Supreme Court gives go-ahead for school vouchers!

Associated Press / SFGate

[RCW2001]

(06-27) 07:30 PDT (AP) -- ^Supreme Court gives go-ahead for school vouchers, lowers wall between church and state=

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Constitution allows public money to underwrite tuition at religious schools as long as parents have a choice among a range of religious and secular schools, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The 5-4 ruling led by the court's conservative majority lowers the figurative wall separating church and state and clears a constitutional cloud from school vouchers, a divisive education idea dear to political conservatives and championed by President Bush.

Opponents call vouchers a fraud meant to siphon tax money from struggling public schools.

[r9etb]

I just heard a death-groan from the NEA.

To paraphrase Churchill, it's not the beginning of the end for them, but it is the end of the beginning.

The NEA's problem with vouchers is that it loosens their grip on curriculum and political power.

I'd bet that probably 80% of parents one talks to would love to have the option of vouchers, even if they chose not to use them. The option to leave means that the NEA can no longer count on running a closed shop.

Public schools will probably never be perfect, but prior to the rise of the NEA as a Democrat funding group the schools were a lot better than today. Vouchers won't return them to their former glory, but they can't hurt.

[Tribune7]

a divisive education idea dear to political conservatives and championed by President Bush.

I like this phrase better. The media makes me sick. Thank God (heh, heh) for FR.

[goodieD]

LOL! loved that zinger, and I'm with you! This was a good decision. We needed this after yesterday.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

WASHN: to work. -AP Breaking News
(06-27) 07:46 PDT (AP) -- "It's important for the Supreme Court to occasionally send a shot across the bow to state prisons," said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University. "It does send a message that the Su...

WASHINGTON: supporters noted. -AP Breaking News
(06-27) 07:46 PDT (AP) -- Thursday's ruling continued a trend of the court in recent years to ease the path toward state support of religion. In a case two years ago, the court ruled that providing educational equipment to relig...

[Steve_Seattle]

"the court's conservative majority"

If the issue were abortion, and the court was upholding that right, the spin would not be about the philosophical leanings of the court. No, we would be told: this is the law of the land!!! The court has spoken!!! The Constitution is sacred!!!

[Kevin Curry]

First the fierce public backlash against the liberal-inspired goof-ball decision against the Pledge of Allegience, and now this victory for parents opposed to subsidizing the secular humanist agenda in the public schools. This is indeed a dark and depressing day for liberals everywhere.

I'm almost tempted to go to DU to peek in on the weeping-and-wailing fest.

[katana]

As opposed to the government schools, which are a fraud meant to siphon money from struggling taxpayers

Damn, that's well said.

[RJCogburn]

The court endorsed a 6-year-old pilot program in inner-city Cleveland that provides parents a tax-supported education stipend

In another schools case Thursday, the court approved random drug tests for many public high school students

You win some and you loose some.

[Wphile]

This is WAY cool! Now, let's see some legislative action!!

[Pharmboy]

And a major win for the inner city minority communities and a big loss for the teacher bolsheviks...

[twntaipan]

I would think this would make the environment for education more competitive, and thus force public schools to get better to keep their students. Thoughts?

[TroutStalker]

This is the best news in a long, long time. Yee-haw.

[TheBigB]

D*mn right, man! This is a HUGE decision!! EAT S*IT AND DIE, NEA!!!

[RonF]

Caution!

What the Federal Government funds, the Federal Government controls....

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

what the government funds, they will eventually control. As much as I like to see the liberals have a cow, I'm not a voucher supporter for that reason.

Yes, the lengths Grove City College went to to isolate it from funding--and consequent control--by the federal government certainly supports your position. OTOH the decision is patently correct on the merits of the issue presented to the court.

It may, if your fears materialize, produce a third tier of schooling:

-government funded and operated
-government funded but privately operated
-completely private.

Best-case scenario might well be the latter, for all--but we aren't getting away from the first, worst, possibility very fast. The new option may produce a constant battleground, but one that at least isn't completely on the bad guys' turf like the first one is.

[ladtx]

Most heavy-handed case of biased reporting I've seen in a long time. Dripping with dislike of anything conservative.

[cerberus]

I agree heartily.

It is a stake in the heart of the public education monopoly.

Additionally, conservatives should advance the significance of this issue for inner-city students and parents who stand to benefit most from this ruling.

Let's not forget that we OWN this issue.

[Wphile]

Send it to John Thune in South Dakota - he's running against Tim Johnson. Or perhaps Coleman in Minnesota who is running against Wellstone. Talent in Missouri would also be a good choice as he is running against Carnahan. These are the three closest races at this point and I think our best chances for taking back the Senate. You could also just send money to the National Republican Senatorial Committee which is chaired by Senator Frist.

[1L]

The 5-4 ruling led by the court's conservative majority lowers the figurative wall separating church and state

There's no such wall, at least not constitutionally. If there were, public fireman would be prevented from fighting fire in a church. But thank goodness some sanity has returned to the judiciary this week.

[gdani]

Caution! What the Federal Government funds, the Federal Government controls....

Absolutely. With a fair amount of any combo of local, state & private money flowing to private schools you will, I predict within 10 years, have many private schools that are indistinguishable from public schools.

With the shekels come the shackles.....