The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Alice Cooper (‘School’s Out’) Vindicated, with Lance Izumi

We're a day late with this week's episode because Lucretia and Steve had the opportunity to catch up live with the Pacific Research Institute's education expert extraordinaire Lance Izumi in San Francisco, to talk about what's going on in the world of K-12. Lance is the author of the forthcoming book entitled The Homeschool Boom, but also helpfully fills us in on the backstory of how Japanese whisky originated and came to take its place as a rival to the finest Scottish whisky. And we also get some confessions about his unlimited collection of minor league baseball team uniforms (yes, including even the Toledo Mud Hens). This is only fitting for the person whose unofficial PRI title is the Gilbert & Sullivan Fellow in Sartorial Splendor. (Look up his Facebook page photos if you doubt us.)

Among the news items we review about why home schooling is going to continue growing rapidly is Gov. Newsom's mandate that all school children will need to be vaccinated to attend public and private schools. There are reports that inquiries to home schooling websites from California parents have soared in the three days since this announcement, and 160,000 students have already de-enrolled from the public schools in California since COVID began. We also contemplate how Virginia's Terry McAuliffe let the progressive mask slip when he blurted out that parents shouldn't have any influence on what is taught in public schools. Nothing shouts contempt for self-government in the most important matters than telling parents, "shut up."

In other words, the home schooling boom is looking like delayed vindication for Alice Cooper ("School's out—forever!"), who happens to be a Republican rocker.

Historian Richard Samuelson joins us again to offer his best puns, so sit back and enjoy this episode with your favorite Japanese (or Scotch) whisky.