“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”—Thomas Jefferson
The framers of the constitution knew “… the price of liberty is continual vigilance,” and the best defense against tyranny is an informed citizenry. (Jefferson) It is no secret that our rights and liberties as Americans are being gradually diminished. It is easy for people to blame legislators, whether that be in Washington D.C. or in Springfield. Illinois residents chuckled at the indictment and eventual incarceration of former governor Rod Blagojevich, not realizing it was more of an indictment on the Illinois citizenry that put him there in the first place. We have fallen so far from our predecessors.
Consider the Lincoln/Douglas debate in Galesburg. Over 15,000 stood outside on a cold, blustery October day for over three hours with only a small break. It is reported that the wind was so cutting they moved the stage to the front of a large building on Knox College in order to block the wind. Douglas and Lincoln could only gain access to the podium by going into the building and climbing out a window. In typical Lincoln wit, he was reported to have said, “Now I can say that I have gone through college.” Braving this foul weather, people stayed for the entire three hours. Why? They wanted to know the position of both candidates on the hot topics of the day, especially slavery.
The question that begs consideration is would we be willing to stand for three hours in miserable weather to know where our candidates stand on various issues. My observation about homeschoolers is when needed, they come out in force; otherwise, they generally stay in the shadows. This is why we have an ICHE Legislative Task Force and have representation on the AdHoc Committee for Illinois Home Education Legal and Legislative Matters. We watch out for adverse legislation, so you can spend your time educating your children. Still, it is important for all of us to do our due diligence.
For instance, did you know that the IEA (Illinois Education Asc.) is pouring tens of thousands of dollars into various campaigns for the upcoming primary election? These dollars are not just flowing into Chicagoland but also downstate. It is not just self-professed liberals who are receiving these funds but also some self-professing conservatives. I heard one candidate who is conservative on the big issues (abortion, gun rights, fiscal responsibility, etc.) say that he favors more accountability and standards for homeschoolers. I don’t know his reasoning for his position, but many would no doubt say, “follow the money.”
It is incumbent on every homeschooling household to reach out to their candidates, especially at the state level, and get their stance on homeschooling. If they want more requirements for homeschoolers, you need to share statistics of homeschooling’s superiority to public schooling (link below). If they don’t change their opinion, share your concerns as quickly and widely as you can as Super Tuesday is quickly approaching.
With all that is wrong with Illinois, we are one of the best states in which to homeschool. There are as many as 140,000 homeschoolers in the Land of Lincoln. At $22,000 per student, that means we are saving the state several billion dollars or others within the system might say we are taking billions of dollars from them and their representative unions.
Most people believe we are on a slippery slope downward. When money is in play, the slope can be as greasy as politicians’ palms. We must be an informed electorate to protect our right to homeschool.
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