Neal P. McCluskey

The overview of educational history is instructive as is the important points of how unconstitutional federal educational policy is. I am less than hopeful that federal policy will cease although his basic point that parents and local communities should supervise education is sound. The progressive impulse has dumped excessive amounts of money into the hands of educators with little to show for it. All that policy makers need to do is to show that they are doing something about a problem and not necessarily finding a resolution to the problem.

McCluskey points out that the "general welfare" clause (p. 136), the statement most often cited by progressive interference in education does not apply. The "general welfare clause precedes the list of enumerated powers in Article I, Section 8, Madison makes it clear in Federalist no. 41 that the general welfare is composed only of those specific powers identified after the clause: `For what purpose could the enumeration of particular powers be inserted, if these and all others were meant to be included in the preceding general power?' Madison asks, `Nothing is more natural nor common than first to use a general phrase, and then to explain and qualify it by a recital of particulars.' The general welfare clause explains why the federal government has been given enumerated powers, but does not itself confer any power."

The Federal Department of Education is unconstitutional and should be abolished: a task even Reagan could not accomplish.

Title II funds "school library resources, textbooks, and other instructional materials" (p. 42); it is with this Title that justifies undue influence even for non-public schools via stimulus funds for Obama's national educational agenda.… (altro)