This separation allows the individual to retain his or her freedom of conscience even as government gets larger and more intrusive. In Britain, where there is an official state church, only two percent of people regularly go to church. This mix of religion and government leads to contempt for both. Most thoughtful religious people want to keep Church and State separate. Even advocates of vouchers for religious schools seem to subconsciously sense the vast problems involved.
Vouchers present other problems as well.
The most obvious is that no scheme currently on the public agenda really offers enough money to educate a child. Vouchers are a windfall for the rich. Many, among the rich, are going to send their kids to a private school anyway. The middle-class, which most union members belong to, will find themselves paying tuition to supplement their inadequate vouchers if they choose to send their kids to a private school. The very poor will be stuck with a terrible choice between inadequate private schools, run either for a quick buck or to promote a sectarian view, or the public schools, which will have even less money than before because of vouchers.