Hillary's Preschool Takeover

Did your kids, like mine, attend a private Christian preschool? Their kids may not have that opportunity if Hillary Clinton has her way:

Sen. Hillary Clinton ignited few fireworks, speaking before the nation's largest teachers union over the July 4 holiday. But one proposal is proving explosive: state-run preschool for all families.

Clinton's proposal — introduced Thursday in the Senate — would give states $28 billion over five years to incorporate the nation's 120,000 preschools now run in firms, churches and storefronts into a government-run system. The former Goldwater girl has come a long way from the western ways and neighborhood values she once embraced.

Her universal preschool idea is sparking heated debate over the back fence and in policy circles. The question is basic: How much control should the government have in raising and teaching our young children?

It's Clinton's sharp tack to the left, arguing that government should take over small, independent preschools that make this super-nanny proposal reminiscent of her ill-fated single-payer health plan.

Most Americans would agree that every child, not just children whose parents can afford early education, should have the same chance to succeed. Clinton's plan, still sketchy in design, could usefully reach blue-collar families who can't afford preschool — but it delivers a brave new world to already overburdened school systems.

It also threatens to provide welfare to the well-off, subsidizing parents who can afford preschool. Over two-thirds of the nation's 4-year-olds already attend preschool. Clinton's blueprint draws from a California initiative, crafted by Hollywood activist Rob Reiner; more than 60% of his $24 billion proposal would have gone to subsidize comfortable families. It was voted down by a 3-2 margin last summer.

Clinton now risks a hostile takeover of the $48 billion early education industry — a colorful, mixed-market blend of local centers, from Montessori programs to preschools run inside large companies.

Instead, she prefers to let a thousand flowers wilt. Her new bill would allow governors to move three-quarters of the funding through public schools which, in turn, could run effective nonprofit preschools into the ground.

It absolutely drives Dems crazy to think that some parents might actually prefer to make their own choices about preschool, or may not even want to send their kids to one at all. We call that "freedom", a concept becoming increasingly mysterious to Democrats. As Rush Limbaugh mentioned on his show when discussing this, if Clinton and her ilk take complete control of our government, the next target will be home schooling which is hated by both the Dems and their teacher union supporters. Dems want complete control of what your kids are taught from cradle to grave lest they be corrupted by influences like religion or values.