The Incomplete Cynic
So the blogger who (partially) inspired my post yesterday has responded. You can read his piece for yourself here. You, of course, will draw whatever conclusions you will. For my part, his claim that things like clean water, clean air and clean food are only “supposed” goods not necessarily worth making cross-generational commitments to ensure pretty much exposes the uselessness of libertarianism as an actual plan for social action, as opposed to a tool of social and political criticism.
Just fyi—
I’ve read this whole thread…starting with the post that inspired your initial response. After taking it all in, it’s pretty clear that, in this argument, you’re losing badly and know it. I can’t think of any other way to explain the blatant misdirection and dishonesty.
From your use of exceptions (infants and psychopaths) to disprove the rule (sound-minded adults) of the inviolability of self-ownership, to your quoting of the word “supposed” above (a word which doesn’t even appear in LA Liberty’s response), you refused on all counts to engage with his ideas.
You suggest that because he believes no one should be forced into cross-generational commitments, that he is against them in principle; that he believes that “commitment[s] beyond…one-to-one agreement” are unnecessary. You ignored the responses to your argument and decide instead to disparage him for something he didn’t even say.
Also, I can’t help but point out that shortly after saying that “a blanket statement ‘never’ is, well, silly,” you say that you’ve “never, ever heard a libertarian even vaguely hint at an” alternative to coerced cross-generational participation. An assertion that is both silly and shocking, since I, in the course of my varied careers in food service, ministry, graphic design, and web development, have encountered a number of specific and general alternatives; how is it that in the course of your study and teaching of Politics and Government you haven’t?
Real spending per pupil ranges from a low of nearly $12,000 in the Phoenix area schools to a high of nearly $27,000 in the New York metro area. The gap between real and reported per-pupil spending ranges from a low of 23 percent in the Chicago area to a high of 90 percent in the Los Angeles metro region.
To put public school spending in perspective, we compare it to estimated total expenditures in local private schools. We find that, in the areas studied, public schools are spending 93 percent more than the estimated median private school.
Citizens drastically underestimate current per-student spending and are misled by official figures. Taxpayers cannot make informed decisions about public school funding unless they know how much districts currently spend. And with state budgets stretched thin, it is more crucial than ever to carefully allocate every tax dollar.
Didn’t you know this already?
People often don’t believe me when I say that a localized, privatized school system would be both better and cheaper for even the poorest Americans. Now I have numbers to back it up.
How are the poorest Americans going to afford private school? Public education is free, private schools cost money. When it comes down to feeding your family or paying for your child’s education, feeding your family comes first. Education is not supposed to be limited by your ability to spend money. So my only real question is “how do we get the poorest Americans enough money to send all their children to private money costing schools?”
“Public education is free”? Are you kidding? You just reblogged a report that public schools cost twice as much as private.
And, historically, education was limited by your ability to pay for it. That meant that you may not be able to go to a regular school, but you could be an apprentice somewhere if you worked hard. Or a community would pool their money and hire a teacher for their children. It can work.
But since most communities have a tax base, and are apparently accustomed to spending around $20k per student, why not give vouchers, encourage people to form new private schools and expand existing ones, and take advantage of schools that are better and cheaper than the public system?
