Comments on: Every government on earth supports education.

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Thu, 28 May 2026 23:08:55 +0000

That Onion piece is from 2003, so The Simpsons beat it by three years.

By: James James

James James — Thu, 28 May 2026 20:49:01 +0000

“The Simpsons” made the same joke in 2000:

President Lisa Simpson: As you know, we’ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump. How bad is it, Secretary Van Houten?
Milhouse: [shows a chart] We’re broke.
Lisa: The country is broke? How can that be?
Milhouse: Well, remember when the last administration decided to invest in our nation’s children? Big mistake.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Thu, 28 May 2026 04:47:44 +0000

State education fills the niche of a state church. Patronage for bossy verbal loyalists. Like a state church, it may fulfil higher functions as well.

By: Phileas Frogg

Phileas Frogg — Wed, 27 May 2026 16:29:23 +0000

“Many Americans imagine public education operates on a shoestring budget. Private education, in contrast, looks so pricey it’s implausible government does much to make it affordable. Both perceptions are wildly at odds with the facts.”

I can confirm this by direct personal experience. Calculating the cost per student for the local public school district for which I serve as a board member, you get $30,000/student annually. The local Catholic school I taught at managed to spend $10,000/student annually. Yes, we had less options for athletic programs/facilities, but then we also had greater flexibility to offer what students were interested in.