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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (33055)	8/29/2000 3:03:51 PM
From: J.B.C.	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

>>My daughter recently graduated from college and I asked her what she thought of the GOP voucher system. She said she had problems with it because it does not address the basic issue: the need to improve public education.<< That doesn't answer the question. She answered the question by pointing out the problem. If you make the school compete for students they will by definition improve. Apple Systems made MSFT a better operating system, Toyota made every US car manufacturer better, the list goes on. Ok, folks. Let's get this straight, school vouchers DO NOT eliminate public schools. If an inner city kid wants to take his voucher to the "burbs", yeah verily! If people do not want their children to go to a catholic based system, I don't see anyone forcing that. Secular private schools will be created by the demand. That's easy to figure out. There is no grand right-wing christian conspiracy behind this, Joe Lieberman supports vouchers. I'll tell you why liberals are so against this, it threatens part of their base, the NEA. And frankly that scares them, they don't want to do what's right because of their own fears >>slick move by the Republicans to try to capture the Roman Catholic vote<< Gee you don't think the abortion position would do that???? That argument is baseless! Jim

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (33055)	8/29/2000 3:14:00 PM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

I don't know about you flapjack, but I live in the suburbs and would welcome inner city kids into the schools. I also believe my own local public schools would improve, if we changed the structure of the system by empowering parents to choose which school their children may attend. Your daughter is wrong. Vouchers if implemented across the board would certainly improve the education system across the board. Competition and accountability to the customer has a funny way of doing that. Do you think we should shut down all the Safeways and Cosco's and provide food only through government stores? Of course you don't. And whether you will acknowledge it or not, the same reasons apply. Complete and total government monopolies over time structurally break down the link between the service and the customer. Further, do you think we would even be having this discussion if tomorrow they shut down all private schools in America and forced wealthy parents to send their kids to government schools? Of course we wouldn't. Vouchers, or some other structural change would already be implemented. In some local areas of the country public schools do a darn good job, but across the board they are a failure. It's time for the social experiment to end and the grip of the NEA to subside. We need to look for new solutions linked to sound business practices for the good of our county, and especially our poorest of poor children. Electing Al Gore and having him fight tooth-and-nail (because he's paid off by the NEA) needed structural reform for another 4 years would be a travesty. Poor parents and their children need our help today. Not next year, the year after or 4 years from now. We need to greatly expand targeted voucher programs in areas where our public schools are failing. And we need to do it NOW! What the heck have we got to lose for goodness sake! Do you really think 2 years from now the schools in the inner city will be doing any better if we ignore this opportunity for change and try? Status Quo liberal Democrats afraid of change disgust me. They have no answers, or real solutions, so they just drum up a bunch of fear-mongering rhetorical sound bites. And this time they're willing to sacrifice children for a few more PAC dollars. Truly sad... Michael