Aaahh! Why do some people who slather over choice in just about every arena in life think educational choice for parents trapped in bad schools is equivalent to destroying public education??
NYT's article With Vouchers, States Shift Aid for Schools to Families has garnered the regular fascist/marxist comments from the kind of people without children trapped in bad schools. We'll get to that in a second.
But first, one thing about the article that bothers me is the assumption that it's legislators who are redefining education:
A growing number of lawmakers across the country are taking steps to redefine public education, shifting the debate from the classroom to the pocketbook...
It's not the states that are redefining public schools; it's the people who have to live and pay taxes to crappy school systems that are redefining education! Again, it's that ignorant implication that the State is the only free actor and people are simply statistical aggregates.
Now for some miscellaneous snippets from a proponent and from a critic quoted in the article:
Mr. Komer at the Institute for Justice called for a shift of focus. “We happen to take the view that parents know best,” he said, “and are the best accountability measure to make sure that things are done properly for their kids.” (I love you.)
“This movement is doing more than threaten the core of our traditional public school system,” said Timothy Ogle, executive director of the Arizona School Boards Association. “It’s pushing a national policy agenda embraced by conservatives across states that are receptive to conservative ideas.”(Everything he said is true. Now imagine exchanging some words and making this statement about same sex marriage. What a bigot!)
And here are some comments from those who assume they know better than parents actually in the now:
There is no doubt that the ultimate goal for Arizona is the total destruction of public education in favor of private schools and charter schools run by corporations. (Yeah, free of doubt like a Stalinist show trial.)
My biggest beef with all of these voucher programs is that they lead to re-segregation of the educational system. Not just by race, but by class, religious, social and intellectual proclivities. (Otherwise, our public schools are so racially, socially, and economically well integrated. Let me guess, you're from Vermont.)
Currently, many middle class and poor families are not well enough informed to know that they might soon lose one of the benefits that has been granted to American families for a long time. (By ill-informed you mean not passive enough to accept things as they are?)
In my humble opinion, many parents of the neediest (educationally and income-wise) kids have absolutely no clue about what's good for their children. (Go look up humble in the dictionary.)
Conservatives have been trying to destroy public education for decades.(Public education is destroying public education.)
This is all part of the GOP's plan to destroy public education and support church schools. Typically these programs have NO accountability...(Umm, these programs are accountable to the parents and students, genius.)
To be fair, and to be pleasantly surprised, many readers of the article defended the right of parents to guide their own children's educations, to include providing vouchers. Imagine! Our very own tax money being given back to us to use as we think best! God, this must strike fear into the hearts of reactionaries everywhere! I'm all warmed inside to see so many people finally coming around to understanding public education has to be freed from its Medieval guild structure if it is to ever evolve.
Post Update: I take it back. The comment section is now awash with spittle spewing stooges. Yes, the face of public education.
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