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Justice Department Attacks School Choice In Louisiana
Political Realities ^ | 08/25/13 | LD Jackson

Posted on 08/25/2013 12:11:22 PM PDT by LD Jackson

President Obama would like us to believe he is in favor of helping the middle class. How many times did we hear that farce during the 2012 campaign? Enough to make me sick to my stomach, knowing it for the lie that it is. To see another great example of just how big of a lie that claim is, just point your eyes and ears south, to the state of Louisiana. Ask Governor Bobby Jindal if he believes the Obama administration is for the middle class and helping the children.

It is being reported the Justice Department is taking aim at another choice families have in Louisiana. In the name of desegregation, they want certain school districts left alone. In other words, they don't want mothers and fathers to take their children out of those school districts.

Fox News - The Justice Department is trying to stop a school vouchers program in Louisiana that attempts to help families send their children to independent schools instead of under-performing public schools.

The agency wants to stop the program, led by Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal, in any school district that remains under a desegregation court order.

In papers filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, the agency said Louisiana distributed vouchers in 2012-13 to roughly 570 public school students in districts that are still under such orders, and "many of those vouchers impeded the desegregation process."

The federal government argues that allowing students to attend independent schools under the voucher system could create a racial imbalance in public school systems protected by desegregation orders.

school-vouchersRacial imbalance? Is that what is first and foremost on the minds of President Obama and Eric Holder? Do they not care that these school vouchers help families take their children out of schools that are not good for them and place them in an environment where they are comfortable to learn and grow? It appears that way to me. They have a perverted vision of what certain schools should look like racially, never mind what is best for the children. We already know the Obama administration will be using HUD to push for more diverse neighborhoods. They are not satisfied with letting people decide where they want to live. They want a better mixture in each neighborhood. That must be why they are trying to stop Louisiana from giving these school vouchers to families who want to pull their children out of schools that are not doing a good job.

I have to ask the obvious question. Whatever happened to families having a choice of where and how they educate their children? What if some of these families decided to pull their children out of the school system completely, choosing to home school them? Would that go against the federal desegregation order? Would they take that choice away from the parents of these children?

Once again, we see a federal government who is reaching far beyond its constitutional boundaries. To begin with, this should be a family choice and a local issue. At the most, it should not reach beyond the state level. The federal government should have no say in this matter. If the families choose to place their children in another school, for whatever reason they state, then so be it. That should be their choice. The state of Louisiana is trying to help these families by giving them vouchers to help pay for the cost of that move. I presume the vouchers are paid for with state monies, collected from state and local taxes, both sales and property. Isn't that the way the system is supposed to work?

This isn't the first time the Louisiana school voucher program has come under fire. The Fox News article references that Governor Bobby Jindal had to find other state funds to pay for some of the school vouchers. That is because of a ruling by a Louisiana state judge agreed with the arguments put forth by the teacher unions and school boards that allowing the school voucher program to go forward would funnel too much money away from the traditional public school system.

I have just one question for President Obama, Eric Holder, and anyone who believes school choice for families is a bad thing. Whose side are they on? Are they for the children or for a public school system that continues to fail in many areas of the country? I think the answer to that question is obvious.


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: bobbyjindal; jindal; louisiana; schoolchoice

1 posted on 08/25/2013 12:11:22 PM PDT by LD Jackson
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To: LD Jackson
Education vs. possible desegregation imbalance.

Liberty vs. government micromanagement.

I wonder how the courts will rule?

2 posted on 08/25/2013 12:33:04 PM PDT by oldbrowser (We have a rogue government in Washington)
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To: LD Jackson

Yeah. It’s “for the children,” as Marxists love to snivel and whine.


3 posted on 08/25/2013 1:10:10 PM PDT by Standing Wolf (No tyrant should ever be allowed to die of natural causes.)
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To: LD Jackson

It would be a TRAGEDY if these students were provided a good education at the expense of a lot of “Dues-Paying,UNION THUGS”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


4 posted on 08/25/2013 1:34:31 PM PDT by bandleader
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To: LD Jackson; All

As a consequence of generations of parents not making sure that their children are taught the Founding State’s division of federal and state government powers, most citizens probably do not understand the following concerning who runs their local schools. Military training issues aside, since the states have never delegated to Congress, via the Constitution, the specific power to regulate schooling, the federal government cannot dictate to state and local communities how to resolve racial issues concerning schools.

Note that there are bona-fide federal laws which address racial discrimination.

HOWEVER! ...

Citizens don’t seem to understand that the only race-related issues that the states have delegated to Congress the specific power to address is voting rights as evidenced by the 15th Amendment. In fact, 15A expressly gives Congress the power to make legislation to try to remedy such problems.

HOWEVER AGAIN! ...

The problem remains that since citizens are clueless about the federal government’s constitutonally limited powers, they don’t question when the corrupt, Constitution-ignoring federal government tries to win votes from low-information voters by regulating racial issues, aka reverse discrimination, that don’t have anything to do with voting, such as schooling. After all, if the feds can regulate voting-related racism, then they must be able to regulate remedies for school-related racism, right? (Citizens are also clueless when activist judges wrongly legislate such remedies from the bench.)

For the record, I do not condone racism of any kind. However, the Constitution, as it is presently amended, gives the authority to find remedies for school-related social issues solely to state and local governments. And if you don’t like how another state is trying to resolve such problems then work with you local, state and federal lawmakers to propose an amendment to the Constitution which implements your idea. And if the Article V state majority agrees with your remedy and ratifies your proposed amendment then you’ve done the country a good service.


5 posted on 08/25/2013 2:46:27 PM PDT by Amendment10
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To: LD Jackson

as someone who actually attended public school in Orleans Parish, St. Tammany Parish, and Jefferson Parish...trust me, they ain’t got to worry about racial (meaning black ) inequality.


6 posted on 08/25/2013 8:26:06 PM PDT by Shadowstrike (Be polite, Be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.)
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To: LD Jackson

Obama and (in)Justice Dept. put unions before kids.


7 posted on 08/25/2013 10:45:31 PM PDT by Sun (Pray that God sends us good leaders. Please say a prayer now.)
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