I have been part of the patriot movement well before tea parties came into existence—doing my best to educate the public about the unpublicized assaults against our Constitution. Unfortunately, all our noble attempts have not been able to stay the successful coup de tat that has gone nearly unnoticed by the general public.
The saddest thing about the situation is that we as a people continue to look to government to solve the problems government has created. Not only is this heartbreaking; it is completely solvable if we will start standing on our own two feet. A few weeks back I wrote a commentary in Conservative News and Views entitled Slay the Beast. In this article I identified what I consider to be the primary causes that impacted our last election. These causes have also produced an electorate that would re-elect the most egregious president this writer could ever envision. They are:
- A complicit and ideologically driven media;
- Judges that legislate from the bench and ignore Constitutional mandates;
- Crippling taxation that steals the fruits of one’s labors to give to others;
- Schools that indoctrinate students into secular hedonism instead of teaching academics;
- Political cabals that exercise cronyism and nepotism;
- Ineffective churches that are politically correct but biblically bankrupt.
Identifying the root causes of our problem is half the battle. The other half is finding the solutions. Since this is national school choice week, I thought it appropriate to address #4 on my list: schools that indoctrinate students into secular hedonism instead of teaching academics.
One of Abraham Lincoln’s famous quotes is: “The philosophy in the classroom of one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” Today we are seeing a government taken over by isms that are adverse to capitalism, and these isms have been promoted and extolled in our government-run schools for at least a generation, and arguably more. The government representatives we have today were educated in these schools. Time has proven Lincoln right.
Identifying the problem
On Sunday I attended a statewide school choice event hosted by inarguably the most sincere and committed people you could imagine—people who are wholeheartedly doing their best to rescue a failing school system in New Jersey. Unfortunately, these people are also relying on government to solve this problem.
Here’s why I believe they are barking up the wrong tree. The whole agenda revolved around proposed school choice legislation. You may be thinking that’s not a bad agenda. I would have to agree to some degree—a very limited degree. During the entire five-hour program—not one person mentioned anything about establishing private schools—just moving money around to schools that comply with government standards—standards that have failed our kids and misspent our money.
The main problem with the proposed legislation is that many of the religiously-based private schools simply would not “participate” in the State’s program. In other words, they would not jump through the hoops the State created to make them eligible to receive tuition monies for their students. For instance, the way the legislation is written, a participating Jewish school would have to accept Muslim teachers or be charged with discrimination—or a Christian school would have to accept practicing homosexuals in order to qualify for state funds. That’s one part of the problem. Another part of the problem deals with creating more financial hoops for schools to jump through—especially those that are already 501-C-3s and have to jump through enough hoops at the moment. Still another problem exists regarding the accreditation process participating schools would have to submit to—which process would be created by the State and would not defer to the many accreditation institutions that have earned their worldwide and national respect. In essence you are allowing parents to choose schools that are different but nevertheless regulated to be the same. Therefore, you can expect results that may be slightly different—but nevertheless the same.
What’s the solution?
Answer: America, start standing on your own two feet!
How?
Create alternative choices for students that really are viable and good alternative choices. This means taking your kids out of government-run schools and establishing private schools. Before you tell me that is impractical, let me tell you that I’ve heard that argument before. And…it doesn’t hold water as far as I’m concerned. Before I explain what I mean, let me ask you a few questions?
When did you accept the premise that the government is qualified to educate our kids?
If you accept the above premises, how do you think that’s working out for this country?
Do you know that the IRS allows you to deduct all contributions made to schools that are organized as federal non-profits?
Do you realize that many churches only use their buildings to their fullest on Sundays while they remain nearly dormant for the rest of the week?
Do you know that the Association of Christian Schools International), a globally-respected accreditation agency, will help you in establishing a Christian school in your community?
Do you realize that homeschoolers in most states can pool their resources and create co-ops?
Hopefully these questions have spurred you on to thinking in a new way.
You may have guessed that my suggestion for standing on your own two feet when it comes to education means taking kids out of government-run schools and creating alternative schools for them to attend.
And, just in case you think I’m talking out of a pipe filled with something other than tobacco, let me tell you that I’ve already done all this successfully. Sure, I had to deal with the naysayers—the “What makes you think you can start a private school—ha ha?” crowd. Just for the record, our school is about to graduate our sixth senior class this June, and as for the naysayers—some of them have applied for jobs. One more thing you need to know: I have a high school diploma with a business school certificate; that’s it! I also had the determination, the vision, and the passion to make it happen.
In conclusion, I would also like to remind you that there are a multitude of churches that would be open to have someone use their facility during the week. If the school is for the children of members of their congregation, they may allow you to use it free of charge. If the school is for the community at large, they may charge a small fee, which would also help the church—a real win/win situation. The church may even consider helping with the finances of the school,especially urban churches that are very well aware of how the educational system has failed their congregants. And I can assure you that there is no shortage of donors who would gladly contribute tax-deductible funds for a venture such as this.
Another alternative may be to create a co-op of homeschoolers. Of course, you would have to check on the laws of your state before embarking on such a course. This could work in a number of ways. Parents could be responsible for some of the basics, and the co-op could pick up the slack for subjects like math, science, and the arts. Many community educational co-ops exist around the country today in different localities. If you have school-age kids, you may want to find out if there are any co-ops in your area, and investigate to learn more information about them, how they are structured and operate, about their founders and administrators, financial information, and so forth. If none exist in your area, you may want to consider starting one. If you don’t have school-age children, and are retired but have skills or expertise that would be good for children to learn, perhaps you can serve your community and your country by offering to teach in a local co-op at a reasonable rate; if so, you would be serving your country and community well by offering your services, and at the same time enjoy the manifold benefits of doing what you can to help educate our children.
The point is: If we really want change in America, we need to start standing on our own two feet and stop begging an incompetent and misguided government for the crumbs off our own table. Where’s that good old American ingenuity we’ve grown up knowing? If it’s still out there—and I believe it is—let’s stop complaining about the ineptitude and errancy of our national educational system, and start doing something to resolve the problem!
I’ll end this article with another quote from Abraham Lincoln:
“…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom…”
Lincoln was right about education. I pray that he was right also about our ability to stay a free and liberty-loving people. But I’m concerned, because I know that a free and liberty-loving people can only survive if they are willing to stand on their own two feet, and do what they can to contribute to solutions, rather than just endlessly complain about the problems that need solving!
May God have mercy on America!###
___________________________
RoseAnn Salanitri is an average citizen and housewife who proudly embraces the title of “Community Organizer” in her rural New Jersey community. Among her many credits and accomplishments, she is the founder/president of The NJ TEA Party Caucus, chartered by the American Tea Party Congress, the former contributing and acquisitions editor for Focus on the Family’s flagship publication, Family Magazine. She has authored two books, “GUTs All Tied Up With Strings,” a creation science book in theoretical physics, and a Christmas story for children, “The First Christmas Tree,” and she is currently working on a soon-to-be published novel. RoseAnn is Co-Founder of Creation Science Alive, a creation science ministry, and a speaker at the annual Creation Evidence Expo. Recently, she received “honorable mention” in the Creation Science Hall of Fame for her many years of dedication to boldly telling Creation truths that have been criticized and censored by evolutionists. She also co-founded Conservative News and Views, a conservative online newspaper. She is he past Chairwoman of the Sussex County Christian Women’s Club, and the co-host of a local TV/radio show as well as a radio show with former state senator, Richard LaRossa. Of all her involvements and accomplishments, RoseAnn is most pleased with the founding of a Christian high school in her local community of Sussex County, New Jersey.
Thanks for reading this article! If you enjoy the spiritually enriching articles on Spirit Life Magazine, please sign up to receive new articles via email immediately when they are posted simply by entering your email address in the "Articles Via Email" widget located on this page toward the top of the right-sidebar. Just below that widget is another widget—"Newsletter Sign-up"—you can use to subscribe to our newsletter we send out periodically to inform you of all our new articles and occasionally other information as well. Please know that we do not bombard your inbox with emails, and we hate SPAM just as much as you do, thus we will never sell/share your contact info with anyone else—rest assured it's safe with us! We hope you will subscribe to both lists because it's by far the easiest, fastest, and surest way to notify you of new posts. Thank you!
Spirit Life Magazine does not necessarily agree with the totality of the opinions, beliefs or philosophies of the authors of articles posted on the website, nor does the posting of articles represent an endorsement of authors other than our own authors/editors. Spirit Life Magazine is a publication of Real Truth Publications.
If you enjoyed this or any of the articles on Spirit Life Magazine, please click on the PayPal® Donate Button below to make a donation to help us with the costs of maintaining this online magazine. A PayPal® account is not required to use the PayPal® gateway, you can pay with debit/credit card or an e-Check from your bank. It's fast and secure! Thank you!
