Socialized Preschool Headed For California Ballot

From the Sacramento Bee

The universal preschool initiative backed by actor-director Rob Reiner has qualified for the June ballot, the Secretary of State's Office said Friday.

The measure would tax individual annual incomes of over $400,000 - $800,000 for couples - to provide public preschool for all California 4-year-olds.

The full story is here.

I have already written on this subject and commend your attention to the two posts:

The first, Econ 101: There is no Such Thing as a Free Lunch addresses the reality that people would choose to send their children to preschool if they thought it was important. The concept is called opportunity cost - loosely defined as what you give up when you choose one item for another. An example, you choose to go to work right out of high school rather than going to college. The immediate benefit of that choice is income - the “opportunity cost” would be the forgone income you might receive by obtaining a higher paying job with a college degree.

The second, Reason Foundation on Universal Preschool. The article provides a thought provoking analysis using comparisons of the universal daycare program implemented in Quebec eight years ago.

Finally, after watching the John Stossel special on ABC’s 20/20 Friday night "Stupid in America: How We Cheat Our Kids," I wonder if we are dooming our children to state-run preschool rather than providing them with the opportunity for early education.

By the way, I call it socialized preschool, well, because it is - take from wealthy (those who have the audacity to earn over $400,000) and redistribute thier wealth to those who earn less - in this case in the form of providing government-run preschool.