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This is a great steelman and I really appreciate the comprehensive reply.
This is a great example of how the federal bureaucracy uses funding to weave itself into every fiber of an education system that should be, in theory, nearly completely independent of the federal government.
The argument for getting rid of the department, I suppose, hinges on the belief that it will never be easier to expunge than it is right now. In another 20 years it will just be that much harder.
And if we take a targeted and incremental approach, it will be argued about for 4 years, something minor will happen, and then all the changes will be undone the next time there is a political shift in the wind. Instead of cleaning the barnacles from the stuffed pipe, better to remove the pipe entirely, even if it's disruptive.
But obviously this is wishcasting, and we're likely just stuck with more barnacles forever.
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