Chomsky reviews the history of publicly funded education to illustrate how support, or lack of, is influenced by the needs of the ruling class of the One Percent. His review reinforces my belief that the recent attacks on state support of education, along with other neoconservative policies, is the One Percent's revenge on the 99 Percent for their opposition to the Vietnam War and the fact that widespread protests were based in college campuses.
Forty years ago there was deep concern that the population was breaking free of apathy and obedience. Since then, many measures have been taken to restore discipline.