Fraser Institute promoting particular ideology
I can’t understand why the press so willingly cooperates with an organization whose sole purpose is to promote an American extreme right social and economic ideology. I’m referring to the Fraser Institute. In this case their annual school rankings, as reported on by Robert Barron on May 2.
The Fraser Institute likes to give the impression that it’s a think tank with a focus on providing a public service. It’s not.
In reality, it’s a political lobby group formed to promote the social and economic philosophies of people such as the Austrain-born economist Friedrich Hayek and the American economist Milton Friedmann. Hayek was a founding director of the Fraser Institute.
The philosophy that he preached said that when a government provides such services as public education they’re infringing on our freedom and liberty. The Fraser Institute bunch is still promoting this and other similar, so called ideals, today.
Hayek also preached that “the organization and management of education” should be left “entirely to private efforts.” He also said that “education [to get the best economic bang for the buck] should concentrate on the higher education of a comparatively small elite.”
Scary stuff! American Libertarian and neo-conservative thinking. At its best…or worst?
Free, public funded and run education evolved in the 1800s because progressive thinkers and politicians realized that publicly funded and run education reduced social inequality and helped all individuals in our society fulfill their capabilities. Not just the one per centers. Or some sort of elite that these people feel should be running things for all of us.
Peter McGuigan
North Cowichan
