Bush Repeats Support For School Vouchers

CNN ^ | 02/14/04

[Cathryn Crawford]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush, celebrating the nation's first federally funded school voucher program set up in the District of Columbia, said Friday he hopes it will turn into "change across the country" in education.

"At some point in time, in order to challenge mediocrity where we find mediocrity, parents have to be given other options," Bush said in a speech at Archbishop Carroll High School.

[Redcoat LI]

Reform public schools.
1.Disband the N.E.A
2.Pass a federal right to work statute for teachers,no union membership allowed.
3.Require teachers to actually get a degree in the subject they are teaching.
4.Criminalise the use of the word "feelings"

And by the way,people with Ed.Doctorates are not Phd's so stop calling yourselves "Dr."

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

School Choice for All Americans!
End Secular Humanist Tyranny !

[AreaMan]

The voucher initiative was defeated in California by division within the conservative and Christian circles.

The argument was that wherever State money goes so does State regulation. Because of this, lots of Christians voted against vouchers because they did not want their private Christian schools being forced to teach the moral equivalency of Homosexuality or other such nonsense.

I am torn over this.

The courts have ruled that if you accept "State" then you accept the strings that come with it, i.e. inane regulation. If you don't want to have the "Heather has Two Mommies" crap foisted on your kids then don't accept the money.

[AreaMan]

CORRECTION: The courts have ruled that if you accept "State" MONEY then you accept the strings that come with it, i.e. inane regulation. If you don't want to have the "Heather has Two Mommies" crap foisted on your kids then don't accept the money. Yes, I know it isn't the "State's" money but the courts do and since they have the power of the state behind them and all we have is logic, we are screwed.

[azcap]

The correct solution to the state-money/state-regs problem is clear legislation and the elimination of activist judges. In the mean time the simple workaround is to issue income tax credits for tuition. Then the schools are receiving fund directly from parents and not the gov. The only drawback is that the poorest children still can't take advantage of that - but isn't that the way the liberals usually force the system to be?

[loudmouths]

That would be the Libertarian paranoia.

Chapter 1 Title Four funding has proven them wrong on their paranoia.

[netmilsmom]

How about this. All money paid for education, be it private or homeschool become tax exempt. Would this work?

[CalKat]

We have school choice now. Everyone has the choice to send their children to private school. They just have to pay for it themselves. What's wrong with that?

[jwalsh07]

A trickle to be sure but sometimes trickles have a way of busting open the dams.

[jwalsh07]

We have school choice now. Everyone has the choice to send their children to private school. They just have to pay for it themselves. What's wrong with that?

The problem with that is parents who send their children to private school already have paid in taxes the cost of sending their children to public school.

Another problem with that is the simple fact that competition breeds efficiency.

[Lijahsbubbe]

And it is one of the last places of refuge from government.

[CalKat]

People without children also pay in taxes the cost of sending other people's children to school. Do you think childless people shouldn't have to pay taxes for other people's children to go to school?

[jwalsh07]

Do you think childless people shouldn't have to pay taxes for other people's children to go to school?

Certainly not. Do you think the government has a right to confiscate more than half of my income?

[CalKat]

So people who have children in private school should get a tax credit so their children can go to private school, but people with no children should not get a similar credit, even though they're not using the public school system?

And no, I don't think the federal government should confiscate more than half your income. Do they?

[inquest]

And constitutional authority for federal funding of education is found where?

[inquest]

So you've found one aspect of federal education funding that (for now) doesn't have strings attached. So that's one down and 999,999 to go. For starters, just look at the effects that Title IX has wrought.

[Aquinasfan]

"At some point in time, in order to challenge mediocrity where we find mediocrity, parents have to be given other options," Bush said in a speech at Archbishop Carroll High School.

Preach it brother!

And as the gov't schools go, so goes abortion, and homosexual marriage, etc. Evil people with evil ideas are attracted to the captive audience in gov't schools like flies to shi-.

[Aquinasfan]

Everyone has the choice to send their children to private school. They just have to pay for it themselves. What's wrong with that?

Parents who can't afford to homeschool or private school are forced to send their children, sometimes against their will, to schools where they are prevented from exercising their religion freely. If this doesn't constitute a violation of the "free exercise" clause of the First Amendment, I don't know what does.

A far more equitable system would be a voucher system, where all parents would be given an equal amount of money to be spent on tuition at the gov't or private school of their choice.

[ladylib]

Check this out. Imagine going to a school where if you don't accept homosexuality, you might not get your diploma ("students will be required blah, blah, blan..."):

http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/02-14-04/opening_5.asp

I'm sure they will hold acceptance of homosexuality over the heads of the kids who have second thoughts about whether they want to "embrance homosexuality." Threatening your academic status is one way to gain compliance. Of course, it could backfire and garner nothing but contempt for public school officials and homosexuals.

At least the word in out on Boulder schools and students and their parents can decide if students want to attend or find other educational venues.

I just think it's a disgusting way for the public schools to promote "tolerance."