What is a free gift? Aren't all gifts free?

Maybe...But the government doesn't give gifts.

President Obama recently said that the government should be responsible for a child's education, "From preschool to their first job." Well, I cannot imagine the unqualified disaster that would result from socializing this country's colleges, but I have something to say on the issue of preschool. I live in an area where preschool is provided within the local school districts. This was presented to me as a wonderful reason to live here.

My son attends the preschool, because we cannot afford to pay for him to go to a private school. This would cause most people to think the system was working. But consider this: We pay $1000 for our mortgage every single month. A third of that is taxes, much of which supports the school district. We pay a monthly tax for our son's school. If we stay here, we will be paying for my son's "free" preschool long after he's graduated from college.

Since it's a gift, however, the government wants us to surrender our freedoms in return. Most obviously, I was not able to use my own money to choose my own preschool. But they don't stop there. They will only allow my to take my son out of school for two reasons: 1. personal illness, 2. death (either personal or a close family member). If he misses more than three days, they will send a truant officer to my home and summon my husband and I to court. To take him out for half a day for immunizations, I need to provide a doctor's note. These requirements are especially surprising when you consider that we live next door to an army base. It is against the rules for a parent to take children out of school for a few days vacation before dad is deployed for a year. It's another small step in government's attempt to trump family.

But it's not just the educational system; bigger government will always mean less freedom. Let's stop pushing for more programs that can and should be provided by the private sector and quit mortgaging our children's futures.