Comment by VladRussian | Hacker News Reader

Comment by VladRussian | Hacker News Reader

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>Law enforcement is very different than education.

no. Both - right for basic education and right for not being robbed/killed - are just guaranteed rights that the government is supposed to deliver upon.

>A school that has only profitability as it's goal will be outed as such in a free market, and will not be chosen by consumers that care more about their children's experience.

speaking about tired argument. To make your argument stronger you should have added some statement about "tricking down of good education from good school students to the students of bad schools".

Without going into how fast and effectively free market can out a bad school, i'll just note that basic education isn't object of consumption, it is a right of the children.

What's your basis for stating that education is a basic/guaranteed right?

personally to me it is inseparable part of basic human rights. Legally-wise, the US goes even further - the basic education is compulsory.

Is there a particular philosophy or school of thought (no pun intended) that leads you to this conviction? There's a difference between saying "I personally believe that everyone deserves a free public education," and saying education is a "guaranteed right that the government is supposed to deliver upon."

Or are you just saying that currently education is required by law and should remain so?

ok, you're right that compulsory education isn't equivalent to a "guaranteed right" - in the latter one can opt out, while in the former a child is truely guaranteed to receive it. In both cases, be it compulsion or pure right, the government is, obviously, responsible for the delivery upon it to happen.

Understood. You were referring to what is, not stating an opinion on what should be. The term "right" can get very confusing (e.g. "God-given" vs "constitutional").

Here in Washington State, it is in the Constitution: "It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex."

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