A Victory for 'Ordered Liberty'

Wall St. Journal ^ | July 1, 2002 | William Bennett

[The Raven]

Last Thursday the Supreme Court issued two decisions that could fundamentally alter our nation's public education system. In the first decision, the court upheld an Oklahoma school district's policy of testing students who participate in extracurricular activities for drug use. In the second, the court upheld a Cleveland program that provided parents of children in failing school systems up to $2,250 per year to pay for tuition at other schools, including religious schools. On the surface, perhaps, the decisions look unrelated. But upon closer examination, they reveal a return to the federalism and self-government upon which our nation was founded and from which we have drifted in recent years.

[The Raven]

I applaud the voucher decision and had mixed feelings about the drug testing.

[MrNeutron1962]

As a job requirement, I have been required to take random drug screenings since the mid 1980's. So, I haven't had the "Right" to be a dope addict and employed in nuclear power for almost 20 years.

I guess it means that teens don't have the right any longer to be drugged out and waste my tax dollars. Wishful thinking, I know, but I can dream can't I.

[Wolfie]

Yes, of course, "Give Me Ordered Liberty, or Give Me Death".

[Wolfie]

bump

[steve50]

I think the vouchers should better reflect what the state schools are spending on a per student basis, after all it's the money the parents have paid into the system to educate their children, why should they only have access to a small part of it.
As for the drug testing, I think the habits of our leaders are at least as important as our high schoolers. ALL government employees should be tested. I would even favor testing corporate execs who deal in loans with IMF, WB, Import-Export Bank, and those who have government contracts. If we are going down this road, let's not exempt those who have the most influence on our day to day lives.

[eno_]

The intrusiveness of the drug decision will just hasten the end for some public schools.

[B4Ranch]

In some neighborhoods there won't even be teachers passing the drug test, let alone students.

[EBUCK]

School vouchers good...as a matter of fact, childless folks should also receive tax credits. I think that the sliding "ability to pay" credit scale (very socialistic IMO) part should be/is unconstitutional, that whole equal taxation thing.

Drug testing bad....at least without parents authorization. Parents should be contacted and presented with the reasons the school wants to test the child. The parent should then have the final say in whether or not the child can be searched.

Thanks for the ping Wolfie, you always seem to lead me to great threads....keep me on your list sir.

EBUCK

[EBUCK]

ALL government employees should be tested. I would even favor testing corporate execs who deal in loans with IMF, WB, Import-Export Bank, and those who have government contracts. If we are going down this road, let's not exempt those who have the most influence on our day to day lives.

You are kidding right. You want to "search" all those people regularly without any evidence pointing towards wrong doing? Does that sound right to you?

EBUCK

[Wolfie]

In one of our local school districts, they announced that they'd be using drug-sniffing dogs on student vehicles in the school parking lot. All was well and good, ya know, for the children, rally 'round the flag, huzzah and all that. Then they let slip that that ALL the cars in the lot, including teh teacher's section, would get the sniff treatment. The Teacher's Union went ballistic, as you might expect. You'd think if it was good enough for the students, it would be good enough for the teachers, but there does seem to be some bizarre dividing line when it comes to drug testing.

[steve50]

I oppose testing period. But if we are going there let's let the federal employees, judges, state employees, and all the others who benefit from taxpayer funds join in the party. Might get very interesting. Why just test the sheep?

[Wolfie]

It was Georgia, I think, that tried to pass a law requiring legislators and judges to be drug tested. The Supreme Court slapped it down. Too close to home, I guess.

[EBUCK]

Because the sheep are the only ones that have no say. Can you imagine the howling and general threshing about if we actually started testing the elites? Music to my ears.

EBUCK

P.S. I was pretty sure that you were on the right side of this but I had to ask.

[steve50]

I've pretty much given up on any sane approach to this issue, time to use the tools of the system against those who support it. The way the tobacco laws are going if we can get enough draconian laws on smoking we might even pick up an ally or two there.

[EBUCK]

Yup. Have you seen the latest price of "major" brand cigs in New York City? 7 bucks a pack thanks, in no small part, to the new 1.50 tax hike. NYT Link

EBUCK

[steve50]

I'm hooked on tobacco, hardest thing I've ever tried to stop. Going to make another run at it, for no other reason than to stop feeding the beast.
I support putting tobacco under FDA control, force them to deal with equal protection under the law issues. A good arguement can be made that cannabis is less harmful, and it should really get us tobacco users reading the riot act to our masters.

[EBUCK]

I'm hooked on tobacco,

Me too. But it's not like I didn't know it was bad when I started. I understand that if I contract mouth/stomach cancer it's all my fault. It's the lawyers that have pushed this thing beyond. Lawyers and politicians (as if there were a difference) are driving it and are profiting from it too.

EBUCK (if my posts seem weird or broken, don't fret, I'm just a little low on blood sugar and need to get some food into me pretty soon)

[Protagoras]

I guess it means that teens don't have the right any longer to be drugged out and waste my tax dollars.

The best way to remedy the teens' wasting of your tax dollars is to abolish government schools. And vouchers.

[B4Ranch]

$0.35 a smoke. I wonder if the crime rates will go up?

[EBUCK]

I'm sure that it will. I'm thinking of starting an import export business with NYC as my market of choise. Cigs around these parts can still be had for 3 bucks or less.

That would be the ultimate vindication of the gubment driven crime theory if we started seeing turf wars fought over cig sales.

EBUCK