You bring up a valid Libertarian point.
In a perfect free world we would all be responsible for our own bills, including education.
Education on the literacy level is one of those things that is borderline in my opinion.
I don't support the Federal government being involved in education. I think it should be at the community level, just like it use to be before this bloated government exploded.
I sent my sons to a private school and hated paying the stupid property tax that provided education for others but I am not at the point of saying do away with it entirely.
I hate to see what the public schools have become. I can't justify that at all. Nobody can.
There are a few legitimate functions of government. Defense, courts, police etc. Most people don't mind paying for the roads they use because after all, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
Education is something I think most people would support. However, your point that the Liberals have really fucked it up is valid.
Yes, liberals have fucked up what used to be a nearly universally supported government program. Nothing is more natural than for parents to want their children educated, and nothing - other than basic police and fire services - is more acceptable to communities as a tax-funded expense.
In the days in which the U.S. economy was primarily farming, schools were held during the winter months, so that children were available to help with farm work. No one said "school days are school days, too bad if a kids parents can't afford to do without the extra labor." Sadly, now a large part of our economy is welfare. The welfare mentality is not to spend money on kids, but to get free stuff due to having kids. We cannot change that mentality without ending welfare as we know it, and there is not the political will to do that.
As a public school teacher, I have to note that we already take care of a large part of our student's life needs that affect their ability to learn. We send a bus to their door or close to it, we feed them breakfast and lunch, we provide them showers (middle school and above), and we have counselors available who can refer parents to agencies if they need help.
It's only once in a while that we run into a sticking point, like a kid whose parents won't bother to get them glasses. But, when we hit that sticking point, an attitude I see is "well, this is the last straw! If those parents can't even take this voucher the nurse offered and get them to an optometrist, that isn't our problem."
But it is our problem. Seven hours a day, five days a week, we have to deal with a kid who can't learn because he can't see and then we act surprised that the kids acts out.
