Imagine for a moment the reaction if the State of Texas decided to operate government grocery stores. What if the state determined what products would be on the shelves and socialized the cost of groceries purchased at those stores by imposing a tax on property owners?
Competitors would lose business because of the subsidies for shopping at government grocery stores. Texans who prefer a different grocery store would pay more than those shopping at the official state grocer. Adding insult to injury, those who shop at HEB, Kroger, Whole Foods, or some alternative would be paying, not only for their own groceries, but also part of the cost of the food purchased by others.
This might seem like a farfetched idea, but it is precisely what the state does in regard to education. The Texas Education Agency determines what textbooks are on the shelves and what courses are taught in government schools. The cost of these schools is socialized through taxes, including property taxes. Parents who desire a private school or home schooling for their children are forced to pay twice—once through their taxes and then again through the tuition or other costs for the alternative education.
If the state took the actions mentioned above, many families would begin shopping at government grocery stores simply because they could not afford an alternative. The state has taken these actions regarding education, and many, perhaps most, families have little choice but to send their children to government schools because they cannot afford an alternative.
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