California used to have the best schools in the nation.

Now student test scores rank near the bottom of all the states. Needless to say, education is a big issue in the upcoming elections. The evil party wants to throw more money at the problem, despite overwhelming evidence that the more dollars spent on education, the lower the scores drop. Besides the frequent call for standardized testing, the stupid party suggests another, more devious form of government meddling: school vouchers.

“School choice” has become a conservative mantra, and like most mantras, when chanted over and over, it tends to lull one into a zombie-like acceptance.

There are too many problems with government funding of private education for me to deal with here, but let me state the obvious: with government money comes government control. “But it’s my money!” you cry. “I’m only getting back what I deserve.” Really? And where does most of the money for the schools come from (I know, ending with a preposition is a no-no)? Property taxes! And who pays the property taxes? Property owners!

Are you a property owner? If so, how much do you pay each year in property taxes? In California, it costs over $6000 each year to educate one child in the public schools. Unless you’re living in Beverly Hills, your property taxes are probably not that high. And that is the cost for just one child. The rest of the money for educating your child at public expense comes from people who haven’t got children in the education system, perhaps those who choose to spend their own hard-earned money to educate their children privately, or little old widows on fixed incomes. Starting to get the picture?

If you continue to insist on your right to receive government funds in the form of voucher money, consider that you will be required to jump through hoops in order to receive your “free” dollars. Trust me, the hoops will keep getting smaller and closer together as time passes. This has already been happening with the public school “charter” programs which have been so popular in my area.

Still don’t believe me?

First, read this charming allegory about how easily and willingly victims are entrapped:
The Wild and Free Pigs of Okefenokee Swamp

Then this article from Home School Legal Defense Association:
Charter Schools: The Price is Too High

And if you still need convincing, read Cathy Duffy’s expose of government programs:
Government Nannies

When I’m pregnant, I crave Mexican food and mysteries. One of my fellow bookroomies (from an email list for book lovers), asked me to recommend some more of my favorite mysteries since she and I have some of our favorites in common, including Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and Melville Davisson Post’s Uncle Abner. Here are my suggestions (forgive the typos as this is from an email):

You and I have a lot of the same authors that we like, although you listed a few I hadn’t heard of. I have really enjoyed a lot of medieval mysteries this time: Ellis Peter’s Brother Cadfael mysteries, Candace Robb and Kate Sedley. These are all recommended by George Grant. Another author of medieval mysteries I have enjoyed is Margaret Frazier (a composite of 2 authors!) John Buchan is one of my very favorite authors. I love his Richard Hannay stories which are adventure/mysteries. The first one is _The 39 Steps_. I also really like his book _Witchwood_, which is a little weird, but you would probably like it if you like Uncle Abner. I found an L.M. Montgomery book at a booksale, which is a little strange and otherworldly, but I am enjoying this collection of short stories called _Among the Shadows_. Some people like Anne Perry’s mysteries set in Victorian England, although the first one I read had a story line which I thought was a little too depraved, so I haven’t tried anymore, although she has written a lot. There are some Benjamin Franklin mysteries by Robert Lee Hall which are fun, as well as Theodore Roosevelt mysteries (my favorite president!) by Lawrence Alexander. I have enjoyed some Miss Seeton mysteries (kind of like Miss Marple) by Hamilton Crane or Heron Carvic (another pseudonym?) I have some Agatha Raisin mysteries by M.C. Beaton, but haven’t tried reading one yet. One of the great classic mysteries is _The Moonstone_ by Wilkie Collins, and I found it fascinating.

Here’s a quote from the book I just finished, The Blue Hills, by Elizabeth Goudge:

And don’t you dare to disparage fairy tales. A fairy tale, dear sir, in relating miraculous happenings as though they were the normal events of every day, is a humble acknowledgment of the fact that this universe is a box packed full of mysteries of which we understand absolutely nothing at all; heaven alone knows what’ll pop out of it next: a singing bird, the Theory of Evolution (ed. note: ha!), gooseberry pie. You can wonder till you’re blue in the face as to how the giraffe got his neck, or the gooseberry puffed himself out, but you don’t know. You can’t know. Any theory you may evolve about a giraffe’s neck, my dear sir, is a fairy tale.