On Tue, Oct 22, 2002 at 08:35:10AM -0400, Jim Wildman wrote:
> 1) Our government funded and controlled education system WAS NOT
> designed to create well educated citizens. We had better educated
> citizens before the inception of mandatory schooling.
>
Not sure I agree. Prior to government schooling, there were likely many
many people who only made it through the first few grades, and so were
not well educated at all. I'm not saying government schooling is better.
But it probably has forced more students to stay in school longer, and
thus become more educated.
And I suspect that the educational system _was_ instituted to create
well-educated students. However, I suspect it's been hijacked.
> 2) Unions (regardless of how noble and necessary their beginnings)
> always morph into self preservation of a) jobs b) the jobs of the
> leaders.
Agreed.
>
> 3) Google for "John Taylor Gatto" and read about the reasons for the
> system we have now.
>
I surfed a bit on this, and particularly went through the #1 Google hit.
Every time I read a theory like this, I shake my head. Again,
Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan are behind the downfall of Civilization
as we know it. Every time I read about some "cabal" of this magnitude
which is supposedly behind the conditions we see today, I have grave
doubts. Humans are an unruly lot, and I have a very hard time believing
that megarich guys have managed to hoodwink the whole world.
For example, Gatto says that you have to read the 11 essays by Carnegie
to see where he lays out this idea of the end of capitalism and a
"synthetic" free market system, because the big three guys own all the
stuff now. I don't really think so. Everyone oohs and aahs over IBM,
Colgate-Palmolive and the like, but a vast amount of the wealth of this
country (perhaps most of it) rests in the hands of small business.
Capitalism is dead?
Also note that all three of the empires of these fellows no longer
really exist. The situation reminds me very much of kingdoms, where you
get one great king who advances the kingdom/empire, and his decendents
never quite match up to his achievements. Eventually the whole thing
dies away without the progenitor's hand on the tiller. Corporations tend
to be that way, too. A great corporate leader, like Iacocca, can do
wonders with a corporation. But after him, you get mediocrity, and the
corporation just sort of coasts along.
There's also this aspect of the cabal preaching one thing but secretly
advancing a different agenda. Yes, I'm familiar with agendas that PR
themselves one way and actually do something else. Fringe liberal groups
are past masters at this: PETA, NOW, ACLU, etc. But it's a pretty huge
stretch of imagination to think that a few very powerful fellows have
managed to create this perverted agenda from the grave with everyone's
cooperation.
I don't believe _forced_ education is the problem. However, as with
nearly everything else, when the government gets involved, the whole
things becomes an outhouse. Governments have no business being involved
in social engineering; they aren't and never have been good at it. And
you want to find a bunch of misguided or just plain evil psychos? Sample
any group that's tasked with shepherding humans-- teachers, ministers,
psychologists. You'll find a bigger percentage of nut jobs than probably
anywhere else, because it's the perfect place to be if you want to
spread perversion and control people toward some twisted agenda. (Of
course not all such people; I'm talking percentages here.) And the
government, in its infinite wisdom, listens to these people with regard
to education, particularly the screwiest bunch of all, the
psychologists.
Anyway....
Paul
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