The idea that without government run schools kids would not learn to read is absolutely false. In fact, AFTER government took over the schools, the dumbing down began.
Read: “None Dare Call It Treason” by John A. Stormer which among other things discusses the origins of government controlled school systems. Also read “Why Johnny Can’t Read”.
Federal government involvement is almost a 100% lock on the definition of socialist government behavior when it is specifically NOT included in the enumerated powers listed in the Constitution.
The Federal Dept of Education is a total violation of the Constitution and is also utterly ineffectual AND a total waste of money. Just shut it down and cut the taxes. Let each individual state and municipality decide how best to educate the children of that state.
Just one example.
There are many more.
Please click on this:
[Why you never heard of the Great Depression of 1920]
youtube.com/watch?v=czcUmnsprQI
And read this.
mises.org/daily/3788
Hoover was an engineer who thought that he personally had all the answers.
Do you remember the Civil Aeronautics Board?
Under the CAB, every aspect of airline operations and management was controlled by the government. Scheduling, fares, frequency, meals … every aspect.
In California there was an intrastate airline, Pacific Southwest Airlines, and they offered rock bottom fares and frequent service and were wildly successful. Because they were intra-state, they were subject to the FAA for safety but outside the CAB for all the little nits and nats.
When Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy and Afred Kahn saw the success of PSA and the high fares of the airlines that operated under the CAB, they abolished the CAB. With open competition, airline fares plunged and airline traffic skyrocketed.
People loved it. Not all fares were as cheap as people would like and not all passengers like the lack of amenities. The city-pairs with the largest number of trips had the lowest fares. Some airlines sought out airports that had lower fees so they would have less congestion and lower costs. New airlines started up to provide more amenities, but quickly learned that no matter how much people complained, they always went for the lowest price ticket.
Some airlines that were unable to make the change or made bad decisions went out of business. But, there were plenty of other airlines. New airlines came up. Small airlines that were well run expanded. Take a look at Southwest Airlines. Take a look at Ryanair in Europe.
There is a lot of turmoil in the airline industry; nevertheless, it is vigorous, employs a lot of people and offers service where people want service.
There is also a vigorous general aviation sector, but mostly with crew-served jet aircraft, for people who need to do three cities per day or who want amenities. And then the fractional shares business airplane industry developed for people who didn’t want to buy a whole jet. The small plane general aviation sector atrophied primarily due to the lawsuits from the relatives of people who let their 40-year old airplanes run out of gas. [Yes, I am oversimplifying.]
The really big problem is the FAA which is about 50 years behind the state of the art in air traffic control.
The obsolete air traffic control system: In 1968, I worked with the USAF’s SAGE SQ-7] air defense system. It was a 1950’s system and it had more advanced displays and traffic management than FAA systems today. [Yes, yes, yes, different missions.] Nevertheless, the FAA is 50 years behind the state of the art in ATC. A while ago, I got a backstage tour at NAFEC - Atlantic City - where the FAA does their R&D for air traffic control. A lot of third-world ATC managers also were there; they were embarrassed for me; they were buying from “a catalog” more advanced ATC systems than the FAA was developing.
Take a look at how sclerotic the railroads were under the Interstate Commerce Commission. And look at how rigorous the railroads are today after the abolition of the ICC. The railroads are now able to provide competitive and attractive pricing and service. There is even a rebirth of short line railroads.
Take a look at the radical expansion and improvement in the telephone system after the abolition of the AT&T telephone monopoly. The government was removed from the equation.
Take Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. There were warnings after warnings [they are all on YouTube], but Barney Frank and Jamie Gorelick [also known as the Mistress of Disaster and a bunch of others had the votes and refused any of the suggested remedies; you can look her up. They falsified their books and refused any accountability and got big bonuses and then just walked away. Government economic regulation, in action.
). Several stayed for months, rotating volunteers from wherever they came from; another stayed for over 3 or 4 years. Some provided for immediate needs, others for long-term needs, and still others worked on houses for people who could not afford their own repairs. All done without the help of the government. So, yeah, we could probably do without FEMA.