Dropouts to be denied licences (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1149159248605&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home)
www.thestar.com, Jun 1 ’06

Ontario is expected to pass legislation today forcing kids to stay in school or apprenticeship programs until age 18 in hopes of cutting its 30 per cent drop-out rate.

…the bill also gives the province the right to deny a driver’s licence to students who drop out before they turn 18.

These revisions to Education Act increase fines to $1000 and introduce financial penalties for parents of dropouts.

I think this legislation is a perfect example of how to treat human beings like infants. It is very revealing as to the nature of the State and peoples’ expectations of young people. People who support this legislation have the very lowest expectations of young people, as they would prefer to force them to stay in school and completely waste their time since they have no interest in being there. Their attitude towards young people is that they would be out committing crimes otherwise.

It never occurs to them that they might be better off working productively, earning their own money, learning self-reliance and personal responsibility, and setting up businesses.

Forcing and threatening them will teach them how to be immature and dependent, and servile like many adults in our society. These are positive virtues in the eyes of those in power, so that’s why this legislation is very revealing. It says so much in such a short and brutal way.

I’m sure a lot of the right-wing supporters of this legislation would love to see young people sent overseas, to learn “discipline” and be involved in foreign slaughter, as this is the degree of disrespect they have for the human spirit, which was meant to be free and at peace with others. Their approach is to war against the human spirit out of fear.

(Original Post)