Sunday, April 26, 2009

School choice for me...but not for you

More Liberal "Fairness?" 


Is this how the liberals show their vaunted concern and caring about children and education .  . or .  . is this an expert political group (the Teachers' Unions, NEA, et al. in action, being "repaid" for being one of the most vocal supporters, one of the strongest union groups who, in essence, gave the liberals the White House?

Since Mr. Obama is beholden to them, (as he is to ACORN, the Hollywood elite, the gay activist crowd, and so many other "special groups,") we should not be -- and some of us are not -- surprised that Mr. Obama is so quickly sending off the "Thank you" cards.

Not only is the irony so excruciatingly painful when one considers the utter hypocrisy of this issue, it merely becomes more grossly overwhelming when one remembers the double-talk by Mr. Obama about the school his children were to attend once in DC.  During the campaign, the "man of the people" would enroll his children in public school, of course ... as one of "the people."

The truth?   His children attend Sidwell Friends, one of the most exclusive schools in DC.  He can afford it; never mind those who can't.  (Also, let's all nevermind what Mr. Obama was supposedly to represent via his "change" mantra . . .)

~~  MCzwz
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When it comes to school choice, one organization says Capitol Hill lawmakers are "do as I say, not as I do."

Lindsey Burke, a research assistant with The Heritage Foundation, explains that every other [year] her organization releases a report on Congress and school choice.

"This year's survey revealed that many members of Congress are, in fact, exercising private school choice for their children," says Burke -- and it is not just a few who are doing so. "Forty-four percent of senators and 36 percent of representatives have at some point sent a child to private school," she continues. "So overall it's about 38 percent total members of Congress had exercised private school choice."

Burke, who is a former public school teacher, says she has no problem with school choice, but finds it ironic that so many members of Congress exercise that option while at the same time squashing a school-choice program in their own backyard -- the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.

"This has been a great program that has allowed 1,700 low-income children in [the District of Columbia] to escape the failing and often unsafe public schools in the district and go to a private school," Burke states.

Congress voted to allow the funding for the program to expire at the end of this school year. But Burke says the program has strong bipartisan support in the DC area, and she remains hopeful it can be revived.


-- Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 4/23/2009 5:00:00 AM