There are few things which tick me off more than unelected judges making rulings, intentional or not, which take away the rights of citizens.

That is apparently what has taken place in California where the Second District Court of Appeals ruled that, at least in California, parents have no constitutional right to homeschool their children.

I am hoping against hope that this applies to the California Constitution only and has no bearing on the US Constitution.

Regardless, any constitution which would limit what kind of education a child or adult can receive will only perpetuate the existence of failing public schools. If there are no cost-effective alternatives--and private schools are not for everyone for a variety of reasons--then there is less incentive on the part of public schools (even less than there currently is) to do much of anything to try to innovate or improve.

I don't take a whole lot of things personally, but I do have a soft place in my heart for those parents who see a lack in public schooling and attempt to fill it.

I homeschooled my two sons for two years--during middle school. I did it because I questioned the type of education they were receiving, I wanted to stem the frequency of them being ill, and because the kind of social behavior or interaction they were going to have was not up to par with our family's personal expectations.

In the state where I live, unless the law has changed, you just have to let the local ESD know you intend to homeschool your children. That can mess with the state testing which is done at certain grade levels throughout their public school life, but other than that, there are few requirements. Of course elementary and middle school merely prepare students to graduate from high school, so things may have been different had the homeschooling taken place during their high school years, but I don't know that for sure.

Government should not be involved in how parents determine to educate their children. I agree that if they are going to go to a public school, then they want a certified teacher. I would go a step further, too, and wish for only good teachers, who know what they're teaching and what they're talking about, who leave their own personal opinions at home unless it's a part of an open dialogue where other views are also expressed, but I know that's not the function or purpose of public schools anymore.

That's not an entirely fair assessment. There are teachers out there which are not caught up in the liberal thinking of self-esteem and socialization comes first. And it is not entirely the fault of the school or the public education system that so many parents have abdicated their responsibilities of the nurturing, instructing and protecting of their children to the state.

However, those of us who still care deeply about our children and where they're going in life should not be stopped by a constitution, a court, or anyone else, from providing our children with an education of our choice. We all know as adults there is plenty that we learn in school which will never be applied in real life. The basics of reading, writing and arithmetic are essential--other things are not, and only cause stress or an overblown sense of accomplishment.

Personally, I think high school should truly be more about vocational training--the essentials should have been learned way before that and high school should be preparing students for some level in the work force. College has that responsibility, supposedly, but because of its structure and prohibitive costs learning is more stifled there than it is anywhere else. Most kids will not attend college, and those who do, will spend no more than two years of it trying to attain some kind of associates degree.

As it is, many of the companies which we feel are the wave of the future--the technologically based companies--need to train their workforce specifically to their way of doing things, even after they've come out of college, because no one is training them the way they need to be trained.

I have benefited from my own ongoing educational effort. It is not structured, I do it as I see fit, and I do it without paying anyone, for the most part.

It's called reading. If not books, then articles, and a lot of it can be found on the internet. You can find all kinds of things--more up to date, more recent, and more thorough a representation of the subject than what you will have time for in public school.

Government has a way, and courts in particular, of thinking they know what's best for you. They ignore the fact they would not exist if it weren't for the people in the first place. They produce no product, they do little to grow the economy on their own. They do their job best when they stay out of the way and rule according to what's best for individuals and making their own way as opposed to telling them what to do.

The question should never be what rights we have to education or anything else under the constitution. Constitutions are documents which  are too limit the width and breadth and influence of government, determine what worthy things, by common consent, the government will do for the people, not where it will interfere.

We, the people, do have a responsibility. We have a responsibility, if we have children, to raise them and provide for them. We really cannot abdicate authority or responsibility to the state, simply because we don't feel we have the time or the finances or whatever to do it ourselves. Those kinds of considerations are moot. They should have been considered long before a child is conceived, let alone born. I'm not responsible for raising your children, and you shouldn't be responsible for mine. If you like, I will help out, but only to the degree you permit it. That's how the village concept should work. It shouldn't be nanny knows best. It should be likeminded individuals raising their children and setting good examples and acting as reinforcement for others.

So, this homeschooling flap isn't just about formal education. It goes to the very core of beliefs and values and the reasons for which this country was founded: personal liberty and freedom. Courts should not be allowed to make such rulings. The constitution should have no power to determine what a citizen can or cannot do, only limit the powers of government. If Californians do not stand up for their rights, endowed by their Creator, then apparently it will be taken away.