[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Are you sure about that? Can you point me to detailed information on this?

I was under the understanding that vouchers prevented the tax dollars from being "pooled into the collective," which enables the government to set curriculum. I thought vouchers meant the money was still private (still considered income) and could be spent privately without governmental regulation.

[twigs]

Experience tells me that. Anytime government money goes toward anything, the feds eventually get around to controlling how it is spent. On the one hand, it makes sense. None of us wants tax dollars going into something where there is no accountability. That's the upside. But the fact is that restrictions on how money is spent will eventually take place, even if not at the beginning. My husband works at a private college. I realize that's not what we're talking about here, but a recent experience makes a similar point. They got a gov (state) grant for a building that had so many restrictions tied to it that the total cost of the building cost way more than what it would have cost the college with no gov. funds. In that case, they were protecting unions and had building specs that were written by someone who obviously knew nothing about them. Granted, that's not how vouchers work, but do you really think that politicians who hear complaints from their constituents (and there's lots of people who are against this idea) are not going to tweak what this money can be used for? It will gradually and eventually end up with the feds directing the curriculum.

[BlackElk]

The SCOTUS went so far in the Grove City College case as to say that FedRegs apply to COLLEGE LEVEL EDUCATION (much less grammar or secondary school) if ANY FedFunds are received by ANY of the students (i.e.: Veteran's benefits; SS disability payments from death of parent, etc., much less direct federal aid to the school). Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, can fill you in on all the details since Hillsdale decided to escape FedRegs by refusing to allow any recipient of public funds from matriculating. Hillsdale turned to its contributors to endow a fund which would continue for life the monetary support of students who rejected FedFunds as a mandatory condition of matriculation at Hillsdale. Grove City College, similar in most ways, refused the wise advice of Hillsdale and lost at the SCOTUS.

Vouchers constitute direct government involvement since the vouchers (drawn on government accounts) are handed over to the previously private school which then becomes subject to FedRegs, StateRegs, CountyRegs, et al. Tax Credits may be safer than vouchers (even refundable Tax Credits to those who pay no taxes but DO pay private school tuition).

Complete separation of ALL schools from gummint: BEST!