Shame on the LA Times

For this noxious piece by their newest right-wing nutcase.

Let's Get Rid of Public Schools

Discussions of school choice and vouchers nearly always assume that public schools are permanent parts of the American educational scene. Increasingly I wonder why. Why should there be any public schools?

ssssssnip

Today's public schools have forfeited their right to exist. Let's get rid of them. Let's do it carefully and humanely, but let's do it. Let's offer every child a choice of private schools instead.

And if this kind of talk makes public schools snap to and get serious, that's OK also. But don't hold your breath.

Kinda shocking to see this first thing in the morning and realize in the next moment the Pod People have truly taken over my local rag.

No wonder we have a news black out on local public education news. I rarely find even a mention about state level education events and issues in the LAT.

Media Matters has more on the author David Gelernter.

I just about terminated my subscription to the LAT with this piece. Still, the LAT does have George Skelton on board who has been on a tear lately. And I do like that kinesthetic sense of reading a daily paper in the morning, even though I can get the news online. Heck, I'm just a sentimental mom: I like having a newspaper to hold in the morning even though it gets my fingers black with ink, and I like good public education because I think it's an essential ingredient of a vibrant democracy.