Keep the camel's nose out of the tent

Camel's Nose In The Tent is a good reminder about how benign intentions can led to unintended consequences. Camel Story Tales, Folklore & Legends has this version:


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One cold night, as an Arab sat in his tent, a camel gently thrust his nose under the flap and looked in. "Master," he said, "let me put my nose in your tent. It's cold and stormy out here." "By all means," said the Arab, "and welcome" as he turned over and went to sleep.
A little later the Arab awoke to find that the camel had not only put his nose in the tent but his head and neck also. The camel, who had been turning his head from side to side, said, "I will take but little more room if I place my forelegs within the tent. It is difficult standing out here." "Yes, you may put your forelegs within," said the Arab, moving a little to make room, for the tent was small.
Finally, the camel said, "May I not stand wholly inside? I keep the tent open by standing as I do." "Yes, yes," said the Arab. "Come wholly inside. Perhaps it will be better for both of us." So the camel crowded in. The Arab with difficulty in the crowded quarters again went to sleep. When he woke up the next time, he was outside in the cold and the camel had the tent to himself.

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I was reminded of this story as I read NHELD's analysis of S. 3076: Home School Opportunities Make Education Sound Act of 2008. The bill is suppose to give homeschooling families tax deductions for expenses relating to homeschooling. NHELD has several concerns about the bill. Here are a few:


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a) The bill does not define the term, “home school”. Right now, there are many definitions of the term, “home school”. For example, does the bill affect those “home schools” that are operated by the public school system in which students must participate in the curriculum generated by the public school but may follow that curriculum at home, or does the bill affect those “home schools” that are considered “private schools”, or does the bill affect those “home schools” that are affiliated with correspondence schools, or does the bill affect those “home schools” that are independently run by individual parents alone? The bill does not answer those questions.

b) Who will decide what the definition of “home school” is? The IRS, the Congress, each state’s legislature, the courts? Again, the bill does not specify.

c) Who will decide what expenses “qualify” as deductible? Answer: the IRS. That’s because the bill calls for “rules” to be established. “Rules” are promulgated by the agency that will implement the law. In this case, that’s the IRS.
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This bill seems like a bad idea. Mary Nix agrees. I encourage you to study it some and then contact your Senator. I will ask my Senators to oppose the bill.

I don't want the government's nose in my tent.




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