As evidenced by two recent reports, a chasm exists between the ways state government officials nationwide view federal control of education and health care:
On Feb. 2, the Heritage Foundation published an article in which they highlighted the fact that the majority of states (see graphic at right) have succumbed to pressure to adopt national academic standards; and
Two days earlier, a federal judge sided with attorneys general representing 26 states who had filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a., “ObamaCare”).
According to a Wall Street Journal article published today, several polls show the majority of Americans believe ObamaCare should be repealed. That sentiment, I believe, stems from the widely-held belief that a person’s doctor is better equipped to make health care-related decisions than some federal government bureaucrat.
Without feeling the need to locate poll results to back it up my contention, I think most parents of school-age children in this country would agree that people closest to their children are better equipped to meet their education needs than some distant, unelected Department of Education bureaucrat in Washington, D.C.
In his Jan. 31 ruling on ObamaCare, which I wrote about here, Judge Roger Vinson wrote, “…this case is not about whether the Act is wise or unwise legislation. It is about the Constitutional role of the federal government.”
Conversely, Heritage outlines the unconstitutional pitfalls associated with federal control of education in the video, “The Dangers of National Standards in Education.” The video includes interviews with Governors Rick Perry (R-Texas) and Nikki Haley (R-S.C.), Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), Missouri education activist Gretchen Logue and others who spoke to Heritage about the dangerous consequences of Race to the Top-style programs.
In short, we must restore federalism (i.e., allowing states to set education standards and determine how funds are spent) to our system of public education.
In another video, Governor Perry offers more reasons why we should shun Race to the Top.
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