Editor:

I’m responding to Casey Jacketta’s Feb. 14 opinion column, “Bush Leaves America’s Students in the Dust,” about the No Child Left Behind Act. I am shocked to hear that the greatest country in the world is undertaking “the beginnings of a military draft.” The last thing that I want in this country is another draft. That, however, is pretty much the only accurate part of the column.

Jacketta mentioned in her article that the new education bill’s biggest problem is the involvement of the military. She goes on to say that schools will be forced to give out names and addresses to military recruiters.

There is nothing wrong with this. With this information, recruiters can pass on information to students about opportunities the U.S. military offers. It is the same approach used by many colleges and universities. When I was a high school junior/senior, I received many unsolicited letters from schools across the country. I was not obligated to go to any of these schools, nor is anyone obligated to join the service just because a recruitment letter or phone call has been made. Every man and woman who makes the decision to join does so voluntarily.

The No Child Left Behind Act saw a huge increase in spending into an already over-inflated budget. This obscene spending at the federal level is the true problem with this bill.

The bill should have called for more school choice in the form of tax credits or vouchers. Adding competition to our educational system is the only way that we will be able to salvage our public school system and properly educate our country’s youth.

Jacketta and I seem to express a similar interest in our inner-city school children. My only question is whether we want to make things more fair by bringing the bottom students up or by dragging the top students down?

John Grothe

Senior, Computer Engineering