Comments for: “Et Tu, Laura?: Bush Push For School Vouchers Is A Family Affair”

Re: ““freedom to choose among public and private providers of public services.”

I wonder if the RR and their Republicans lackeys would support the same concept applied to other governmental services. If I don’t like the way our US Supreme Court does stuff, maybe I can just get a “judicial voucher” from the government and trot off to a more reasonable private enterprise court. Perhaps, if I feel that the local police don’t patrol my neighborhood enough, another “police protection voucher” can be used to hire an armed guard.

Silly, of course. As well, an ill-conceived abandonment of the concrete principles that made and have kept America a free and enlightened (sort of) country.

Can’t the Bushes just quietly fade away into ignominy and spare us their “one size Jesus fits all” plan? I think the George, Laura and Jeb are some kind of different species. Primates certainly, but exactly what remains a mystery to me.

I’m sorry that this is off-topic, but I felt a need to post this heads-up. Being that Huckabee will be a part of it, and knowing that the man would like to amend the Constitution for God’s sake, I think it would be important for people to watch carefully as:

Mike Huckabee, Rick Warren to Address Politics From the Pulpit

“Two of the country’s most notable preachers —presidential candidate and Southern Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee, and Saddleback pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren – will address how preachers can effectively use the pulpit to address political, social, and cultural issues at the 19th Annual National Conference on Preaching, hosted by Preaching Magazine and preaching.com. The two well-known preachers will headline the conference, themed “Preaching and the Public Square: Where Do Pulpit and Culture Meet?” to be held in Washington DC April 7-9, 2008…”

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/...../11565435/

I always liked Laura Bush in spite of her lack of judgment for marrying George W. Figures she would come up with a plausible answer to the “school choice” issue. However, being married to shrubya, she must submit gracefully and shut the eff up about it.

Alba, had the address mentioned in your post been presented by anyone not from the RR, I would think it a good thing. But these two guys are dubious. Likely, they are going to tell pastors they can endorse candidates from the pulpit rather than explain how political issues can be discussed without endangering their 501(c)(3) status.

I wonder if Rick Warren will say that. I never pegged him as a RR type. Does he have a history here?

Dave C. I’m hoping Rick Warren will be a voice of reason, but teaming up with Huckabee is not a good sign. Guess I should give Warren the benefit of the doubt, but I’m shaking my head on ths pairing.

Hey! What’s wrong with Bush anyway? Doesn’t he know that poor kids don’t need to go to the same private schools that rich liberals almost always send THEIR kids to? Let’s keep the blacks and the white trash in their educational place! After all, if they were not smart enough avoid being born to poor people then they are obviously not smart enough for private schools. Public schools that fail to teach children to read before high school are good enough for them!

Above Us Only Sky, I think GWB is of the chimpanzee branch of the primates. But I’m not sure.

Umm, Catholic schools are open to students of every religion, race, economic status, and ability. In many areas, more than half the students are from non-Catholic families and many of the the rest are not active Church members. Non-Catholics are typically not required to participate in religion classes. In fact, many devout Catholics homeschool precisely because the church-affiliated schools have become too secularized for their tastes…

Crimsom Wife, what has your description of Catholic school enrollment practices to do with school vouchers? Taxpayer money should fund public education, regardless of private school enrollment practices.

RE: what has your description of Catholic school enrollment practices to do with school vouchers?

I’m not sure, but I think she it trying to counter Doug W’s imputation that private schools are some sort of bastion of evil privilege and that vouchers are the moral equivalent of civil rights integration.

My kid goes to public school, so I guess that makes him part of the great unwashed and unlettered. Hah! What a crock!

Crimson Wife says:

“In many areas, more than half the students are from non-Catholic families and many of the the rest are not active Church members. Non-Catholics are typically not required to participate in religion classes.”

Ummm…did the whole “You’ll go to hell” concept change somewhere down the line with the Catholic church? My memories are very clear in that you must attend church, confession, and all other “traditional” rituals, or you’ll know all about the alternative of hell be you Catholic, or not.

Alan, me and mine are part of the same “unwashed.” I agree Crimson Wife was likely countering Doug W’s ridiculous assertation. It’s particullarly weak because liberal’s aern’t necessarily the one’s who won’t let their children be educated along side the impoverished. Most that I know are standing up and saying that the public school’s need to be better funded and have programs that actually work.

I support vouchers for private schools as long as the private schools conform to every single rule, regulation, testing mandate, and hiring law that applies to public schools. You want my money, then you play by the same rules as every other taxpayer funded school and we have a deal.

Any takers?

As a teacher in our public school system I can assure you that funding is not the problem that holds students back. The majority of private schools operate on a much lower budget than we do in my district here in California. With standardized testing scores consistently and significantly higher than the public schools it makes me wonder why we would want the private schools to be bound to the same rules that have been failing our public school students for so long.
What rules and regulations would be a benefit for private schools that aren’t being met. If education is the bottom line don’t the SAT, and ACT scores meet the most important criterion?