The War on Schools

It is obvious from the slate of bills before the Utah Legislature that there's an agenda here...and it's distinctly anti-school and conversely, anti-school children.

We begin with the voucher bill, or the spin title "School Choice". This elitist bill would take money from the worst-funded (even during a huge surplus) public schools in the nation and give it to parents to send their kids to private schools. Here's why it doesn't make any sense:

1 - The upper limit is $3,500 per year. At last count, the tuition for Waterford School in Sandy was $15,000 a year. The rich can pay that with or without tax credits, but why not throw another bone their way? They claim these credits will benefit people with all incomes, but what poor family can come up with $11,500 more to pay for private tuition?

2 - Private Schools would receive public money without having to answer to the public. Private schools can hire whomever they please, as long as they meet standards set by the board of the private school. They can teach whatever they want, or not teach whatever they want. There are not testing standards or attendance standards.
While I agree that parents should be able to have a say in what their child learns in school, if they want to send their kid to a place where there is more focus on religious tenets than math and science, public dollars should not subsidize that.

Learn more here.

Next comes the bill taking away in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants. This hateful bill would take away the chance for children who are already here, many of them citizens, to become more productive members of society. But why do that when we can trample them down and create a secondary class of citizens?

Finally comes the partisan school board race. As if the majority party does not control enough of the state, they want to make school board elections less about kids and more about making sure they have the right people to support their anti-education agenda. In addition, they would make the superintendent an elected position, rather than one determined by the elected school board according to qualifications. Would this also be a partisan election? One would hope that a persons education, experience, and devotion to education would outweigh the letter that follows their name on the ballot.

What will?

"It won’t stop us."
VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY, on CNN, discussing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s approval of a resolution opposing President Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq.

Non-biased reporting at it's best

Just thought it was interesting to note a few headlines in today's major papers:

On School Vouchers:

Democrats signal concern over school voucher legislation Salt Lake Tribune, January 23, 2007

House Demos attack tuition voucher bill Deseret Morning News, January 23, 2007

ATTACK!!! Wow...that's pretty strong wording!


On Bennett's assertion that the new Democratic Congress could hurt funding for Utah:

Salt Lake Tribune is silent

Demo takeover could hurt Utah, Bennett says Deseret Morning News, January 23, 2007

But two headlines and counting where Demos attack, hurt, and takeover!

I was just noticing. :)

Also, hat tip to the demise of the UPD Blogwatch!

Waiting for the "Chris Dodd Watch"

We have another Utah connection to the 2008 presidential election, but don't expect the "Chris Dodd Watch" to show up in Utah Policy Daily anytime soon.

Despite the fact that neither Mitt nor Chris are from Utah, they both have their share of Utah connections. Mitt is Mormon (automatic in, unless you're Harry Reid) and went to school here, but Chris did a much more daring thing: he married a Mormon. Not just any Mormon, but a politically active Utah Valley Republican, Jackie Clegg.

Now, I consider that just as much of a connection to Utah as good ol' Mitt, but I don't expect radio and television stations to start calling Chris Dodd "Utah's own" anytime soon. Nor do I expect Utah Policy Daily to give Chris Dodd any equal time in the right-hand column.

Do you?

Flip-Flopping

It appears not even Governor Mitt Romney is above the political winds.

Just like any other politician, he says what he has to say to get elected. In 1994, he was telling Log Cabin Republicans he'd be a better champion of gay rights than Ted Kennedy.

Then, throughout his Governorship he's been a vocal foe of gay rights.

A flip-flop if I've ever seen one.

Yet another reason to boycott the MAN

Yes, yes, we've all heard about it, all rolled our eyes at the obvious blunder it is, all reaffirmed our commitment to boycott Larry Miller...but one more comment can't hurt can it?

This comment, though, is less about Miller (who I have no respect for and even less dollars for anyway) and more about EnergySolutions. This was not just a stupid move on Miller's part. It was an obvious PR gaffe on the part of EnergySolutions.

I mean, look at the direction they were heading in. Positive commercials portraying them as harmless, even as environmental stewards of the non-nuclear type. Never using the "N" word in any commercials. Giving EnergySolutions Foundation dollars to environmental organizations. Repairing their reputation in the tried and true way: quietly.

By splashing their name all over downtown Salt Lake City, they have brought up the bad blood and set themselves back further than they were before they started the positive spin stuff. What was the big idea anyway? And has the person that came up with it been fired yet?

I mean, while I think stadium sponsorship is tacky, I can see the usefulness of companies such as Delta Airlines doing it. They have these big advertisements splashed all over every network and targeting every fan.

But what Jazz fan is heading into the Melta Center thinking "God, I have all this nuclear waste lying in precarious piles around my kids' swingset and no idea where to put it. I mean, it's building up in my back yard and my dog is growing a third eye. I just need to get rid of it, but how?" Suddenly, said fan looks up and like light from heaven the EnergySolutions banner is flapping in the wind. Problem solved and EnergySolutions gets another customer, right? You can see why this advertising/marketing move makes absolutely no sense on their part.

Duh.

Compulsory Giving Shouldn't Count!

I know too many people who think that because they've paid their tithing they're not required to give anything else to anyone else...so they buy their big houses and oversized SUV's instead and rejoice in being the 3rd highest state of givers in the nation. The difference is that New York and DC give because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to.