House Republicans Follow Through With School Choice, While Democrats Protect Unions
by Dr. Susan BerryIt’s budget time again. And Democrats are once again taking down and dusting off all their human shields and straw people, in order to convince those Americans, who are still unable to think for themselves, that they will die if the government doesn’t provide them with every form of aid from the day of their birth.
So far we have the Obama administration declaring that at least 70,000 children will die if the Republicans pass their spending cuts. No hyperlink to the authoritative study on how they came up with this number because, well, there is none. But, if children could be endangered in any way due to a cut in a program, could we skip the farm subsidies so that we can still make sure kids don’t die if we can help it? Make a note of that.
Then we have all the women who will be dying of breast cancer because they won’t be able to avail themselves of a mammogram at Planned Parenthood if this organization is defunded. Trouble is, Planned Parenthood doesn’t seem to offer mammograms. Oops.
Nancy Pelosi says the nation will lose 1,000,000 jobs if the Republicans pass their cuts. In Democratic lingo, that’s lost and destroyed, instead of saved and created. But, they use the same math to get their numbers.
Such concern for children and families. Yet, on Wednesday of this week, no concern was shown by the House Democrats when Republicans passed the SOAR Act (H.R. 471), which reauthorizes and expands the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, the hallmark school choice program for low income children in the nation’s capital.
186 of House Democrats, and 9 Republicans, voted against the bill, which was sponsored by Speaker John Boehner himself, in the House, and co-sponsored by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) in the Senate.
According to Heritage Action for America, those House members who voted against the measure were protecting the teachers unions and special interest groups that have long wanted to end the successful program.
Heritage Foundation expert Lindsey Burke states that while funding has consistently increased for public schools over the past 30 years, student reading and math achievement levels have not improved. In addition, Burke notes that graduation rates have remained at the same level as during the 1970’s.
Yet, Patrick Wolf, a researcher who conducted various studies of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (DCOSP), reported that 91% of DCOSP students graduate, compared to 70% of students with similar characteristics, and compared to about 55% of all DC public school students.
SOAR will allow the capital district a savings of $15 million. The program provides vouchers of $7,500 to low income, primarily minority students, to attend a private school, but takes no money away from public schools or charter schools.
Speaker Boehner, who once served as chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said of DCOSP, “There’s only one program in America where federal government allows parents from lower-income families to choose the schools that are best for their children, and it’s right here in DC.”
Parents are thrilled with the ability to choose the school that provides their children with the best learning environment for them. And, why not? The President himself chose to send his children to a private school. Yet, the White House dismissed the rigorous evaluation studies of DCOSP, a decision that led the Washington Post to assert that the administration is allowing “ideology to trump evidence.”
No surprise that SOAR was opposed by the ACLU, the NEA, and NOW. Still no surprise that the NAACP opposed the bill, and that this organization is acting at cross-purposes, as it often does, for members of its own minority group.
One more thing. As we continue to hold the Republicans to their pledge to cut spending, let’s also thank them when they come forward to clearly support a main conservative principle: school choice for American families.
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85 Comments
With true school choice public schools, along with the attendant brainwashing and union monopoly, would vanish. +Hanzo+
"186 of House Democrats, and 9 Republicans, voted against the bill"
I don't give a rip about the democrats. But I would sure like to know who the hell these "republicans" are.
It just occurred to me why Obama got the local school voucher program stopped when he got to D.C. He didn't want any of those po boys from the city going to the same school his daughters go to. Mighta contaminated 'em, you know.
Compare and contrast. Democrats support the extortion of taxpayer monies to ensure psychotic kindergarten teachers can teach 5 and 6 years olds to send death threats by e-mail. Republicans support the right of a parent to avoid sending their kids to schools that teach kids to email death threats and end up as ignorant as 99% of the trolls on this forum.
Gee, that's a toughie.
Can you imagine the private school you could send your kid to if you had $13,000 a year to spend….?
That's about what the D.C. school system spends per year per student and they can't even read IF they graduate.
180+ Demrats, yeah, business as usual. What I want is the name of the 9 Repubics that can't seem to allow John Q Public to make his own choices for his kids!
Fire their azzes!
So would I , but I'm too lazy to research it.
Once again we see the usual corrupt, unionised bolsheviks out to fleece the producers (read taxpayers) so they can continue to live high on a collapsing system that they care nothing for so long as they still ride the gravy train. I'm not sure why the atheists and gay associations are standing against a free market of ideas, though. Look for the same felonious unionistas to pressure the senate like in Wisconsin, all answering to the Chicago- Alinsky-Capone-gangland-organiser-in chief.
Well, for what it's worth:
No IL- 13 Biggert, Judy [R]
No IL- 10 Dold, Bob [R]
No MO- 6 Graves, Samuel [R]
No VA- 9 Griffith, H. [R]
No IL- 15 Johnson, Timothy [R]
No NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
No TX- 14 Paul, Ron [R]
No WA- 8 Reichert, Dave [R]
No ID- 2 Simpson, Michael [R]
No IL- 13 Biggert, Judy [R]
No IL- 10 Dold, Bob [R]
No MO- 6 Graves, Samuel [R]
No VA- 9 Griffith, H. [R]
No IL- 15 Johnson, Timothy [R]
No NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
No TX- 14 Paul, Ron [R]
No WA- 8 Reichert, Dave [R]
No ID- 2 Simpson, Michael [R]
I can't wait to see Harry Reid try to derail this. Or if it passes the Senate, for Big O to veto it.
The Democrats are past masters at harnessing the power of weakness to their political wagons. It is imperative that conservatives learn how to defeat it.
One ideology promotes choice. The other promotes no choice. Which is more like the principals this country was founded on and which of them most closely resembles socialism?
What……. does this mean public schools have to be aware of the quality of eduction now–? Well sh*t, what's going to happen to the world now? ;-]
Ok sounds good, but what about the rest of Country?
That's a good article, making a good point. Thanks for the link.
With school choice, these kids might actually graduate and then who's going to plow the Dem plantation?
Somebody ought to make up a bunch of dunce caps with, "You're Looking at the Union Label" printed on them.
Thank you!
It is sad that our Unions have come to this sort of extortsionism upon our own citizens to get their points across. This is why 90% of America is against Unions now and will continue to do so.
http://therealrevo.com/blog/?p=42805
It is sad that our Unions have come to this sort of extortsionism upon our own citizens to get their points across. This is why 90% of America is against Unions now and will continue to do so.
http://therealrevo.com/blog/?p=42805
Thanks – but your previous post wasn't up yet when I posted mine. Ron Paul?? WTF?
Uhhh….Obummer and his family? oops, guess I can't say that.
+Hanzo+
Now why in the hell would the Ronulan vote against that? Just when you thought he's making strides……. +Hanzo+
Thanks just glad it's not our new guy Palazo!
It's stuff like this that really clarify's just what a war of ideas we are having in America today. We slept for 20+ years and let our Gov run amock (I am truly guilty, I didn't even try to vote while in the Mil for 20) but now out and trying to catch up. I will not ever miss another election and will be aware of who I vote for and why I vote for them. These people disgust me.
Yeah, I'd like to hear why RP would vote no. I have a feeling he has a valid reason.
Ya, Ron Paul…have you really reasearched him…it's time you should if you haven't…
If I had to take a stab at why, I'd say maybe this:
"The program provides vouchers of $7,500 …………….but takes no money away from public schools or charter schools."
Maybe he thought the money SHOULD come from the public schools, rather than just adding this as another "spending program." For which he would have a point (bad precedent for other voucher programs). Of course, that's just a guess.
Enrico Palazo?
Ron Paul voted against HR 471 because,……
it is an additional expenditure.
This is why he will never be presidential material,……..
Mr. Paul, the purpose of this bill was to initiate the creation of,….
SCHOOL CHOICE or maybe you just too old and set in your ways to realize that,……..
we the taxpayers are OK with spending money on a good thing.
I'm not sure if this was stated or not, but everyone needs to see the movie 'Waiting For Superman." Absolutely incrediable how bad things have gotten in education.
Somebody, probably a Demoncrat because they have access to higher math that the rest of us do not, please explain to me how nearly one trillion dollars resulted in about 1.5 million jobs created or saved (and no one is even sure about that number!) yet, cutting $61 billion will cost one million jobs? Do Demoncrats really believe we are that stupid? Well, there are people that vote for them. Enough said.
dems have to protect both their funding sources (the unions) and indoctrination centers (public schools).
So inner city kids can't escape the poisonus DC school system. So I ask… Why does Obama hate black kids?
Progressives Think Tank: http://i55.tinypic.com/23uzm8m.jpg
DC doesn’t deserve school choice. Those people vote 90% or more for the same anti-school choice Democrats year after year, let them enjoy the results of those votes. The House GOP should instead disallow DC from withholding union dues from city employees’ paychecks. That’d be a far more effective measure.
This is sooooo awesome. The DC choice program had been helping kids while making the public ed unions look like the idiots they are. No wonder all the lefties hated it.
Now the kids can once again have a choice and a chance.
Sorry, last post was wrong topic.
If this program works, they should expand it. Our school system is failing.
If any one is interested Reason magazine has a great article and set of interviews with people involved in the school choice movement. I just read it this afternoon. It won't show up on their web site for about a month or so, so either save the link, or find some store that caries it. Most likely of the libertarian flavor.
In my opinion, the future seems to be in distance learning. While the content is extremely important, just as important is the students ability to access it. Remote access class rooms don't require expensive brick and mortar buildings. They don't require facility staff, school buses, or the associated maintenance or pension fees.
If you ask me, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. An education system designed to fit the needs of decades and centuries ago simply is too expensive to compete with digital age, no matter how many unions and its members benefit from the status quo.
It's not about their security, its about the next generation. If we don't get some knowledge into these kid's heads, we're deep you know what.
No TX- 14 Paul, Ron [R]
Ron Paul voted against it because he believes the federal government should have nothing to with public education. Trying to fix is just more meddling. Just rip out the whole dept. and leave it up to the locals to decide.
It's called freedom.
Helluva singer. LOL
That's a good reason.
Ron Paul believes the federal government has no business in the education business, period. Any meddling is wrong.
He believes the federal government has no constitutional authority to confiscate it for this purpose in the first place.
Don't think of it as "No to this bill." Think of it is "No, no, no! You people do not get this!"
Nope. Payback to the local teacher's union who can bug him every day because they live in DC too.
psychotic kindergarten teachers can teach 5 and 6 years olds to send death threats by e-mail
You got any links, because I'd sure like to follow up on them.
Because the Constitution does not authorize the federal government to have any authority over education.
Since the Constitution clearly states that unless the federal government is authorized to do something, they forbidden, even holding a vote on a federal education bill is unconstitutional. That's what he was voting against.
We libertarians are stubborn like that. We support the entire Constitution, even the parts we don't agree with. It's the rule book for life in America. If we don't like something, the amendment process is already built in. It's tough, long, hard, but there's a reason for that. To slow the entire process down to give people time to think if its really that good an idea?
It took me quite a while reading his writings and listening to his speeches to fully understand where's coming from. He's not a bumper sticker/sound byte politician.
When you peel away all the layers of mud thrown at him by the left, right and MSM, and see what he's really saying, he makes more sense to me than any politician I can think of at the moment.
While he'll never make it to the White House, and he'll never get credit, Ron Paul and his followers were and are still a key segment of the tea party movement.
When Al Gore gives speeches and signs books people say "Oh my god it's Al Gore, how do I help save the world?"
When Paul was running a hopeless primary bid in 2007, he had college kids coming up asking him to sign his book and asking how was he going to get Congress to audit the Federal Reserve.
To me that's really cool. The next generation already paying attention to things I never heard of till I was in my 30's. Very positive sign.
I could send my daughter to her private school and still have enough left over for a trip to Hawaii.
My guess is you won't see much of it. Makes dems look bad. Katie Couric cuts to a report on rescued puppies.
Can you show me exactly were in the Constitution you, as a tax payer, are entitled to my money to spend as you see fit?
Obama Administration: "Hundreds of thousands of communists will die unless you pass our legislative agenda!"
Me: "Really?! Well, GOOD F##KIN' RIDDANCE!!!!"
Ron you're wrong on this!
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
If we had a real media in this country they will ask Nancy or anyother Democrat how is it if $61 billion in spending cuts can cost a million jobs why the stimulus plan didn't create 13 million jobs? I guess she learned her math from those teachers who are afraid to have real competition for their students.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
I can agree with that, as I believe the Dept. of Education should be abolished, along with the EPA, Dept. of Labor, Agriculture, etc., etc…… +Hanzo+
I think your analysis is spot on, John, and I must say I'd agree with RP…. +Hanzo+
If they are true constitutionalists then their vote is correct. The constitution does not allow congress to spend money on this. Great program funded the wrong way. DC should be paying for this but because the constitution has been raped by the house, senate and executive they don't have the money to do this.
Read and learn the constitution.
This is the reason you can't vote for a dbagger for ANY reason. They will always protect their money, UNIONS, over the taxpaying public AND their children.
Abolish the U.S. Department of Education as proposed by Ronald Reagan and included in the GOP platform in the election of 1980.
How soon we forget.
Nowhere in the Constitution can one find ANY provison for public education by the federal government.
But who cares about that crime, except maybe a few (biblical) Christians and Ron Paul followers?
Parents who send their children to be "educated" by pagans with stolen money deserve the predictable and disasterous outcomes.
I plead guilty. God please forgive me.
Democrats protect communist Unions…so what else is new…I suggest the CIA and FBI start arresting Democrats for their unAmerican activities…treason is still a crime, YES?
School Choice,….sorta like a,…
stitch in time saves nine.
Can you show me "exactly" where in the Constitution WE the tax payers,…..
should not spend our money wisely.
The Dems and their fully employed union co-conspirators won't talk about life outside of their priviledged bubble, except when it's time to demagogue this core problem that they themselves exacerbate:
Underemployment Rises to 20.3% in March
"As unemployed Americans find part-time, temporary, and seasonal work, the official unemployment rate could decline. However, this does not necessarily mean more Americans are working at their desired capacity. It will continue to be important to track underemployment — to shed light on the true state of the U.S. workforce, and the millions of Americans who are searching for full-time employment."
THIS IS REALITY: http://www.gallup.com/poll/127091/underemployment...
http://randysright.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/wisco...
http://thedaleygator.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/wis...
K-8 Teacher. Not too hard to imagine what gets passed down to kids when the thought process is this degenerate.
….with numerous misspellings and barely attaining a high school level of grammar.
"http://www.nrlc.org/Factsheets/FS03_AbortionInTheUS.pdf
http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/abortionstats….
From the pdf cited:
53, 310,843 total abortions in the US since 1973. That is 53,310,843 dead children.
And we're supposed to think that Democrats care about how many children die?
"So far we have the Obama administration declaring that at least 70,000 children will die if the Republicans pass their spending cuts"
Want real school choice? An end to unions destroying our childrens' futures? What about an affordable system that uses no tax dollars? How about adult education? Learning about the Universal Education Benefit Program (Education Plus) by downloading the talking points one-page memo at:
http://www.capitalismbookstore.com/EducationPlusT....
Want to learn more? Read the white paper on Education Plus at:
http://www.capitalismbookstore.com/Universal-Educ...
Americans are not Marxists but they are very poor anti-Marxists…got to learn how to counter the methods and madness of the leftists! It helps to remember they are a minority. They behave like certain snakes and fish who swell themselves up to look huge! Unstoppable. And inevitable managers of our lives!
They do this to avoid confrontation and challenge! We need to confront and challenge them on every idea. It's something we need yo learn to do as individuals. And as patriots. We need to learn the skills of being effective anti- Marxists.
Attorney Taitz Discusses Obama's Eligibility & Social Security Number – 4/1/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTyyBGgVflE
Dr.Alan Keyes Speaks About Obama's Eligibility Question 3-29-11.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUTvCiNduv8
Place ALL DC school children in slavery camps and lock them down every night at 6:00 p.m. where they don't shoot eachother.
Problem solved.
Obammy hates black kids because he has to sleep with one with a grotesquely huge keester. She walks like an NBA center and reeks of hair straightener.
You would hate them too.
and not one Oscar award,……???????
OOOKAAAAAAAYYYY,…..?????????
Interesting editorial in the Sunday WAPO Metro section, by local Democrats commenting on how political "elites" like Norton are basically screwing poor minority children in opposing vouchers.
^..^(____)~~~
Your opinion of what is wise is different than mine. Can you show me where in the Constitution people who think like you are authorized to force me to spend money in ways I do not think are wise?
Certainly you and free American citizens who think like you should be allowed to spend you own money any way you think is wise, without regard for what I think. I should be allowed to do likewise, regardless of how much wiser you and the politicians believe yourselves to be.
Good points. The voters will never learn unless they're allowed to reap what they sow. The same applies in California, and soon in Wisconsin as well, i.e. the upcoming Supreme Court Justice election, which will make all the difference in the union vs Walker conflict.
I hope you're not really shocked by this. It is a shame that good movies don't get recognized while other movies will get the 'honor' when Hollywood wants to be edgy.
thank you for reminding me why,….
I am not a libertarian,…….. but I did like,……
the movie:……. "Jeremiah Johnson"
I'm not sure if you've been paying attention, but we tax payers don't spend the money. Politicians do, we just pay the tab.Do you honestly believe when politicians appropriate tax payer money they do it for the benefit of the tax payer and not their own benefit?Do you think just because some one goes into politics they become angels? Please show me one of them, because I have yet to meet one. When I look for angels I go to church. I figure the odds are better.
I heard about the threatening emails that doesn't surprise me.
teachers can teach 5 and 6 years olds to send death threats by e-mail
That's the part I hadn't heard about. I followed the links and I didn't see any reference to her instructing her students to do it also.
Whew there Ski,…….
We are talking about H.R. 471
We spend on the average 9,000 per year per pupil and,………
we end with an illiterate HS dropout.
Now whether we like it or not we are going to have to,……..
spend that 9,000 dollars so,…….
why not let the parents have a CHOICE so maybe, just maybe,……..
we see an improvement in the education of our children.
So pleeeeease, if our politicians are not what we would want them to be,…….
it is only because the majority of the voters in our country,….
went through the system that H.R. 471 will hopefully,…….
eradicate some day.
"if you've been paying attention" you and KSRich,………
would not be spitting against the wind.
If politicians weren't involved in public education we'd already have more choice. Who do you think is preventing it? And who do you think is paying them off to prevent it?
In New York combined levels of government spend some where between $12,500 and $20,000 depending whose numbers you believe. And the drop out rate is approaching 50+%.
The current system is rotten to the core. It's sole purpose for existence is self perpetuation. Why are families being soaked for thousands of dollars when pretty much the same thing can be accomplished for the cost of a lap top and an internet connection?
Because the unions – not just teachers, all those associated with running a school district – insist on keeping the status quo. Which means they earn more, have better benefits, retire earlier, and have better and more secure pensions, than those of us who actually produce things that pay for all those frills.
We're rapidly approaching the point where we work for those, who are supposed to be working for us.
"Nancy Pelosi says the nation will lose 1,000,000 jobs if the Republicans pass their cuts."
If 60 billion in cuts will make 1,000,000 jobs disappear, why didn't the trillion dollar emergency spending bill create a comparable amount of jobs? That would come to about 16,000,000 new jobs.
"……….If politicians weren't involved in public education we'd already have more choice………"
and just what do you think H.R. 471 was going to do,………???????
Throw a bone or two to the unwashed masses while keeping the vast majority of the status quo in place.
Why should politicians in Washington be making these decisions in the first place? What authority do they have to do it? If I can meet the requirements to send my kid to a better school, why should a politician have the authority to say no?
It's not that I disagree with school choice, I'm 110% for it. Heck my daughter attends a parochial school because I exercised my right to school choice. I wish every parent had the same resources and options I have with my kid.
My position is politicians got us into this mess. I have no trust they'll not make it even worse, much less better. I have more faith that We The People can do a much better job of it with out government's interference.
And all this bill is, is more interference.
"……….Why should politicians in Washington be making these decisions in the first place? What authority do they have to do it?……."
That's an orange.
"……… If I can meet the requirements to send my kid to a better school, why should a politician have the authority to say no?……."
and that's an apple.
So let's do this a step at a time because,……….
I do believe we are of a similar political philosophy.
We both agree that Washington politicians do us more harm than good, but,……
when they, by the grace of God, attempt something good,……..
why do IDIOTS like RON Paul (my original post) vote against it,….
it accomplishes nothing, which is what,………
generalizations accomplish most of the time.
As for your,……."We The People can do a much better job,…."
remember it was "We the People" that elected Obama.
We must learn to pick and choose and for that,…..
we need a smart electorate and for that,…….
we need for our children to be educated better and for that,….
we need the FREEDOM, not the "requirements" to choose.
We are, after all, a Republic and not a Democracy.
.
Politicians preventing school choice, and people prevented from school choice by politicians are not apples and oranges, they are the same thing.
And I do agree, we agree on the same end results, we just approach the issue from different perspectives.
Ron Paul is not an idiot. He's one of the few politicians in DC who actually take their oath of office to uphold the constitution seriously.
As for Obama, We The People screw up from time to time, who doesn't? But I believe we have a much better track record than government.
And no, we are not a republic, nor are we a democracy. When James Madison researched history for his presentation at the Constitutional Convention, he discovered neither form of government had ever succeeded. Democracies devolve into mob rule where 50% + 1 get what ever they want. And republics either devolve into regional fighting or else they can't pull together efficiently enough to combat external threats.
So Madison came up with a hybrid. A democratic-republic. We have a republican form of government where the representatives are elected democratically, rather than by title.
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