Georgia has a primary election tomorrow. The Republicans and the Democrats will be selecting the candidates for Governor to appear on the ballot in November. On the Democrat side the election is completely owned and controlled by the government education establishment. The Republicans? Well, they've done such a good job of botching up their control of state government that the voters may tell them to take a hike when November arrives .. at least on the state level.

First ... the Republicans. Here's what Georgia has to show for the last eight years with a Republican governor. The Republicans have made such a huge mess of things that The Wall Street Journal saw fit to feature the situation in an opinion piece in the Journal's weekend edition:

Government spending in Georgia has grown three times faster than the population. In 2003 the state budget was $21.2 billion. By 2009 it had grown to $21.2 billion. Sure .. the more people, the more the state has to spend. But remember, under Republican control the state spending increased three times faster than the population. I know I'm repeating myself ... but this is damming stuff. It's pretty much what George W. Bush and the Republicans did with his 8 years in the White House.

Georgia Republicans have been loathe to cut spending or taxes. As the WSJ article says: "Over the past two years they have rescinded $428 million in property tax relief that their Democratic predecessors had passed, instituted a $200 million plus hospital bed tax, relied on billions in federal stimulus dollars to balance the budget, and tried to get by with a series of furloughs - anything but make lasting cuts."

On the issue of school choice the Journal says "This spring, legislators couldn't even bring themselves to extend vouchers to military families and foster kids, likely because they feared a backlash from the education establishment."

............ And that brings us to the government schools.

Eight years ago Democrat Roy Barnes lost his reelection bid after one term. The conventional wisdom is that he lost because the government school teachers turned against him. Apparently he hadn't done enough teacher's union butt-kissing. Roy Barnes has made it clear that he is not going to repeat that mistake. His campaign has been very little more than a non-stop love letter to the government education establishment.

Why, you might ask, is this government education establishment so politically powerful? Well ... we tried to piece the numbers together yesterday. This certainly isn't on the money, but you'll get the idea. There are approximately 114,000 full-time and nearly 5,000 part-time preK-12 teachers in Georgia. These teachers are assisted by nearly 11,000 full-time and more than 2,000 part-time support personnel (paraprofessionals, nurses, speech pathologists, etc.) and more than 8,000 full-time and more than 1,500 part-time administrators. We're up to about 142,000 people here. But wait! There's more! What about their families? The average number of persons per household in Georgia is 2.65. Do a bit of multiplication and you are sitting at 374,000 people. Throw in friends, church and business associates together with extended family members (aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents) .. the number climbs some more. Then, for good measure, toss in the small businesses and their employees who make a living catering to the education establishment and where are you? I'm thinking the number is around 400,000 people. That's 400,000 people who, in one way or another, have a vested interest in maintaining the current government education system -- which means preventing encroachment from the private sector. In the 2006 general election - the last vote for a Georgia governor - about 2,110,000 Georgian's cast ballots. This would mean that Georgians with a strong interest in the government education status quo might be as high as 19% of the electorate. So ... do the math. Democrats already have a lock on the black vote. Now that's not necessarily because Democrats might do a better job of creating job opportunities for blacks or any such trivial reason ... it's simply because most blacks vote Democrat ... end of story. So you take the black vote and then add another 19% of the electorate and you're starting to look pretty strong. Now I'm sure that some professional statisticians and pollsters can do a much better job of this than I, but you're getting the picture.

So there you have it. That's why Democrat candidate Roy Barnes and virtually every other Democrat running for office in Georgia is steadfast in their opposition to vouchers or anything that smells too much like school choice. That's why Roy Barnes has gone through this entire election process with his lips so firmly planted to the craggy posterior of the government education establishment that they're going to have to be surgically removed when the election is over.

This is beyond disgusting. These Democrats - and that includes Roy Barnes - (and the picture is pretty much the same in other states) will sell your children's future for an election. They know full well --- even though they're Democrats --- they know full well that the educational experience of Georgia's children would only be improved if these hideous government schools actually had to compete for customers .. for students.

We have this absurd education system where the children follow the money. The government seizes your wealth in the form of school taxes. Then the government sends your money to a school selected on no basis other than age and zip code. You are then instructed to send your child to that school for an education. In many countries - countries who's testing scores far surpass ours - it works the other way. Sure, the money is still seized in the form of school taxes ... but then the local authorities sit on the money ... and wait. For what? For you, that's what. They wait for you to fulfill your responsibilities as a parent and to choose which school you want your child to attend. You might base your choice on many things, including geography. Which school has higher test scores? Which school has a curriculum targeting your child's specific talents or desires? Which school presents a safer environment for your child? Which school has the most qualified and experienced teachers? You make the choice ... you send your child ... and the state sends the money. The money - your money - follows your child. Doesn't that make perfect sense?

Any concern the government education establishment shows for the quality of the education they deliver to your child is secondary to their dedication to the perpetuation of their jobs and the eternal quest for higher pay for less work. This can be their focus because they know they don't have to compete for students or for tax dollars. All they have to do is make sure the political class knows they will vote.

So ... if you really going give a Big Biden Deal about your child's education you need to tell Roy Barnes - who WILL be the Democrat's candidate - thanks but no thanks. Teachers are wonderful and all that. And some are more wonderful than others. But in this election you're going to vote for your children.

The Republicans have made mistakes, no doubt. They're not a great choice, but they're a better choice to be sure ... and if you're voting on behalf of your children as well as yourself, you can't afford Roy Barnes in that nice house on West Paces Ferry.