[Clintonfatigued]

It's a step in the right direction.

[PajamaTruthMafia]

What the heck took so long?

[GianniV]

Racist!

[TXBubba]

to let poor children leave struggling schools ...

If taxes keep going up that will eventually apply to all children.

[uptoolate]

"Parents could get $4,000 per year to put toward private-school tuition or a public school outside their local district. They could also seek up to $3,000 per year for extra tutoring."

Supporters say poor parents deserve choices, like rich families have. When schools don't work, said Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, "parents must have other opportunities."

We make 74k a year, homeschool 3 kids, pay appx. 3k per year for materials for all 3 kids, and yet somehow I feel like I've been discriminated against.

Do you think we'll qualify as "poor parents"?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Typical Republicans.

Instead of going to the source (Killing the Dept of Education and giving control back to local communities) they have to come up with another big-government "conservative" program.

Vouchers are nothing but trojan horses.

[CottonBall]

Under the new legislation, the vouchers would mainly go to students in poor schools that have failed to meet their progress goals for at least five straight years.

At first, I thought this was great - but not if it's only for the 'poor'. Once the definition of that gets established, it will benefit very few. And the reason many schools are failing is that the parents don't care. I'll bet most won't use the vouchers and/or still won't monitor their children's schoolwork.

Vouchers for everyone would be much better.

[pissant]

Damn, Bush has been calling for this since he got into office. Get a move on it already.

[Tired of Taxes]

Homeschool Ping!

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[diamond6]

bttt

[goldstategop]

Don't worry. The Senate Democrats will filibuster school choice to death.

(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies.)

[no dems]

This is a great election year ploy. Go for it!!! It'll never pass because the NEA is too powerful of a lobby but it can work to our advantage in November.

Another issue the GOP should find some way to raise right before the midterm elections: Reparations for Black America. That's a win/win situation for the Pubbies.

[cbkaty]

Again...the middle class pays the bills and the "poor" get special treatment.. The code word "poor" has a very special meaning in politics...

Why should any child be forced to attend a falled government school?

[tkathy]

The middle class, who would pay for this, would never see a penny of this.

[netmilsmom]

My girls will go to school.

[blitzgig]

The more choices in schools people have, the more likely their children will get a decent education, and the more likely underperforming schools will have to scramble to improve themselves to catch up with the competition.

[Amelia]

The Bush administration requested the school-choice plan, but Tuesday's media event caused some awkwardness for the Education Department. The agency just released a study that raises questions about whether private schools offer any advantage over public ones.

Interesting quote from the article.

[WhiteGuy]

This could not possibly be another

election-year distraction or pandering could it?

[gakrak]

Better late than never. But just wait the NEA will go ballistic and spend millions to stop this. Amen.

[NutCrackerBoy]

I would like to see a drastic reduction in federal involvement in education. Not only that, I think the Constitution clearly rules out such involvement. But I prefer to work through a political party that is relevant. Given the realistic situation, vouchers are a slam dunk. They absolutely are good.

In an election year, it makes Democrats look very bad to oppose them. This is something we can do every election year til doomsday - use the Dems slavery to special interests (teacher's unions) against them.