Indoctrination vs. Education

We really don't have an educational system in the United States. We took all the competition out of it, so there is really no incentive to a) make sure our kids get educated, and b) make sure that the kids want to be educated.
All we do in indoctrinate our children to a defined set of "facts" and "acceptable" information heaped with "politically correct jargon" in a cesspool of intolerance.
I wonder why we wait until college (a school that isn't free and isn't mandatory) to teach our children about Critical Thinking, Logic, Tolerance, Acceptance, Government, Economics, and other important issues. Children should have even a basic understanding of these things by the time they get to Junior High. They should have a good understanding by High School, and by College, they should be learning the detailed skills they will need for their chosen career: med school, law school, engineering, advanced applied math, etc.
This will never happen in the current "educational system", and that is why we are failing when it comes to comparing our "students" with the students of other "advanced" countries.
How do we fix it?
Well, stop taking tax money to pay for schools and teachers. Privatize the school system, and let those that use the system, pay for it. Education is a privilege, not a "basic human right". When the parents are cutting the check every month for their children to go to school, they will make sure the kids go, and that they learn. A person's children, after all, are that person's responsibility, not the responsibility of the "state".
Schools could be non-profit or for-profit, but they could solicit grants, donations, scholarships, and other monies if they want/need.
I am afraid that this is the only way that we can get away from the failure that is our "educational system" and move in to a more enlightened and intelligent period. A place where children are taught all sides of the issues and are given enough information to make up their own minds, based on Logic and Critical Thinking.
Or, we can continue to go the rout we are going, and in another generation or 2, when these fool kids are being elected into political office (y'all complain about Bush...well just you wait...) and we will wish we had done something different, fixed the problem, instead of using band-aids.

The following story illustrates what I am talking about...
A teacher took HeliOS (linux) disks away from a student because a) it wasn't Microsoft Windows and b) no software could ever be free...
This just goes to show, even the Teachers need a little education...

If we spent billions on education instead of Microsoft Software, would the education system benefit? Note, I didn't say "do without computers and programs to help with education"...I said "not spend billions on Microsoft Software".
Linux is FREE. Linux takes a brain to operate (since we all have a brain, well, you get the idea). Linux offers opportunity for individuals to solve problems. Linux saves money.

Now, I don't what this to be another "linux rant", but I do want to point out that Education is more important than Indoctrination, and we are fully indoctrinated in the "educational system"...

Change, Mr. Obama? Lets do something about the State of Education in this Country.