1) Downes is Canadian. Though he frequently weighs in on US and international education issues, it’s important to know that he’s coming from a place that is certainly less about individual rights/freedom than ours.

2) He defines himself as a Socialist – it’s not my characterization [though I would've said it had he not admitted it].

His video is a followup to a post he made advising homeschoolers not to be “psychotic.”

Children are not the property of parents, but neither are they full citizens–the courts have established that children have some rights, but not the rights of an adult. It is the parents alone who are responsible for their children–not the state and not the ninny nanny socialists. The state has a vested interest in ensuring a child’s safety and nothing more. Grate is right. It is not the federal government’s job to educate kids! I would go so far as to say it’s not the state’s job either. It is the parent’s job. Some parents (like me) outsource some of the education to others–people that I trust. Some decide to keep it “in-house”. The state has no right or say in that decision–period.

In the USA, the founders established our country to guarantee parents the freedom to raise their children any way they want, provided the child is safe. That’s why they moved here in the first place! Freedom of religion. Yes, parents have the right to “brainwash” their children with any brand of religion they so chose, or even no religion. That seems to be the chief objection by liberals. Kids are being taught things they don’t want taught. Liberals parade around claiming “values free” education, which is an oxymoron. What they want is THEIR values to be taught. No thanks. I have my kids in a private Christian school precisely to expose them to the values I want to teach them. Home schooling parents have the same right–to educate their children with their worldview and philosophy. All teaching and education has a worldview. The question is, whose is it?

Good point on Grate. I did find in reading the comments on his original viewpoint over at the P&SB site that he chimed in to say he has dropped out of the race, so I have amended my post to reflect that.

http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-home-schooling.html

It’s worth a watch for anyone interested in public education – it offers wonderful insight into how the opponents of homeschooling and individual rights justify their actions.

Though I was impressed with Mr. Grate’s take on homeschooling, I won’t support [or, really, take seriously] an aspiring Congressmen with a misguided, teenybopper crush on a disgrace such as Ron Paul.