Education is a service, some might even say a professional service, provided by one person to another. It is nothing more than a trade, and as such, the government should have nothing to do with it.

Education is just one of many, many other legitimate businesses the government has immorally co-opted with entirely predictable results. When everyone owns something, like Medicare or the Post Office or the Educational System, then nobody owns it. And if no one owns it then there can be no continuing acid test of the reality of the free market making sure that the service provided is worth the money paid for it.

For this reason, vouchers may actually be a worse idea than the current wretched system, because all they will do is bring government money and more importantly government intrusion in the form of regulation into the private sector of education. Nothing good can come from such an intrusion.

The only solution to our education problem is to completely remove the government from engaging in it, regulating it or paying for it. For a more thorough understanding of why this is so I would strongly recommend reading "Market Education - The Unknown History" written by Andrew J. Coulson.

My hope for vouchers is that they create a market for private, for-profit schools. Entrepreneurs will be drawn to make profits and we can get less government involvement.

I will try and score that book. I just don't see a political viability for reduced involvement. It's like consumption tax or legal drugs. I'd do it but hold little hope. Vouchers are politically viable if one can butt heads with the unions.

I always enjoy your comments, Russell. I still think you should write for us. People might miss your insights and views when they are in the comments.

Hate to say it, but the paperback is back-ordered indefinitely and the hardcover is priced like a textbook (sigh). Your best bet is probably to get it from a used bookstore on-line, like abebooks.com or amazon.com's "marketplace."

Cheers,
Andrew