Vouchsafe

Trump’s cabinet nominees thus far are shaping up to be a country club for wealthy deplorables, and his pick for Secretary of Education is no exception. Betsy DeVos is a billionaire with a long history of assuming her money should buy her the right to put an end to education as we know it.

Many in the education field believe that the voucher system championed by Trump, DeVos and their ilk is a terrible idea. But I’d like to take a broader view. The basic concept is that people who don’t like a service provided by the government – in this case our public schools – should get a voucher, tax break or other incentive to seek private sector alternatives.

If that’s the route we’re going to take, let’s not limit it to just one of the things our government does for us. Personally, I’d like a voucher for my share of the nation’s defense spending (particularly the secret budget lines that total more than any other country spends on its whole military). I’m prepared to take responsibility for all drone operations, extreme rendition and other clandestine operations in my house and yard.

With the money I save, in two or three years I should be able to purchase a low-end, previously owned tank. I’ve wanted one ever since I saw Patton when I was a kid, and now I’ll have an excuse to armor up. Not only will that put me in a prime position to defend my part of the homeland, but I should also be able to stop using the government’s roads (thus relieving the state of my part of road construction and maintenance). And of course I won’t require the assistance of the police to enforce traffic (and other) laws on my behalf. Tailgaters? I’ll deal with them myself.

Of course I’ll be wanting vouchers for all that.