Ron Paul on Education Republican Representative (TX-14); previously Libertarian for President

Obama's education stances compared to Paul's

• Abortion Morality
• Stem Cells
• Judicial Activism
• Welfare State
• Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell
• Defense of Marriage Act
• Affirmative Action
• College Loans
• Religious Values
• Evolution
• School Vouchers
• Parental Leave
• Tea Party
• Principles of Liberty
• Racism

Student loan program is a total failure and unconstitutional

PAUL: Well, I think you proved that the policy of student loans is a total failure. I mean, a trillion dollars of debt? And what have they gotten? A poorer education and costs that have skyrocketed because of inflation, and they don't have jobs. There's nothing more dramatically failing than that program. There's no authority in the Constitution for the federal government to be dealing with education. We should get rid of the loan programs. We should get rid of the Department of Education and give tax credits, if you have to, to help people.

Q: But how do they pay for it? How do they now pay for college?

PAUL: The way you pay for cellphones and computers. You have the marketplace there. There's competition. Quality goes up. The price goes down.

Abolish college aid after a transition period

A: Eventually, but my program doesn't do it. There's a transition in this.

Q: But that's your ultimate aim.

A: Yes, because there's no authority to do this. And just think of all this willingness to want to help every student get a college education. So they're a trillion dollars in debt. We don't have any jobs for them. The quality of education has gone down. So it's a failed program.

Stop enforcing No Child Left Behind; allow opt-out of system

JOHNSON: I am going to promise to advocate the abolishment of the federal Department of Education.

PAUL: If you care about your children, you'll get the federal government out of the business of educating our kids. In 1980, when the Republican Party ran, part of the platform was to get rid of the Department of Education. By the year 2000, it was eliminated, and we fed on to it. Then Republicans added No Child Left Behind. The goal should be set to get the government out completely, but don't enforce this law of No Child Left Behind. It's not going to do any good, and nobody likes it. And there's no value to it. The teachers don't like it, and the students don't like it. But there are other things that the federal government can do, and that is give tax credits for the people who will opt out. We ought to have a right to opt out of the public system if you want.

Competition helps, but vouchers invite bureaucratic control

No-Child-Left-Behind hooks institutions on federal funding

Evolution doesn't support atheism nor diminish God

School prayer is not a federal issue

Private funds for arts work better than government funds

Close Dept. of Education, but don't dismantle public schools

A: We elected conservatives to get rid of the Department of Education. We used to campaign on that. And what did we do? We doubled the size. I want to reverse that trend.

Q: What about public schools? Are you still for dismantling them?

A: No, I'm not. It's not in my platform.

Q: When you ran for president in 1988, you called for the abolition of public schools.

A: I bet that's a misquote. I do not recall that.

Encourage homeschooling & private school via tax writeoff

Don't impeach judges for decisions on legislature prayers

• HUCKABEE: Yes.
• TANCREDO: Yes.
• COX: Yes.
• BROWNBACK: Yes.
• PAUL: No.
• HUNTER: No.
• KEYES: Yes.

Present scientific facts that support creationism

• HUCKABEE: Yes.
• TANCREDO: Yes.
• COX: Yes.
• BROWNBACK: Yes.
• PAUL: Yes.
• HUNTER: Yes.
• KEYES: Yes.

Equal funds for abstinence as contraceptive-based education

• HUCKABEE: Yes.
• TANCREDO: Yes.
• COX: Yes.
• BROWNBACK: Yes.
• PAUL: Yes.
• HUNTER: Yes.
• KEYES: Yes.

Tax-credited programs for Christian schooling

• HUCKABEE: Yes.
• TANCREDO: Yes.
• COX: Yes.
• BROWNBACK: Yes.
• PAUL: Yes.
• HUNTER: Yes.
• KEYES: Yes.

Guarantee parity for home school diplomas

Abolish the federal Department of Education.

As adopted by the General Membership of the Republican Liberty Caucus at its Biannual Meeting held December 8, 2000.
• WHEREAS libertarian Republicans believe in limited government, individual freedom and personal responsibility;
• WHEREAS we believe that government has no money nor power not derived from the consent of the people;
• WHEREAS we believe that people have the right to keep the fruits of their labor; and
• WHEREAS we believe in upholding the US Constitution as the supreme law of the land;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Liberty Caucus endorses the following [among its] principles:
1. The US Department of Education should be abolished, leaving education decision making at the state, local or personal level.
2. Parents have the right to spend their money on the school or method of schooling they deem appropriate for their children.

Sponsored bill for private scholarships to public schools.

OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: To allow an income tax credit for amounts contributed to charitable organizations which provide elementary or secondary school scholarships and for contributions for instructional materials and materials for extracurricular activities.

SPONSOR`S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Rep. PAUL: This act, a companion to my Family Education Freedom Act, takes a further step toward returning control over education resources to private citizens by providing a $3,000 tax credit for donations to scholarship funds to enable low-income children to attend private schools. It also encourages private citizens to devote more of their resources to helping public schools, by providing a $3,000 tax credit for cash or in-kind donations to public schools to support academic or extra curricular programs.

Many of those who share my belief that the most effective education reform is to put parents back in charge of the education system have embraced government-funded voucher programs as a means to that end. I certainly sympathize with the goals of voucher proponents, but supporters of parental control of education should view Federal voucher programs with a high degree of skepticism because vouchers are a creation of the government, not the market. Vouchers are a taxpayer-funded program benefiting a particular group of children selected by politicians and bureaucrats. Therefore, the Federal voucher program supported by many conservatives is little more than another tax-funded welfare program establishing an entitlement to a private school education. Vouchers thus raise the same constitutional and moral questions as other transfer programs. A superior way of improving education is to return control of the education dollar directly to the American people through tax cuts and tax credits.

LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means; never came to a vote.

Rated 67% by the NEA, indicating a mixed record on public education.

The National Education Association has a long, proud history as the nation`s leading organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. Founded in 1857 `to elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching and to promote the cause of popular education in the United States,` the NEA has remained constant in its commitment to its original mission as evidenced by the current mission statement:

To fulfill the promise of a democratic society, the National Education Association shall promote the cause of quality public education and advance the profession of education; expand the rights and further the interest of educational employees; and advocate human, civil, and economic rights for all.

Supports a Constitutional Amendment for school prayer.

H.J.RES.52 (2001), H.J.RES.66 (1999), S.J.RES. 1, H.J.RES.12, H. J. RES. 108, & H. J. RES. 55:

Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to prohibit individual or group prayer in public schools or other public institutions. No person shall be required by the United States or by any State to participate in prayer . Neither the United States nor any State shall compose the words of any prayer to be said in public schools.

To secure the people`s right to acknowledge God according to the dictates of conscience: Neither the United States nor any State shall establish any official religion, but the people`s right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, or traditions on public property, including schools, shall not be infringed. Neither the United States nor any State shall require any person to join in prayer or other religious activity, prescribe school prayers, discriminate against religion, or deny equal access to a benefit on account of religion.

Proposed Legislation:
• H.J.RES.52, School Prayer Amendment, 6/13/2001 (Murtha)
• H.J.RES.12, School Prayer Amendment, 2/7/2001 (Emerson)
• S.J.RES.1, School Prayer Amendment, 1/22/2001 (Thurmond)
• H.J.RES.108, Voluntary School Prayer Amendment, 9/21/2000 (Graham)
• H.J.RES.55, Voluntary School Prayer Amendment, 2/13/1997 (Stearnes, Hall, Watts)
• H.J.RES.78, Amendment Restoring Religious Freedom, 5/8/1997 (Istook, et. al.)