Indiana Political Review

I wanted, first, to introduce myself. Hi. I’m a friend of Karl’s. You can call me Birdy. Second, I want to let you know I’ll be posting here from time to time. (Excuse me while I scrape and grovel before Karl for a sec. Okay, I’m back.) He apparently thinks I’ll have some thought-provoking stuff for our vast readership, and for that I’m grateful.

Now, full disclosure: I’m a paleocon. A real one. Somewhat agrarian. Almost always obstreperous. I won’t pretend I’ve mastered the virtues, but I will try to remain civil while pounding your head.

Alright, the topic du jour is taxation, particularly property taxation, what can be done about it, etc. Here’s my proposal: Amend the Indiana Constitution to repeal Article 8. You read that right. Not section 8 of article 8, tempting as it might be to never have to see Dr. Suellen Reed on television again, but the whole damned article. “Common Schools,” such as we have here in Indiana, no longer (giving them the benefit of the doubt that they ever did) provide the education necessary to the “preservation of a free government.” And can anyone actually say that they are the beneficiaries of sufficient “moral, intellectual, scientific, and agricultural improvement” thanks to their public education in the Common Schools? I would like to say I know what the Congressional Township fund consists of these days, and even that I know what the Saline fund is, much less how much is in it. But, alas, my public education didn’t do a very good job of preparing me for the task of preserving this aspect of a free government, much less a free government in its entirety. (And what did they mean by “free government?” Isn’t that quintessentially oxymoronic?)

So. By all means, let the haters rail. Let the debate begin. Let discourse occur, for this is precisely what John Dewey’s creation has prevented all these years. I know I’m not the first to have said this, but the system is rigged to perpetuate itself. To create more denizens of Belloc’s “Servile State.” George Bernard Shaw, whom you are never likely to see me quote again, said “the government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul.” The problem, folks, is that we’ve become both Peter and Paul.

What’s the alternative, you ask? Good question. And its answer is manifold, since it would be entirely too messy to engage in the “reeducation” of ACLU types and the judges who listen to them. We could simply stop taxing ourselves for a service we’re not getting and spend the money on tuition for private education. There are several options: Catholic parochial schools, Protestant ones, Montessori schools, non-affiliated private schools, home schools… the list is short but distinguished. Far more distinguished than P.S. 47, Consolidated County Central TWP High, or what have you.

Don’t get me started on libraries. I have one word for you: Carnegie.

It’s called subsidiarity, people. Look into it.