Two mostly unrelated quotes:
"The arguments against abolishing secret elections are fairly self-explanatory; less so the arguments in favour. Obviously, there is an instrumental argument in favour of it, if you like unions, but there is an instrumental argument in favour of killing the neighbours and taking their stuff, too."
--Jane Galt
"Some Seattle school children are being told to be skeptical of property rights. [...] The students had been building an elaborate Legotown, but it was accidentally demolished. The teachers decided its destruction was an opportunity to explore 'the inequities of private ownership.' [...] Legos returned to the classroom after the children agreed to several guiding principles framed by the teachers, including that "All structures are public structures" and "All structures will be standard sizes."
--Maureen Martin, L'Eggo My Lego (I've actually been unable to get the full article to open; there's a comment thread about it here, though)
I'm curious to read the actual article (not the Martin summary), and will probably see if Rethinking Schools is something subscribed to at work.
It seems to me from this article that the Reason people are grossly misrepresenting the situation. The thing that's forgotten is: the Legos are not owned by the children in the first place. They are a school (i.e., public) resource, and addressing inequities and power plays in their use (say, if the bullies or popular kids are getting the lion's share of the Legos) is entirely appropriate.
For example; say a group of armed RV enthusiasts decided to deny others access to Yellowstone National Park.
It seems to me from this article that the Reason people are grossly misrepresenting the situation.
I'm shocked, shocked. Misrepresenting stories about school events to gin up outrage among specific audiences accounts for about 1% of America's GDP.
My favorite: a case in Lexington in which a guy tried to have books about gay families banned from the schools, and had to be removed from the principal's office by police, was posted by Free Republic news feeder sites as "Judge rules that Christian kids are required to learn about homosexuality."
Posted by: M.S. at March 1, 2007 05:45 AMOh, I didn't do it justice.
"Judge orders 'gay' agenda taught to Christian children"
Posted by: M.S. at March 1, 2007 05:46 AM