At first blush, Mr. Bonneau’s proposal that parents should fund their own children’s education sounds reasonable (“Reject Ridgefield school levies,” Our Readers’ Views, Jan. 29). But two seconds worth of real thought would reveal a sad reality behind the idea.
In today’s America, too many parents do not have the financial resources to buy a decent education for their children. In today’s America, too many parents will choose not to sacrifice their lifestyles for the sake of their children’s education. If publicly funded education were to end, in two or three generations we would wind up with an incredibly stupid America — if we’re not already there. That’s not good for either America or for Washington.
In spite of the occasional mismanagement and waste inherent in any large organization, taxes for education are a good thing. My child is long out of public school, but I always vote “yes” on school levies. Always. I don’t even read the arguments for and against. In fact, if I were writing Washington’s Constitution, I would take education taxes completely out of the hands of citizens and put it entirely in the hands of the Legislature. No more school levy votes at all, ever. But, alas …
