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Originally Posted by Galt
Do you believe that public schools are "heavily subsidized" and "near monopolistic"? +
I do maintain that free exchange of ideas is necessary to a good education, though. + Different in what way? Should schools be treated any differently than any other entity that is paid to provide a service
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really quick - i have to sign off the intranet for a while, so i'll not be able to discuss for some time, but in answer: yes, public schools are funded almost entirely by public $$$. i view schools as a special place which caters to the education of our youth, and they have some marked differences from the general public domain as a result thereof. i'm not really going to argue that - the list of examples is fairly obvious. as for the free exchange of ideas, i agree completely.
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Do you believe that the property of a business that receives government subsidies is just as private as the property of a person who receives government subsidies in the form of welfare, food stamps, etc.?
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depends on the nature of the business and what type of place the person on welfare lives. business = do they cater to the public and invite them in (say, for instance, an airport) or do they manufacture goods (say, a crushed velvet factory with heavy machinery around). welfare person = do they rent or own? if they own, they don't really "own" (nor do any of us) but that's another thread.
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Here is what you said:
"I think as a customer, using a heavily subsidized form of near monopolistic transportation specifically designed for use of the general public, she should have some expectation to free speech."
If that was only your opinion of the airline industry rather than an argument for freedom of speech, why did you mention the customer's "expectation to free speech"?
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because, (note the bolded that i added.) it's not just that it's subsidized, and monopolistic, but that it is specifically a
de facto form of public transportation. for instance, an f16 is also subsidized and monopolistic, but i'm not arguing that military personel should have the same rights to wear "fuck you president bush, you assbagging son of a whore" on their shirts (while on base,in the cockpit, etc). the airlines invite the public in, they use public tax dollars
heavily, and i argue that makes them different from mom&pop's upscale italian restaurant, or welfare mom's shitty one-bedroom apartment, or an f16, or an industrial factory. it makes them a lot more like the town square, or the mall, or the sidewalk, the long island ferry, or a ski slope.
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We need to remember that rights and laws aren't the same thing. The law is frequently used to deny business owners their basic rights to choose to hire or not hire anyone for any reason, etc.
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wonder why that is?