By Seth Grossman, Political Columnist
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?Stockton College and almost every high school in South Jersey have history, government, and current events classes during school, and political science, debate, or “community service” clubs after school.
?Almost all of them invite speakers from community groups to ?enrich? the regular course of study or programs presented by the teachers.
?They include Habitat for Humanity, which urges students to help build one “affordable” house in the county every two or three years.?? Literacy Volunteers and Boys and Girls Clubs asks for help to teach reading and writing in addition to public schools which have for some reason failed.? REBEL recruits student to lobby and bully local officials into abolishing smoking in every inch of town.? Amnesty International opposes enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.??? And, of course, students are encouraged to set up Republican and Democratic clubs to help their party?s candidates–but only for President.
?Liberty and Prosperity offers something completely different.?? We apply basic principles of American liberty to New today’s biggest problems with these ideas:??
1.? Repudiate New Jersey’s Unconstitutional Debt.
2.? Cut Spending to Cut Taxes.
3.? Enforce Immigration Laws.
4.? No Eminent Domain for Private Gain.
5.? Post Public Salary and Contract Information on the Internet.
6.? Make Tax and Zoning Laws Fair, Simple, and Applied Equally to Everyone.
7.? Don’t Sell, Lease, or Hock our Public Highways.
?By cutting taxes, corruption, and red tape, builders could sell affordable houses to everyone–and still make a profit.? Everyone would spend less time working, and more time enjoying life.?? And they would be free to make the most important choices in their lives.?? Even kids in REBEL might realize that real freedom includes the right to make stupid choices, and the obligation to live with the consequences. Without illegal immigrant competition, students would learn life skills from well paying summer jobs instead of unpaid internships and ?volunteer? community service.?? Students in the Republican and Democratic clubs hwould learn that more liberty in state and local government would bring more positive change than electing a new President.
?The people who created our country knew that liberty brings prosperity because people work harder and smarter when they are free to make their own choices, and? keep and enjoy what they produce. Our kids should also know that.
?During the past four years, I presented a Liberty and Prosperity enrichment program to almost every high school in the area.?? I was also invited once to speak at a Stockton College forum.??? Each time, students and teachers both told me my presentation was interesting and informative, and helped them better understand American history and government.?? Many said it was the best such presentation they had seen.?? Yet neither Stockton College nor a single high school in the area ever invited me back a second time.? I feel like Rodney Dangerfield.
?Whenever I ask, I get a different reason.? “The students are too busy with tests”.?? “Your material duplicates the curriculum”.? “Your material is not in the curriculum, and would not help the kids on their tests”.? “Your material is too elementary for the grade level”.? “Your material is too advanced for the grade level”.?? “We’d like to have you but the students aren’t interested.”? “You have an agenda”.?? “You and/or your group is/are too political and/or controversial and/or abrasive”.
?But what is the real reason?? American liberty has always been annoying to people with privilege and power.?? Free people question authority and always look for better ways of doing things.??? The folks with absolute power over our public schools today are just at threatened by real American liberty today as the privileged classes of Europe 200 years ago.
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?They know that if people, even students, knew what American liberty was really about, they would ask embarrassing questions like these:? Why do public schools cost more today, but educate less?? How much does my gym teacher make??? Why is every public school employee force to pay $850 a year to the NJEA and NEA??? If there are 300 applicants for every teaching job, why can?t mediocre and uninspiring teachers be replaced by better ones??? If this is a democracy, why are we free to decide how much to pay for a haircut, not for a government employee?? Why are some citizens taxed out of their homes to lavishly fund “free” sports and special education programs for a handful of children?some of whom have wealthy parents?
?I think our new public-master class would rather keep Liberty and Prosperity out of its domain,? than deal with free Americans who might might question them like that– if they learned too much about liberty.
?For that reason,? Jane Rubino, one of our members in Ocean City, is organizing an “alternate route” to reach high school and college students with a liberty essay scholarship program.? To help this project as a volunteer or donor, please contact her at janer@rujane.com or? bronica3@hotmail.com.
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For more information, visit www.libertyandprosperity.org or contact Somers Point attorney Seth Grossman at grossman@snip.net or 609-927-7333.??? Seth Grossman hosts a two way talk radio program every Saturday from 8am – 9am on WVLT Vineland, 92.1 FM.
Seth Grossman, Executive Director, www.libertyandprosperity.org,
453 Shore Road, Somers Point, NJ? 08244.?
Tel.? 609-927-7333.
