The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

398 THE FREEMAN Julythe government largesse, and (asit is the parent that is beinghelped directly and not the school)the Supreme Court is not offended.The pa;rish school will once moreflourish throughout the land.Right?Principles and Facts IgnoredWell, perhaps. And perhaps not.As a "conservative" program ofaction, the voucher system ignoressome basic principles and obviousfacts.1. The unwillingness or inabilityof the users to continue to pay thetuition and operating costs of theprivate schools is one reason thatthey are in need of financial assistance.2. This inability to pay is in nosmall part brought about by increasedtaxes and inflation causedby increased government deficitspending.3. No one can give what he doesnot have. If the government is goingto pay the expenses of all thechildren in private schools in additionto those in public schools,it must find a source for the additionalfunds that will be needed.4. The government has twosources for these funds: increasedtaxes or further inflated currency.Not to be forgotten are the additionalhundreds of highly paidbureaucrats who will be needed toadminister such a program. Theresult will hardly be the greattriumph of justice which is predicted:•. The taxes of everyone whopays school taxes will increase.• Some of these taxpayers willnow receive a return for theirmoney which they did not receivein pre-voucher days.• Those with children in thepublic schools will be forced to payincreased taxes with no increasedreturn.• Those with no children in anyschool will pay increased taxes andcontinue to receive nothing in return.How anyone could think thatconfusion and injustice will beanything but compounded withthe implementation of this scheme,I do not know. But let us face theissue squarely: there are few todaywho will permit themselvesthe thought that feeding from thepublic trough is other than a virtuousact. Nevertheless, there areother arguments which may hit.home where economic and moralones have missed the mark.We live in an age in which government,at all levels, is anythingbut disinterested. The bureausand agencies of government arepeopled with men beset with themeddling urge as never before inhistory. Money distributed by thegovernment has seldom had morestrings attached than now. Busing