Public education is non-optional: when the public school systems suck, we still have to pay for them. Yes there is a democratic process to change that, but the

Public education is non-optional: when the public school systems suck, we still have to pay for them. Yes there is a democratic process to change that, but the average individual does not have much sway over that process and in effect it is much more difficult and sclerotic. If Lambda School begins to suck and isn't educating engineers to competency, they go out of business quickly. Voluntary vs involuntary funding is an incredibly important difference.