Unemployed Republican and world famous shitstain (google it) Rick Santorum is running for President again, of course, because there are just some people who do that every chance they get (see also Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich). Anyway, at a speech in Iowa the other day he made an
Not only doesn't he have any class, he's opposed to having class
incredibly stupid statement, which is not at all unusual for Rick Santorum, or any of the other Republican candidates for that matter, but he is one of the more comical ones.
“Of course, the government wants their hands on your children as fast as they can,” Santorum said. “That is why I opposed all these early starts and pre-early starts, and early-early starts. They want your children from the womb so they can indoctrinate your children as to what they want them to be. I am against that.” Santorum home schooled his 7 children up to the eighth grade, but that’s partially because there was some scandal about using public funds and lying about his primary address to send his kids to expensive private schools, I forget the details.
Anyway, I’ve got a lot of problems with that statement. Mostly, it’s just hysterical. Pre-school is about singing songs, playing games and learning how to go to the bathroom by yourself. Sure, it’s indoctrination, but it’s pretty necessary indoctrination. As Robert Fulghum wrote, everything we really need to know in life we learn in kindergarten. No hair pulling, no name calling, taking turns, asking permission, stuff like that.
All education is indoctrination, in a way. These are positive and negative words for the same thing. One question is, who do we want teaching the next generation – nutcase teabagger creationist hatemongers or the public school system? I prefer the public school system, even in those cases where the nutcase teabagger creationist hatemongers happen to be the children’s parents. We’re all going to have to live with these kids in 18 years or so.
Also, pre-school serves a pretty important function for those parents of young children who are not so wealthy that they can get away with not having a full time job. Don’t criticize the school system as being “mere” baby sitting. Baby sitting is damned important.
Rick Santorum is unlikely to win the Republican nomination, but you never can tell. They aren’t exactly the best educated voters in the world.
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