wordcrush

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a new educational model -- chartered schools -- has been set in motion in New Orleans. To quote the NYT article (reg.req.) where I first found out about this, "The schools are paid for with public money but are usually operated by nonprofit groups or parent organizations." Supporters are impressed by the fact that the schools can even exist right now, calling it a "testament to their ability to cut through red tape." Those on the other side might argue that the rapid rise of these schools only testifies to the loss of educational standards, citing among other things a "lack of citywide coherence." SOMEBODY GOTTA TESTIFY! CAN I GET A... nevermind.

I'll set aside my frankly knee-jerk judgements about the Bush administration's support of the program for now. What really interests me instead is the potential for this educational model to develop into an anarcho-communistic utopia. It seems fairly clear that New Orleans' citizens were abandoned by their government at the time when it was most needed, and now, rather than having the government rebuild their educational system, they're again being left to their own means (or lack thereof). Will the flatlining economics in Louisiana enable a sort of citizens' collectivism or will it merely necessitate vicious competitivism? Will the rebuilding at the community level facilitate a decentralization of federal power or even a federalism at the local level? At what point do New Orleans people stop paying taxes? For answers to those burning questions, stay tuned (for about fifty years.)

P.S. I'll judge now: Bush and his administration are puppy-killers, every one of them.

# posted by Lintropy @ 2:38 AM