From: JHARTLEY@cmsa.gmr.com
Newsgroups: alt.politics.elections,misc.education
Subject: Re: Elections and school choice (was: RE: Liberal v. Conservative)
Date: 20 Aug 92 19:19:36 GMT
Followup-To: alt.politics.elections
Organization: GM Research Labs

In article <00714263485@elgamy.sccsi.com>
elg@elgamy.sccsi.com (Eric Lee Green) writes:
>I might point out that Al Shanker and the AFT *DOES* advocate school
>choice. It's part of the AFT's proposal to decentralize school systems and
>empower teachers to actually run schools, rather than having school
>systems being managed by bureaucrats.
>It is Bush's specific proposal, rather than the concept of school choice as
>a whole, that gets Shanker's ire. And I agree with him. Bush's proposal is
>a tax break for yuppies. It won't help anybody who REALLY needs help.
>Just thought I'd clear up that misunderstanding.
> -- Eric Lee Green (AFT member, and proud of it).

Well, Mr. Green, I'd like to see the evidence.  I am skeptical, and the
NEA is certainly against any choices by parents.  In a Wall Street Journal
August 11, 1992 editorial, I found these excerpts:

start quote here::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
There was a time when education reformers had high hopes that Clinton would
break free of his party's knee jerk alliance with the teacher's unions.  In
late 1990, Mr. Clinton wrote to Polly Williams, that spunky Wisconsin
legislator who pushed through a dramatic voucher program that includes
private schools.
" I am fascinated by your proposal" Clinton wrote. "I am concerned that the
traditional Democratic establishment has not given you more encouragement.
The visionary is rarely embraced by the status quo."
That was in 1990.  The Bill Clinton that is now running for President
spent an afternoon last month pandering to the NEA convention.
He came out against the public-private educational choice model backed
by Polly Williams and an overwhelming majority of black Americans.
When Mr. Clinton stated his opposition to choice for private schools,
the NEA's delegates gave him its loudest cheers.

The Democratic platform declared that private school choice "would bankrupt
the public school system."

Bill Clinton has had interesting education ideas in the past, but
when he himself had to choose between real reform and "the traditional
Democratic party establishment", he didn't hesitate.  Bill Clinton is now
the pet of the teacher's unions.

end quote here::::::::::::::::::::::::

The article goes on to show the unscrupulous tactics of the unions in
undermining grassroots efforts for choice.  Only my laziness prevents me
from listing them.

It is my understanding that Bush's proposal is that low and middle
income parents - your idea of yuppies, I guess - receive vouchers worth
$1000 per child to send their kids to public, private, or religious
schools.  Of course, I'd like to see a more aggressive competition for
our abyssmally poor public schools, but this plan is a start and is
much better than Clinton's "choose among the public schools" crap.

I'd have to say that if your self serving claims about the AFT are
representative of your approach to teaching, we need choice immediately.
Healthy competition is good for everyone eventually.  Only those who
have an inferior product need to fear it.

Standard disclaimer: I think for myself.
Xref: sparky alt.politics.elections:11189 alt.politics.elections:11190