare State . . .

[redcliffsw]

So, the welfare state, ages six through graduation, is maintained, not on the basis of actual net welfare received by the deserving poor, but in terms of the political power, ideological power, and above all religious power of America's only established church, the public schools.

This is a deeply religious issue. Priests have always demanded control over the content of education. Only the family-funded tutorial system challenged this up until the mid-19th century in the United States. This is a battle for the minds and souls of men. It is not primarily a battle over wealth transfers. It is a battle for state control over the content of the thinking of the next generation of voters.

The illusion of net family economic benefits is a delusion. The beneficiaries wind up paying vastly too much in local property taxes throughout their working-age careers, and the benefits their children receive educationally are minimal. Yet they will not change. Today, at least 85% of all Americans have their children in the public school system, kindergarten through 12th grade.
-Gary North

Read on:
http://www.garynorth.com/public/14696.cfm