Federal funding for education is a policy that has been largely present in the United States since 1965, and it is a policy that never should have started in the first place-but it’s getting worse.

On Jan. 28, the House passed an $819 billion stimulus package, which has about $142 billion reserved for education, more than any other project. But just like any time the federal government hands out money, there are strings attached-one of which is testing, to determine the “progress” of schools.

At first glance this may seem like a great investment. A good education is at the heart of any functioning democracy. The reserved $142 billion for schools could help boost the quality of education around the country and help students learn more effectively.

But it fails to promote independent thinking. Along with education, independent thinking is at the core of a functional democracy.

Recently, it has become clear that when the federal government puts a hand in the education system, the situation worsens. No Child Left Behind is a perfect example.

The foremost way No Child Left Behind measures success of schools is through standardized testing-same goes for this stimulus bill. This then standardizes the education system to train children how to take multiple choice tests.

Real life problems are not solved by picking A, B or C; problems are solved through creative input.

No Child Left Behind then penalizes schools for not making “progress” like expected. In other words, if the children don’t start thinking the same as everyone else, the school doesn’t get the money. It’s a backhanded way for the government to bribe schools into teaching the same curriculum.

But No Child Left Behind isn’t at the core of the problem. This can apply, in one way or another, to every educational institution that receives federal aid-almost every accredited elementary school, high school and college-whether it is the school receiving aid directly or through loans and grants to students. There are specifics that can be studied; but when it comes down to it, it’s simpler than we make it.

A democratic government is based on its citizens knowing what’s best for them and what to expect from political leaders. This is learned best through studies of political science, history, economics and philosophy, not through multiple choice tests. Although the federal government hasn’t gone so far as to give colleges funds based on standardized tests, it’s not a leap to think that they soon might.

The more the federal government reaches in and funds American schools, the more centralized the ideas become. The biggest influence any government should have is through state-funded education, if not on a smaller scale. It would promote at least some variation of thought.

Most Americans act as if they believe the lofty celebrity politicians are more able to direct schools than local politicians who might actually have children in those schools-this is a ridiculous idea. Rather than funnel our tax dollars to one centralized source and have it delivered back through a mismanaged system, we should fund our schools by giving tax dollars to local governments.

The only problem with leaving it up to local government is that some systems fall behind. But there’s no way big government can solve those problems. Those problems need to be solved on an individual level, with community action. It’s better to deal with those tragedies on an individual basis rather than deal with a possible national dilemma-one in which every school in the nation ecnourages students to think at the same low standard.

It’s commonly accepted that smaller class sizes enable more students to excell. This is because teachers can instruct students on an indiviudal basis. Having the federal government fund schooling is like having a class size of 100 million students. As good as the teacher is, millions will be left behind.

This situation is nowhere near as bad in America as it is in other countries-this is only one stimulus bill that is being passed-but each dollar spent brings us one step closer to becoming a nation of tyranny. We don’t live in a fascist country. But if we keep heading down this path, it’s not insane to think that some day we might.