If I were not the father of two children, I would probably not be running for governor. Concern for their future in an empire which has lost its moral authority compels me to act.
My views on pre-kindergarten programs are no different from my views on public education in general. Public education should be financed and controlled by local communities, not by the State. If a local community deems it desirable to have a pre-k program, then it should organize such a program and finance it out of local tax funds.
As for Act 62, I have no opinion. Over the long run, I favor the elimination of all forms of federal and state control of public education. I support a form of public education based on the Swiss system in which public schools are financed and controlled by cantons, towns, and villages. Switzerland has one of the best public education systems in the world. Vermont could do a lot worse than emulating the Swiss model.
If one truly cares about the well being of Vermont’s children, then one does not send them off to fight in immoral and illegal wars in which they risk injury and death. If elected governor, because I do care about all of Vermont’s children, I would order those serving in the National Guard in Iraq and Afghanistan to be returned to Vermont immediately.
Vermont’s prorata share of the Pentagon’s annual budget amounts to over $1.5 billion per year. If Vermont were to become an independent republic, it could support a lot of children’s educational programs with an additional $1.5 billion each year.
Imagine…Free Vermont
Dennis Steele
June 15, 2010
Statement delivered at the Turrell Fund Landon Awards Day in Burlington, VT on June 15, 2010. The event was sponsored by the Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation.
