Wishing won’t make it so

Ah, now you are really getting to it: Education tease! Education reform, the Mitt Romney version. When a new government program is proposed, beware of two terms, or possibilities: entitlement and mandate. In the last century, Congress fiddled with education for “special” students, deciding that they were entitled to a public education. They provided some seed money to the states but mandated that the states provide the education for the special students. The federal government was supposed to revisit the subject and its financing later, but I do not believe it ever did. George W. Bush’s contribution to education was the No Child Left Behind Act, and a number of states have requested waivers from its apparently unrealistic requirements.

Now, Romney wants school choice for everyone, regardless of income or ability level. Who will pay to transport them? Who will teach them? Who will declare them well-educated? All Republicans seem to want to do is cut: taxes, government services—just get the government out of where it should not be. Passing another federal mandate for strapped states to carry out would not set too well.

Steve Jobs’ biographer said he indulged in magical thinking for a time with his pancreatic cancer: Give the rest of his body what it needed and it would make the cancer go away. It seems politicians want to do the same thing. Keep telling people what they want to hear, and the problems will get solved. Hocus-pocus nonsense. GARY SCHMEDEMANN

Russellville