Obama daughters to attend Sidwell Friends, just like Chelsea Clinton did

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I mean, c'mon.  Would any millionaire who loves his children more than politics send his girls to a D.C. public school?

There was that wonderful line from Hacker's driver in that one Yes Minister episode... can't remember it exactly, but it was something about how public services would be in a better shape if politicians and the like didn't opt out of the state system.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The line comes from YPM - When Sir Humphrey is explaining the UK education system - and (to paraphrase) says "which is why we skip all of that educate our children privately"

No, that was a different line, though the point (and the target) is the same. Though it works better in an American context than the original one...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

1) Sacrifice his daughters education and safety

In the context of education, those are usually racist codewords. Don't see how they could really apply in this case...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Well, in the context of a president's kids, private schools can really help out the secret service.

Snouts in the trough. Rant. Etc. Etc.

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Maybe it would be better if politicians had to send their little darlings there!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

While he's at it, he can probably move out of the White House and into this building:

Look, my point here isn't that a less-eligibility test should be applied to the personal lives of senior politicians. But a school that charges around $30,000 a year per head [qm].

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I think Meeker's example of the military is a great example -- should a president who believes strongly in self-sacrifice for Americans be logically required to pressure his own daughters to join the army?

I don't know about pressuring them, but it would certainly be a little hypocritical to prevent them from doing so. And I'm not sure what that has to do with education.

I wouldn't mind this story, not more than in theory anyway, if he were to express a sense of embarrassment at doing it, btw.

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The demented Benthamite idea of the demented Benthamite (is there another kind?) who drew up the demented, criminal and generally evil Poor Law Amendment Act back in the 1830's. Basically, conditions in workhouses were to be worse than that of the poorest independent labourer. Which in practice meant an official policy of near-starvation.