On a scale from zero to 100, zero being no government involvement at all and 100 being total government control, I think 41.2 is about right. In other words, a silly question deserves a silly answer. In this Confederate community, you will certainly hear from some of our states' rights, separate-but-equal stalwarts whose contempt for "the government" blinds them to any legitimate functions that government performs. It goes without saying that everyone advocates local control at some level, but standardization of some aspects of education at a national level is not only essential to fairness but also to the adequacy of the education that our children receive. Your question is far too broad to elicit much beyond knee-jerk reactions to the word, "government."

-- Martin Bensky, Richland