New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s 2016 front organization has released a 15-point education plan to follow on what he’s billing a major education speech given, of course, in Iowa instead of New Jersey. It’s a pack of generally worthwhile ideas for state lawmakers to consider but confusing as a pre-presidential platform, given that the federal government does not control teacher tenure, has comparatively few funds with which to create voucher programs or charter schools, or have much directly to do with how students earn higher-education credits and intermediate credentials. It certainly doesn’t, and shouldn’t, have any control over at what time of day and week colleges schedule classes, despite Christie’s demand that they get on top of that misuse of building space.

Unless Christie believes that it’s appropriate for the federal government to, as it has extensively under the Obama administration (with or without legal authorization), bully and coerce states into adopting national policy agendas in exchange for federal funds and a reduced risk of legal harassment from the U.S. Department of Education. It seems Christie is totally fine with this arrangement, given that part of his plan would use federal power to make colleges itemize their bills to students according to his personal preferences.

When the feds dictate to a private institution the design and content of its private arrangements with private individuals, it’s become a threat to liberty instead of liberty’s just defender. Maybe the feds should spend some time and money, oh, I don’t know, hunting down and defending against the Chinese hackers who made off with the personnel records of all federal officials instead. That would be under its appropriate purview…

Read the full article at The Federalist: What To Think About Chris Christie’s Education Plan