Separate school and state.

Every child has a natural thirst for learning, as demonstrated by his incessant use of that three-letter word that bedevils every parent: “Why?” By the time children graduate high school, however, that natural desire to learn has been drummed out of them by a governmental system that is based on coercion, regimentation, and conformity.

Children who resist this artificial, dysfunctional system are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and prescribed mind-altering substances, such as Ritalin or Adderall. Not realizing that their children are reacting normally to an aberrant system, all too many parents place their faith in the state and its drugs rather than in their children.

There is a good reason for the dysfunctional character of public schooling. It is a socialist system, one based on state central planning, coercive funding, government-approved textbooks, and compulsory attendance. Proponents thought that federal funding would fix their system, but it has only made the situation worse, especially given the regulation and control that come with federal aid.

There is but one solution to the educational morass in which our nation finds itself: freedom and the free market. That necessarily means the repeal of school compulsory-attendance laws and school taxes and the end of federal, state, and local governmental involvement in education. Government has no more business in education than it does in religion.

The free market produces the best of everything. By placing education choices within families and entrepreneurs, children will have the opportunity to nurture and develop their natural love of learning, enabling them to best discover who they are and what their purpose in life is.