Wrath of the CHADs

Now I've upset the CHADs who believe anyone who doesn't march in lockstep obedience to the education establishment is wearing a tin hat. It's amazing sometimes how the presentation of a different point of view is branded as "narrow thinking" by the socialist drones on the Left.

There isn't time to address all of the CHAD drones protests against criticism of their government-god, but I will take time to say that Cindy Flakoll did include footnotes with the piece she submitted for publication. I didn't include them because, while they were informative, they were rather lengthy and most of the time, footnotes aren't listed in a column format. I will list them here, though, in the hopes it will make the CHADs feel better; I'll even put them on the end of the article later, if I get time.

As for the petition I signed several years ago at the Alliance for the Separation of School and State, is Cindy's name listed on that petition? That would be the best way to tell if she supports it, rather than trying to undermine what she said by innuendo and association.

(As a sidenote, some others who agree with the Alliance for the Separation of School and State are Dr. D. James Kennedy, Dr. Tim LaHaye, Rep. Ron Paul, Joel Belz, Gary DeMar, David Boaz, Marvin Olasky, R.C. Sproul, Dinesh D'Souza, Larry Elder, and Joseph Farah among many, many others. You may disagree with them, but you can't be intellectually honest and dismiss anyone who agrees with the Alliance as a provincial kook.)

In summary, the CHADs are good at pooh-poohing anything that doesn't fit their narrow socialist utopian vision, but they didn't invalidate anything Cindy said. I enjoy reading the CHADs because you seldom see such hysterical Leftist dedication here in South Dakota. And just as I sometimes enjoy a good smash-em-up action flick, I confess to a certain amusement in watching the CHADs make a train-wreck of all intellectual, rational and moral coherency.

For them to respond so virulently to a voice of dissent on this nanny-state plan must mean that it truly is a bad idea. Anything the CHADs are for, it's a pretty safe bet it's bad for people.

Instead of trying so hard to undermine parents and parenting, I wonder why the CHADs don't work to make things better for children instead of sending them off to taxpayer-subsidized daycare that scuttles any traditional values their parents might hope to pass on to them.

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Footnotes:

[1] “Parker wrestler indicted in rapes,” Argus Leader, August 22, 2006 http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/NEWS05/608220306&SearchID=73254652382054

[2] Rolnick, Art and Gruenwald, Rob, “Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return,” March 2003, http://minneapolisfed.org/pubs/fedgaz/03-03/earlychild.cfm

[3] “Economy & Early Childhood Education,” 05/15/2006 http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail2817.cfm?Id=25,48058

[4] Hooks, Kathryn, “Congress Spends Billions on Bad Parental Substitute: Studies Show Link Between Early Childcare Centers and Aggressive Behavior,” 7/29/2003, http://www.beverlylahayeinstitute.org/articledisplay.asp?id=4370&department=BLI&categoryid=dotcommentary

[5] Ibid.

[6] Peterson, Kavan, “Preschool gets record boost in '05,” November 16, 2005, http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=68296

[7] “State-Funded Preschool Programs Serving More Children, But Spending Less Per Child: Growth in Quality of Programs Lags,” Mar 23, 2006, http://nieer.org/mediacenter/index.php?PressID=52

[8] “Annual Survey Finds High-Quality State Preschool Programs Are the Exception, Not the Rule Preschool Enrollment Increased Nationally, Spending Per Child Dropped,” Nov 22, 2004, http://nieer.org/mediacenter/index.php?PressID=43

[9] http://nieer.org/mediacenter/index.php?PressID=52

[10] http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060607/a_primaries07.art.htm, 6-7-06

[11] “AB 172 Preschool for All Talking Points,” Updated 4/05
http://www.cwfa.org/images/content/AB172%20Talking%20Points.pdf, --accessed 6-20-06

[12] Morse, Anne, “Do You Know Where Your Children Are?” Book Review of Day Care Deception: What the Child Care Establishment Isn’t Telling Us, Brian C. Robertson, Encounter Books, http://www.crisismagazine.com/book3.htm

[13] Lopez, Kathryn J., “Who’s Minding the Kids? Opening the day-care-center doors,” October 01, 2003, http://www.nationalreview.com/interrogatory/robinson200310010847.asp

[14] Ibid.

[15] Halle, Tamara, “Child Trends - Society for Research in Child Development,”April 9, 2005 http://www.childtrends.org/Files/SRCD_presentation_March_2005_4-09-05.pdf

[16] Day Care Deception: What the Child Care Establishment Isn't Telling Us --- Book Review --accessed 8-23-06, http://www.encounterbooks.com/books/daca/daca.html