REP. DAVID R. Obey (Wis.) and other congressional Democrats should spare us their phony concern about the children participating in the District's school voucher program. If they cared for the future of these students, they wouldn't be so quick as to try to kill the program that affords low-income, minority children a chance at a better education.A bunch of inner city minority kids get the opportunity to get out of a dismal public school system and have their lives changed. But the Democrats just can't wait to deep-six the program. Rather telling, isn't it?
....But the debate unfolding on Capitol Hill isn't about facts. It's about politics and the stranglehold the teachers unions have on the Democratic Party. Why else has so much time and effort gone into trying to kill off what, in the grand scheme of government spending, is a tiny program? Why wouldn't Congress want to get the results of a carefully calibrated scientific study before pulling the plug on a program that has proved to be enormously popular? Could the real fear be that school vouchers might actually be shown to be effective in leveling the academic playing field?
This week, the Senate takes up the omnibus spending bill, and we hope that, with the help of supporters such as Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), the program gets the reprieve it deserves. If it doesn't, someone needs to tell Ms. Parker why a bunch of elected officials who can send their children to any school they choose are taking that option from her.
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Monday, March 02, 2009
The one domestic government program Democrats are willing to cut
With a budget that seeks to expand government spending in all directions, there is one little program that Democrats can't wait to cut - the tiny D.C. voucher program. They don't care about results or parent satisfaction; all they care about is kowtowing to the teacher unions. And the Washington Post lets them have it.
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3 comments:
Gotta keep 'em on the plantation, so why not start with the little ones...?
Going to a DC public school is like being sentenced to prison.
No congressman would ever condemn their children to such a fate. Why Democrats feel it is acceptable for poor black children is beyond me.
Teachers unions pump (at least) tens of millions of dollars and thousands of hours of work into Democrat campaigns. At least 80% of a school district's budget is teacher salaries. Most individual teachers do care about kids, but the unions care mainly about the power to increase their wages and benefits. Unions also encourage their most militant teacher members to get onto school boards where they can help shape and control agendas. A simple matter like choosing which textbook to use can set the tone for what kids believe, and an awful lot of textbooks are written by leftist colleg profs, so there needs to be vigilance from kindergarten through college.
The AAUP, NEA and AFT, plus their state and local affiliates, have long been extensions of the Democrat party.
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