Comments (22) Jump to Comments Form

1. 

   petergrt said, 2 months ago

   God forbid that he would learn the truth about America, about capitalism and the likes. Why, he might even grow up to be a non-leftist!

2. 

   toasteroven said, 2 months ago

   Hey, petergrt. It seems from your comment that you know the truth about America. Care to enlighten?

3. 

   GNWachs said, 2 months ago

   Obama like a loving parent does not send his children to the inferior DC public schools. But rather than allow poor blacks the opportunity to have a superior education via vouchers, Obama says no way. Another victory for the selfless teachers union.

4. 

   senorbullwinkle said, 2 months ago

   One of these fine schools bush sent his twins to. Where they learned how to drink and smoke and dance on tables and do the hoochy goo.

5. 

   HUMPHRIES said, 2 months ago

   ANandy displays his shortcomings … again.

6. 

   cjr53 said, 2 months ago

   What this doesn’t state is that the second comment is the Republican view.

7. 

   tpenna said, 2 months ago

   No, Republicans tend to stand firmly behind vouchers for private-school education, cjr53. What this misses is the fact that vouchers don’t actually put private-school tuition within reach for the poor kids GNWachs is referring to. It may help out those folks who almost have the means, but it leaves the rest of the kids in even worse squalor. This is not an adequate solution.

8. 

   cdward said, 2 months ago

   Maybe what would be better than the voucher system – I don’t want my tax dollars paying to have my kids indoctrinated with someone else’s religion, after all – would be to simply allow any kid to go to any public school anywhere. There are some fantastic public schools, but they are districted so that poor neighborhoods are left out.

9. 

   motivemagus said, 2 months ago

   I’m not convinced that vouchers will truly raise the bar, and it will definitely damage public schools. I haven’t heard convincing arguments, folks.

10. 

    GNWachs said, 2 months ago

    Ask the parents of children living in DC. The only beneficiaries are the poor black kids who live there and currently get an abysmal education. Parents are begging for vouchers. They are given out on a lottery system basis, no favoritism. The entire concept totally fails in moderate or affluent areas because who needs them but if we want to help children really in need that is the way to go.

11. 

    tpenna said, 2 months ago

    Again, GNWachs, I understand your sentiment. The problem is in application. If vouchers actually equaled the cost of tuition at these private schools, that might be another matter. But people who live paycheck to paycheck have no means to complement vouchers in order to reach the actual cost.

    I’m not accusing anyone of favoritism in distribution of vouchers. All I’m saying is that regardless of who receives them (or applies for them), they are only helpful for those with other means. The kids that wind up left in the failing schools are those who have no means.

12. 

    iamthelorax said, 2 months ago

    I’m with cdward: I’d love it if we could get rid of the made-up borders the educational system places on our kids. If we pay municipal school taxes, we should be allowed to send our kids to any school in the municipality. I once had to send my daughter to a private school for a year and move to a different neighborhood in the same city to keep her out of a really bad high school we didn’t know we were zoned for.

    Then when crappy schools full of crappy teachers find themselves working in an empty building, maybe someone will wake up and fix things.

13. 

    wbr said, 2 months ago

    tpenna – wash dc schools spend-$13000 to $14000 per student – would pay for any private school in my area kcmo

14. 

    cdward said, 2 months ago

    Here’s one of the issues that makes this more complicated. Public schools do not have the right to turn students away. Private schools have the option to refuse anyone they want. If we were to give vouchers it would have to be with some stipulations because, again, I don’t want my money going to teach kids some off-the-wall religion’s garbage (and let’s face it, there are good parochial schools and wacko parochial schools). First stipulation is that they not teach religion if they choose to accept government money. Second, they cannot refuse to accept any child who brings their voucher – if they have physical disabilities, the school would have to take care of them, if they have behavioral problems, they have to make compensation for them. I say this because that’s what public schools have to do.

15. 

    cdward said, 2 months ago

    Hey, just had an idea that all conservatives should love. How about a voucher system for health insurance? Don’t have any? Don’t like what you have? Get a voucher! Government doesn’t run it that way.

16. 

    believecommonsense said, 2 months ago

    cdward, though your post is logical, I believe the intent of vouchers is to circumvent those very regulations you cite

    in practice, vouchers become a subsidy to those with the financial resources to afford private school and will do little to help those without the financial resources, helping only a small percentage who ALMOST have the resources, but not quite enough

    vouchers = another subsidy of the well off

17. 

    motivemagus said, 2 months ago

    wbr - but how much is the voucher for?

18. 

    dtroutma said, 2 months ago

    Oddly enough, when parents become involved in their kid’s education, and pay attention to what is happening at school, by PARTICIPATING, education improves. Vouchers are merely a way in most areas to promote religious education in “private” schools. While some “charter” schools have done good work, the vast majority of those too are failures.

    Every public land law raising revenues passed by Congress has supported public education. It is a shame so many too lazy to participate in their kid’s lives complain so much about a very good system.

    Just my experience over many years working with school districts, and observing that those who complain the most, cooperate the least.

19. 

    stebon said, 2 months ago

    Yeah, Elitists send their children to private schools.

    I wonder where Ol’ BHO sends his kids?

20. 

    senorbullwinkle said, 2 months ago

    ^ Everyone knows that he sends them to a MADRASSA !

    ^ That’s a joke, cause everyone knows that the Muslims dont educate their women.

21. 

    deadheadzan said, 2 months ago

    My sister and her family live in Manhatten. Her 2 boys took tests that allowed them to be educated in public schools with very high standards. We still need very good public schools for children with more limited academic ability, though.

22. 

    JustAThought said, 2 months ago

    This blind adherence to “public schools” has always bothered me. What difference does the actual “public school” make when in reality all we are trying to do is educate children?

    Public school means publicly funded. When you go vouchers only, the “public school” paradigm of money coming from the top down to the children disappears. Then, and only then, do schools focus on what they should be doing: Teaching our kids.