Posted on 10/26/2015 8:17:15 PM PDT by Isara
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) pushed back against accusations that he and Sen. Mike Lee (R- Utah) have pushed for homeschool to be reclassified as private school “The Glenn Beck Program” Monday evening.
“I’m not remotely pushing for homeschool to be reclassified in any way, shape or form,” the Texas lawmaker said. “I am a passionate supporter of homeschooling. In fact, many of the people who helped elect me to the Senate and who are among our most passionate supporters in the presidential race are homeschoolers.”
Cruz went on to say he is a “passionate” supporter of school choice, an issue he says he has championed for many years. Additionally, Cruz told Beck school choice has become “the civil rights issue of the 21st century.”
“I can’t wait to stand on the debate stage next to Hillary Clinton,” Cruz said. “The Democrats are essentially bought and paid for by the union bosses and the teachers unions, so they will always oppose school choice.
The Republican presidential hopeful told Beck he believes “every child in America, regardless of race or ethnicity, wealth or zip code has the right to a quality education,” and that school choice helps afford that opportunity.
Cruz claimed allowing access to school choice is about giving low-income Americans the same access to schools afforded to the rich and middle class.
“We’ve never seen a Republican presidential candidate that will go into African-American neighborhoods and Hispanic neighborhoods and say, ‘Your children deserve access to an excellent education.’”
According to Cruz, the Democratic Party has “trapped” low-income Americans in schools that are not offering them “the hope they deserve.”
In some of the most homeschool-friendly states, ALL home schools are considered to be private schools.
He gets it that the best thing government can do is get the heck out of micromanaging all the details of our lives.
It is indeed refreshing.
I’m probably going to stir up a hornets nest here, but so be it, but I’m firmly against school choice in terms of students choosing to leave “failing” public schools for “good” public schools, and VERY wary of it when it comes to vouchers to leave “failing” schools to go to private schools.
In the first scenario, you always hear about this in terms of how its going to benefit the inner city minority (usually black) students by allowing them to switch to better, safer suburban (usually white) schools. But no thought is EVER given to the effect on the school that is currently better and safer. Why should people who have sacrificed to live in an area with good schools now be forced to accept the population that currently inhabits the inner city? History has shown that integrating a school does not make it better, and it usually makes it worse. It just seems like this would be a very easy way for the Government to further its desire to eliminate white flight areas, like it wants to do with the AFFH. In short, I dont live in the hood, among other reasons, because I dont want my kids to go to school in the hood, with the hood. So why would I support giving the hood a free ticket to come to me?
With regards to private schools, with government money usually comes government control and influence. If a school accepts a government voucher, what comes with that? What if openly gay parents want to send their child to a Catholic or Christian school? Does the school then open itself up to lawsuits when little Johnny gets “traumatized” because the school taught that his “parents” lifestyle is sinful? Does the school, by accepting that money, have to immediately or down the road (remember, they arent called “progressives” for nothing) conform to PC culture? Does the school have to take all comers? Could they refuse, for example, to accept the children of illegal aliens or children of a different religion? As with integration, I’ve never seen any example of a private religious institution being made better by accepting anything that allows the government tentacles into the organization.
I like Ted Cruz, but it frightens me when ANY politician tries to troll for votes by promising something to a group by telling them they “deserve” it. Particularly the groups he’s speaking to in this article/interview.....because frankly, they’ve been promised quite enough.
The recognition of personhood at the moment of conception, with all appropriate protections, is the civil rights battle of our generation.
I like Ted Cruz, but it frightens me when ANY politician tries to troll for votes by promising something ...
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Cruz wasn’t trolling for votes.
He was responding to the false accusation that he and Mike Lee were in favor of classifying home schoolers as private schools.
You may be interested in this.
We’ve always had school choice. At least 3 generations of my family went to Catholic School. Could not imagine my kids going to public school. How gross would that be. I think that has helped with our long term marriages in the family. The last divorced person in my family was my Great Grandmother in 1923 when my Grandma was 8 years old. Didn’t even know they had them back then. My Grandparents were married 53 years before his death. My parents are at 48 years. My wife and I are at 20 in April. My Brother and his wife will be 16 in November (this month) and My sister and her husband are at 23 years. It helps attending Catholic school. Hopefully all our kids will find the same success.
I do not know which states say that home schools are private schools, but can you deduct the money needed to run a home school from your taxes? If not, then it is just window dressing to make the state look like it cares.
Part of it was about home schools, and I don’t have any problem with that, but this part isn’t about homeschooling:
Cruz claimed allowing access to school choice is about giving low-income Americans the same access to schools afforded to the rich and middle class.
“We’ve never seen a Republican presidential candidate that will go into African-American neighborhoods and Hispanic neighborhoods and say, ‘Your children deserve access to an excellent education.’”
He isn’t saying that those parents have a right to homeschool. He’s saying they have a right to access rich and middle class schools. That means white suburban schools.
Taxes? Unless you mean PROPERTY taxes, it’s still dog-squeeze.
The whole concept, even in those States with it in their Constitutions (such as mine, FL), of ‘free’ education is a farce.
Kill the property tax and return the system to a ‘pay as you go’; it’s just as ‘free’ as it was prior. Let the market take over and watch the scores of our children skyrocket. Those that wish to skip, not do well, be the ‘famous sports star’....You think those grades will fly when mom/dad/etc. are writing the check every month? Or bad teachers, bad facilities, bad...?
Which is why we home school whether supported or not by he state.
We CARE what our children learn and see and hear, and are willing to sacrifice for it.
But the question is on whether a state actually supports home schooling. And the only real identifier is deductions for home schools or vouchers. Until then, it is all talk on the part of the Governor.
Good for you. If I had any, I’d be doing the same.
As for the ‘State support’ (as if there were any since govt only cares about where the $$/power is coming from), I’d say: ONLY deductions (IMO). It’s enough those touting vouchers, I’d bet $$ to doughnuts, don’t pay much, if any, taxes to begin. So, it’d be just another welfare transfer....no thanks.
Bring in your property tax bill and get a vote for the local school ‘stuffs’....It’s the personal property owners that get the shaft.
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