Posted on 04/30/2008 7:58:51 AM PDT by PurpleMountains
I dont think I have to restate here the evidence of the failures of our public school system. While it is true that an education system cannot deal with the disintegration of American society that is ongoing (again, ample evidence of this is all around us), it is also true that those low-income families that want a good education for their children have no place to go.
After pouring more and more money into public school systems for 40-50 years with only further deterioration taking place, it is clear to those not feeding off the system that more money is not the answer.
(Excerpt) Read more at forthegrandchildren.blogspot.com ...
Probably. The government has never turned down a big budget government entitlement in my life time, I don't expect them to turn up their nose at the chance for yet another subsidy.
As for the inevitable objection that vouchers would result in the takeover of private education, have no fear. In the worst case scenario, the situation would revert to the status quo ante. Parents who objected to intrusive gov't regulations would simply found non-voucher-redeeming private schools, and we'd be back where we started. But that's the worst case scenario. There is every reason to believe that both conservatives AND liberals would fight tooth and nail to prevent the gov't takeover of schools that they have a strong vested-interest in. Right now, liberals and conservatives fight against EACH OTHER for the control of their children's schools. If both groups had their own schools they would each fight THE GOV'T instead.
I'd say it's more accurate that the liberals/secular humanists HAVE control of the public schools, and fight to keep ANY conservative ideology out.
DON'T SACRIFICE YOUR CHILDREN ON THE PAGAN ALTAR.
Secondly, once private schools begin to rely more and more on government vouchers for their income, they'll have to acquiesce to the demands of the government in regards to what is put into the curriculum. This will lead to the garbage taught in the public schools today being taught in the private schools tomorrow.
I’d much rather see a tuition tax credit. Send your child to whatever school you want. If you pay tuition you get the credit.
To limit church/state constitutional challenges, the credit should be for whatever amount a taxpayer would have paid in taxes to support their own child's education had they used the state's education system.
This way a taxpayer would simply be redirecting their own education dollars to a school of their choice without redirecting the dollars of other taxpayers. This makes it difficult for opponents to argue that the state is paying for a religious education.
Call it "citizen directed education funding".
I'd generalize and go further by giving similar tax credits for things like home security systems.
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