Editor’s note: Kids of all ages are returning to school, and “We Hear You” is back from a summer hiatus. What could be more fitting than some of your letters on the state of public education? Remember to write us at letters@dailysignal.com.—Ken McIntyre
Dear Daily Signal: I’m writing with thoughts arising from Stephanie Curry’s commentary about Colorado public schools (“Colorado Sex Ed Bill Would Force Kids to Learn LGBT Ideology, Ban Talk of Abstinence”). “Free” comes with a price tag.
I graduated as valedictorian from a public school in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1989. I completed a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College and a master’s in public administration from UNC-Charlotte.
In part because of my experiences in the public school system, we have chosen to educate our five children at home.
It is my impression from observing families who normally would object to much of what goes on in state schools that they tolerate it because it is free. They’d rather have two or three cars, a boat, trips to Europe, a larger home, and so on than pay the money necessary to place their children in a well-run private school, or take the time to homeschool them.
It isn’t easy being with children 24/7, although I can say thanks be to God for giving me the grace to do so, and now true joy in being able to.
I’ve wondered, what might happen to state schools in terms of funding if there were to be a mass exit of their “customers” when enough parents got tired of letting the state indoctrinate their children?
Fewer teachers would be needed, fewer facilities. Maybe this would lead to real change in the bloated education bureaucracy. Of course, the government always finds another way to spend money.
But parents must remember that free isn’t free. I believe our society is paying a massive price for decades of godless teaching. Certainly this is not the case across the board.
However, when we surrender our children to these state-run institutions influenced so heavily by groups like Planned Parenthood, we can’t expect the content or outcome to be what we want. The problem is systemic and not particular programs.—Karen Cox, Waynesboro, Ga.
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Dear Daily Signal: Do you know why such things as this sort of sex ed in public schools are happening in America and in most parts of the Western world (“2 California Moms Sound Alarm About Lewd Sex Ed Coming to Schools”)? Isolation and lack of connection among people.
No one knows what is happening around them. Some do not care enough for moral values and the sanctity of the human body.
I am an immigrant in my mid-60s from an Asian country, who came to this country 17 years ago. The government of my country and politicians are very, very corrupt.
Yet I can tell you that if something like this happened in our schools there or in the Muslim countries, people are quite connected. The public would go after the school board, and even beat up members who support such measures.
In contrast, I think that in the Western world those in power—though not as corrupt as those in other countries—are bought off easily by big corporations and rich political donors, and few know when it is done.
It is a sad situation, but Americans are slumbering when the bad have become powerful. To protect the ruin of future generations, it will take good, patriotic journalists and a few parents like those you have interviewed to awake the sleeping giant.—S.F.
Dear Daily Signal: It’s unbelievable that local school boards would promote the curriculum and provide the resources you describe (“2 California Moms Sound Alarm About Lewd Sex Ed Coming to Schools”).
However, it’s a wake-up call about the sometimes subtle, almost subliminal practices resorted to in education today. Eventually, I suspect there will be a tax revolt in communities driven by the fact that property taxes that primarily fund local schools also have become confiscatory, and shortfalls paid through state and federal subsidies.
More people every year are sending their kids to private schools or homeschooling at their own expense. It’s sad, universal public education has been a pillar of strength for America and is being seriously damaged.—Norm Mayall, Hatboro, Pa.
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Dear Daily Signal: In an op-ed early this year in The Wall Street Journal headlined “Masculinity Isn’t a Sickness,” clinical social worker Erica Komisar wrote: “In my practice as a psychotherapist, I’ve seen an increase of depression in young men who feel emasculated in a society that is hostile to masculinity.”
Unfortunately, the debate on the transgender bathroom issue is often phrased in such a way that males, even boys, are portrayed as the antagonists.
For instance, a commentary by Monica Burke in The Daily Signal shows a lack of concern for boys’ privacy and portrays them as predators (“Supreme Court Rejects Case on Transgender Bathrooms. Here’s Why It’s Still a Huge Issue”).
But the very case the article addresses (Doe v. Boyertown Area School District) wasn’t even initially started by a girl. Alexis Lightcap joined the lawsuit later. Here’s how the case actually started, according to Alliance Defending Freedom:
“During the 2016-17 school year—without informing parents or students—the Boyertown Area School District opened its high school locker rooms and restrooms to students of the opposite sex based on those students’ beliefs about their gender. Some male students learned of the policy while they were undressing in their locker room and discovered that a female student was changing clothes with them. Embarrassed and confused, the students sought help from school officials, who told them they should just ‘tolerate it’ and ‘make it as natural as possible.’”
I hope you would agree that open bathroom policies aren’t good for either gender. Absolutely, girls and women should have privacy. But many boys and men also have a sense of decency and privacy.
Here’s another example of male students having their privacy violated:
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, in Alaska, disciplined a female student who kneed a male student in the groin in April after he barged into the girls’ restroom. That student was part of a group of seven male students who entered the restroom in protest after a female student who identifies as a male took a photo in the boys’ restroom and posted it on Snapchat.
People got upset with the school district for disciplining the female student who kneed the male student. But what about privacy for the male students who had the biological female take a photo in the boys’ restroom?
Who is standing up for boys’ privacy rights? Shouldn’t we be concerned for girls and boys? Please take these things into consideration for future stories.—Nathan Zoschke
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Dear Daily Signal: These groups that don’t like history exposed, as in the case of the George Washington mural covered up in a San Francisco school, “send them back” to where they or their ancestors came from (“San Francisco School Board Votes to Paint Over George Washington Mural”).
We have got to get strong against these kooks. We can’t let them rule this country like they did their countries. It all went to hell, then they fled to ours.
Well, quit bitching. We have to come up with some tough laws.—Willie Bitz
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Dear Daily Signal: In case you haven’t noticed, we have been on a progressive slide into socialism over the past 50 years (“She Survived China’s Forced Labor Camp. Now She’s Urging Americans to Reject Socialism”). The wolf is no longer at the door, it is now inside and savaging at will.
Karl Marx would be pleased to see his philosophy so progressively entrenched in the USA. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” is now widely accepted and only faintly resisted.
The Daily Signal falls clearly in the faint resistance camp.
Big government: check. Progressive taxes: check. Food stamps: check.
Subsidized housing: check. Subsidized medical: check. Subsidized education: check.
Merit trashing: check. National debt of $23 trillion: check.
The list goes on, but it is crystal clear that our country is in a severe crisis mode, set on a path to destruction.
Marx, Mao, Lenin, and Castro are all smiles with a big high-five celebration as the global elites join hands embracing world domination.—David Harned
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Dear Daily Signal: Regarding Kevin Mooney’s reporting, before government hijacked education in our nation, we had a wonderfully successful public education system (“New Jersey Parents to Rally Against LGBT Education Law”).
Now retired, I volunteer at a museum in our community that attracts hundreds of guests from every country on the globe in addition to every state and province in North America.
With exposure to so many guests, it amazes me how many U.S. citizens actively opt to homeschool their children rather than send them to public schools. Not only do these homeschooled children get a better education, it includes what actually happened in history instead of the rewritten agenda.
Also eliminated are the cost of child care with moms staying home, bullying in the classroom, and threats of school shootings and other violence.
Ultimately, our government-managed public education system would appear destined to self-destruct, eventually to be replaced by parents’ adopting higher quality homeschooling programs associated with reduced costs and increased safety.
If we are to have affordable, commonsense programs, the private sector and/or individual citizens excel while government-run programs always falter due to misguided policies.—Ron Dale, Boise, Idaho
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Dear Daily Signal: Per Lee Edwards’ article on socialism, 50% of students polled say they think socialism is good and capitalism bad (“3 of the Most Telling Failures of Socialism”). Most come out confirmed leftists. Why?
The single biggest enemy of America is the current public (government) school system, from kindergarten through college. (Plus the media, but that’s another story.)
It’s the schools that teach kids to like socialism and hate capitalism. Russia and China together could never have undermined and hurt the U.S. as much as our education system.
The Daily Signal should do an article on how the system trains and indoctrinates students to be leftists, to like socialism, and to hate America.
How do these teachers get away with it? Who establishes the curriculum in public schools, and what exactly is that curriculum? Why isn’t conservatism being taught as well? How can we change the system to be more balanced and pro-American?
If the education system doesn’t change, America is lost. A World War II veteran—who won every battlefield medal offered and fought in all five of the major European campaigns—told me, “America is disintegrating.”
I didn’t believe him then, but I do now. The schools are causing it.—Rob Zache, Verona, Wis.
How Are We Doing?
Dear Daily Signal: Articles provided by The Daily Signal are often quite informative and very timely, and offer insight into what is taking place in Washington on a daily basis.
As these articles cannot certainly cover all the specifics about legislation which is being written about, I’d like to recommend that articles pertaining to legislation include the House of Representatives (HR) and/or Senate (S) number so that the reader can go to congress.gov to read the actual legislation.
All too often an article is very interesting, but trying to find the related legislation for further reading is trying and cumbersome, as congress.gov is not very user-friendly. Having clarity by citing in text the specific HR and/or S number of the bill would be quite welcomed.—Dan Cutter
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Please block comments beneath your articles that contain profane or foul language. To some of us this is still very offensive. Profanity turns my stomach.
It is time to stop this intrusion into intellectual discussion. FYI, my high school counselor told me that swearing showed a lack of vocabulary.
Thank you for offering this opportunity to tell you how many of us feel.—Deborah Newton
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Keep up the good work. I rely on you to give unbiased reporting, and pray that you can keep your head above the fray.
I can’t begin to tell you how saddened and disappointed I am in our representatives in Congress. They spend more time bashing each other and the president than getting things done for our country. Shame!
God bless you and the work that you are doing to keep us informed.—Audrey Ricard
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Thank you to Fred Lucas, Rachel del Guidice, and The Daily Signal for keeping us up to date on this false Equality Act.
This bill cannot become law! As a woman and mother of a female collegiate athlete, the Equality Acts reeks of misogyny. No woman will be safe.—Juliette Sweda
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Aloha. Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) for Jarrett Stepman’s article, “Conservative Lawmakers Fight the Swamp.” Please extend my gratitude to Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., for standing up against irresponsible spending under the sympathetically titled “relief bill.”
Also, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., should redirect his tweet back to himself. It will be appropriately addressed.
Malama pono (all the very best) to you all at The Daily Signal. I am a voter who is grateful to and for The Heritage Foundation.—Carlton C. Okamoto
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Dear Daily Signal: An excellent source! I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to thank you for the real news. I look forward to reading what you send.
I trust you for the up-to-date information. Please keep it coming; there is just way too much garbage being put out.— Rosalyn Wheelock
You are doing great. I appreciate the informative articles.—Alice Landolt
Great and informative. Studying the material.—Yvonne Northern
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Thank you for providing great info. How do we get the Freedom Caucus podcast?—Nancy Buck
Editor’s note: You can find it here, Nancy.
Interesting data. Good to get a true answer as to what is going on early in the day.—David Fairburn
Whatever happened to the compilation of reader letters and posts that used to appear every Monday? That was good stuff!—Ken Marx
Editor’s note: Thanks, Ken. As noted above, “We Hear You” is back after a summer break, and we’re glad to have you and other loyal readers aboard.