Quote of the Week: Barry Goldwater, “The Conscience of a Conservative”

I agree with lobbyists for federal school aid that education is one of the greatest problems of our day. I am afraid, however, that their views and mine regarding the nature of the problem are many miles apart.  They tend to see the problem in quantitative terms – not enough schools, not enough teachers, not enough equipment. I think it has to do with quality: how good are the schools we have? Their solution is to spend more money. Mine is to raise standards. Their recourse is to the federal government. Mine is to the local public school board,the private school, the individual citizen – as far away from the federal government as one can possibly go. And I suspect that if we knew which of these two views on education will eventually prevail, we would know also whether Western civilization is due to survive, or will pass away.

▪ Barry Goldwater, The Conscience of a Conservative (Victor Publishing Company, 1960) extract from page 76.

SydneyTrads is the internet portal and communication page of the Sydney Traditionalist Forum, an association of individuals who form part of the Australian paleoconservative, “traditionalist conservative” and “independent right”.

Be the first to comment on "Quote of the Week: Barry Goldwater, “The Conscience of a Conservative”"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*