xctl > a mandatory basic education is necessary to provide functional and employable citizens.
I think we agree here, and maybe even more than basic
> private institutions cannot be trusted with public money.
This is what I think is “unexamined”. USSR had indeed such economy, but in this country, government routinely spends money on private businesses – from buying munitions to doing medical research to providing medicaid services and foodstamps. I agree that education is not a simple good as potatoes are, but medicine and defense are also complex industries. So, your premise needs more nuance.