From: mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: I loved Bush ...
Date: 23 Jul 1992 16:11:46 GMT
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Inc.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: gelato.mips.com

In article <18557@drutx.ATT.COM>, dlo@druwa.ATT.COM (OlsonDL) writes:
|> In article <l6oro6INN4ia@spim.mips.com>, mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen) writes:
|> } School choice is support for the wealthy,
|> 
|> Why?  And even if it did, so what?
|> 
|> } Eliminating the
|> } first $2000 at a private school, does not help those without the economic or
|> } geographical access to the best private schools.
|> 
|> Again, so what?  How does the fact that Joe Sixpack cannot get to the best
|> private school across town justify denying Mary Lunchpail the opportunity
|> to do so?
|> 
I am not denying Mary Luchpail.  I just don't want to send her money she can
only use because her family is already well off.

|> } In addition, the great majority
|> } of private schools push specific religious agendas, which eliminate them
|> } as a "choice" for most people.
|> 
|> Again, even if that was true, so what?  As it stands now, these people
|> have no choice but to stay in the public schools anyway.  If there is
|> a school that someone does not want to attend, the fact that government
|> would allow them to attend that school now does not make it more likely
|> that they would attend it anyway.  So what's the problem?  You're
|> grasping at straws.
|> 
If the purpose of vouchers is to let people get a better education, but
the opportunity is not available because there are inadequate non-
religious options, then the voucher system will be targeted support for
religious education.  Sorry, but that is unconstitutional in the U.S.

|> It all sounds to me like you are saying it is best that either everybody
|> gets out, or nobody gets out.  That if everyone cannot get the best
|> education possible, then nobody should.  And toward that end, it is best
|> that everyone get an equal education, even if it is equally mediocre.
|> 
Wrong.  I said we need to improve the public education system so everybody
gets an excellent education.  As I and others have pointed out often, those 
countries that we use as proof we have a lousy education system, do it
in public schools.  You think that because I don't agree with your solution,
that I don't agree there is a problem.  Wake Up.

|> } As
|> } it was however, the federal money was removed and individual taxation stayed
|> } substantially the same.  This cause a reduction of revenue in local government
|> } and a significant reduction in school revenue.
|> 
|> That is just not true.  According to the _Statistical_Abstract_of_The
|> _United_States_1991_ Tables 214 & 216, the amount of money spent on
|> public education in *constant 1989 dollars* by local, state and federal
|> sources was as follows:
|> 
|>         Year    $million total   $/student
|>         1960        84,340         1874
|>         1970       191,320         3679
|>         1980       224,721         4494
|> 	1990       290,800         5701
|> 
|> 
|> } Frankly, I have a serious problem with the adminstrative waste in our public
|> } schools, but that is a problem that needs to be solved.  Moving the wealthy
|> } students to private schools, will exacerbate the problem, not help solve it.

If true, I apologize for the innacuracy. It would certainly add, however,
to my contention that we have tremendous (growing - you point out) waste
in public education.  I will research this further.
Xref: sparky talk.politics.misc:36400 alt.politics.elections:9309 alt.conspiracy:9441