"But governments by and for the people are supposed to be."
supposed to be. Thats sad.
Ror is absolutely right about the public education system in our country as well. I'm not embarassed to admit that I have been severely damaged by a lack of proper education in the field of geography. Recently I discovered I could not appropriately locate and name more than 20 U.S states on a map, nor name more than 3 of their capitals. It goes without saying that I fell extremely short on other areas of the world.
My knowledge on other subjects I gained largely from my own research, reading, and with assistance from my father in my recent homeschooling.
Thats why I believe schools should be privately run. Let competition enter the education world and they'll have a reason to properly educate.