Competition and Freedom of Choice – Glenn Mollette

In 1975 I bought a Chevrolet Monza with a four-cylinder engine.

In my opinion, it was a bad buy and a terrible car. There were constant maintenance problems and the four-cylinder engine was just junk.

I survived that car long enough to trade it in for a Toyota Celica. I felt like I went from the bottom to the top in the world of driving. The ride was so smooth and the acceleration was great compared to what I drove before. I drove that car for about eight years and never had a problem.

That was then. Things are different in America today. Overall, our cars are better, safer, more powerful and more efficient than ever before. We have made great strides in our automotive industry and we can be thankful for one thing – competition. Germany, Japan and China have kept us on our toes for the last 50 years and competition has simply made us work harder to deliver a competitive product.

We have a choice and a choice is good.

I grew up in Appalachia. There was only one doctor in our county town. I remember my mother and I waiting two hours to see Dr. Ford in Inez, Kentucky. We desperately needed a few more doctors, for the good of the community and for the good of Dr. Ford. A second doctor down the street would have helped.

Today there is better access to doctors in the city, which is beneficial for everyone.

Can you imagine if McDonald's was the only fast food hamburger chain? In some communities, that may be the case. However, in many communities, there is often a McDonald's, a Burger King, and a Hardees, often all within a block or two. It seems to me that they are all doing well, although there is competition.

Don't get upset if someone opens a private school in your county. When I was a child, we had only one choice between elementary and high school. In 1964, our county (Martin County, Kentucky) was considered the poorest county in the United States. President Lyndon Johnson even launched his campaign against poverty there. We didn't know we were poor, but we were either very poor or just poor. My father worked in the coal mines. We always had something to eat, but there was no way he could have paid the tuition for a private elementary or high school.

It wouldn't have made a difference because there was no other choice.

I liked my schools and my friends from that time, but we didn't have much. Public school provided us with an education. I remember two terrible teachers who slept through many of our classes. They should have retired or been fired many years ago. They were good people and were loved, but their days as teachers and classroom leaders were long gone. This can happen in many places, of course. Children rarely recover from what they were supposed to learn during this formative period.

A private school in the city could take money away from the public school if the tax dollars follow the student to the private school or even to another district. It could even be home schooling. 29 states and the District of Columbia have at least one private school choice program.

This angers and frightens some school boards and administrators. Why be afraid of competition? Just be a great public school with zero tolerance for bullying. Expect respect and effort from students. Support teachers and expect them to do their jobs. Give students all the support and love they deserve. That way you don't have to worry too much about local competitors.

I recently went to an ice cream shop that offered over 100 flavors. It was hard to choose, but the black cherry outperformed all the other flavors.

The competition was tough, but I'm so glad I had the choice.

You can reach Glenn Mollette at [email protected].