No Such Thing as “Public Money”

Defenders of government schools like to claim that vouchers, educational savings plans, and similar programs give “public money” to parents for private schooling. Indeed, a recent headline states, “More states using taxpayer dollars to help families pay for private school.” This claim is effective only if one drops context. There is no such thing as “public money.”

These types of claims conveniently ignore the fact that taxpayer dollars come from families, as well as non-parents. Taxpayer dollars don’t just magically appear in government coffers. That money is taken from the individuals who earned it. Using taxpayer dollars to fund private education is simply one way to return some of the stolen loot.

The use of the term “public money” is even more insidious. It implies that our money belongs to the “public,” which may take as much as it thinks necessary for whatever purposes it deems appropriate. And this is precisely what occurs.

When teachers complain that they aren’t paid enough, they are calling upon legislators to take more money from families and individuals. They want you to pay higher taxes, regardless of your own desires, interests, and needs. And they don’t want you—or families—to have any choice in the matter. They don’t want parents to have a choice as to where their children are educated. The government school system robs families of their money and then vehemently opposes programs that allow parents a little more control over their educational dollars. The defenders of government schools believe that your money belongs to them.

“Public money” is private money that has been stolen.

Those who defend government schools are free to donate their own money to the cause. But they don’t do so. Instead, they want to force everyone to “donate,” whether we want to or not. A forced donation is a contradiction in terms. It is robbery.