School Choice for the Southeast

[ian]

considering how I hate school vouchers passionately, I will fight any measure creating them tooth and nail.

I'm so glad I wasn't the first person to say this.  I agree.  NO VOUCHERS!  I have the bumper sticker on my car.  It's the only one on my car except for my Gephardt sticker.

[Q]

So public education will be forced upon all citizens (financially speaking)?  Poor families are forced to support their local public schools with taxes, and then those schools are failing their children.  Is that a fair system -- to give them no choice in the matter?

I feel that allowing citizens to opt out of this program is the only moral thing to do.

[Bono]

So public education will be forced upon all citizens (financially speaking)?  Poor families are forced to support their local public schools with taxes, and then those schools are failing their children.  Is that a fair system -- to give them no choice in the matter?

I feel that allowing citizens to opt out of this program is the only moral thing to do.

Are you talking to me or ian?

[jokerman]

So public education will be forced upon all citizens (financially speaking)?  Poor families are forced to support their local public schools with taxes, and then those schools are failing their children.  Is that a fair system -- to give them no choice in the matter?

I feel that allowing citizens to opt out of this program is the only moral thing to do.

I believe in school choice, yet in the form of magnet and choice among different public schools.

[Bono]

So public education will be forced upon all citizens (financially speaking)?  Poor families are forced to support their local public schools with taxes, and then those schools are failing their children.  Is that a fair system -- to give them no choice in the matter?

I feel that allowing citizens to opt out of this program is the only moral thing to do.

I believe in school choice, yet in the form of magnet and choice among different public schools.

If public schools are so good, why are you so afraid that they must compete against private schools.

[Q]

Are you talking to me or ian?

I should have made that more clear, I suppose, but I was addressing Ian, Harry (who should no longer call himself "Senator," btw), and anyone else opposed to every measure of school choice.

However, I found Ernest's comments very interesting, and I will have to consider them as I ponder my full position on this issue.

[jokerman]

So public education will be forced upon all citizens (financially speaking)?  Poor families are forced to support their local public schools with taxes, and then those schools are failing their children.  Is that a fair system -- to give them no choice in the matter?

I feel that allowing citizens to opt out of this program is the only moral thing to do.

I believe in school choice, yet in the form of magnet and choice among different public schools.

If public schools are so good, why are you so afraid that they must compete against private schools.

No, I believe that private schools are an inneffectient solution and that funding kids to attend these will, because of increased costs due to higher demand, end up costing more money for worse education in the long run.

[ian]

So public education will be forced upon all citizens (financially speaking)?  Poor families are forced to support their local public schools with taxes, and then those schools are failing their children.  Is that a fair system -- to give them no choice in the matter?

I feel that allowing citizens to opt out of this program is the only moral thing to do.

I believe in school choice, yet in the form of magnet and choice among different public schools.

[ian]

Public money shouldn't EVER go to a private institution.  And many, if not most, of those private institutions are religious.  That is a violation of the Separation of C&S, my friend, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I ever give public money to a religious institution in the form of my taxes.

[Brandon H]

If the government is going to pay for people who can't afford to go to school, they should have the option of spending that specified amount anywhere they want to.

While I would not be thrilled at paying for someone else's kids to go to school, with out education, the poor people's kids will become poor people and it will become and endless cycle. Government involvement with education should be as localized as possible. That means high involvement of the local government, no involvement of the federal government and regional government in between.

Also, many people who want state funded education will spend on music, movies, and sporting events. I find it hypocital that they won't spend that same money on education.

[Bono]

Still waiting for that data GM!

[Jake]

Public money shouldn't EVER go to a private institution.  And many, if not most, of those private institutions are religious.  That is a violation of the Separation of C&S, my friend, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I ever give public money to a religious institution in the form of my taxes.

Our Constitution disallows the "establishment of religion". Giving education dollars to schools that are run by a certain religion does not establish anything.

[ian]

Public money shouldn't EVER go to a private institution.  And many, if not most, of those private institutions are religious.  That is a violation of the Separation of C&S, my friend, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I ever give public money to a religious institution in the form of my taxes.

Our Constitution disallows the "establishment of religion". Giving education dollars to schools that are run by a certain religion does not establish anything.

I am not talking about legality; the separation of C&S is something that I hold dear, even if it isn't a declared law.  It's only my opinion that public money should not be sent to private institutions, especially religious ones.

[Brandon H]

If you want to socialize education, then lets give every family X number of dollars per child and they can use them however they want to educate their children. Here is a possible example. It would cost $1000 to educate a child using state run public schools while it would cost $2000 to educate a child in privately run and possibly religious school. The government would give $1000 to the family. They could use that at the public schools or they could use it at a private school and would have to come up with another $1000 to cover the rest.