November 7, 2007
DID THEY GET THEIR SALES ADVICE FROM HERB TARLICK? (via Brad S.):
Voters reject vouchers (Joe Pyrah, 11/07/07, DAILY HERALD)
Like a couple of prize fighters before the big bout, the two sides of the voucher debate talked plenty of trash.But from the moment the bell rang Tuesday, it was a one-sided affair, with the anti-voucher crowd decidedly crushing Referendum 1, which would have given families public dollars to pay for private schools. With 94 percent of the state reporting, the vote against vouchers was 296,974 to 181,938.
"I think people realized the way to help was to really make a commitment to helping all the children," said Lisa Johnson of the group Utahns for Public Schools.
Knocks against vouchers were that they helped too narrow a section of the public and that the bill didn't provide enough accountability. Proponents said it would help minorities and the poor get out of a public school system that was failing them.
In other words, the proponents made the opponents case. It's an awful lot to ask the white middle class--whose children get excellent educations--to mess with the system much. To make it clear to them that you're going to specifically be importing minority kids from failing schools into their own kids' successful schools is political suicide. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 7, 2007 1:45 PM
Excellent WKRP reference and excellent point.
Posted by: Benny at November 7, 2007 2:43 PMIt's an awful lot to ask parochial suburban ninny's - who believe their over-indulged narcissists are getting a good education despite reams of evidence to the contrary - to question their mistaken beliefs...
Especially if the riff raff might get at shot at a better education.
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That said, the plan was another stupid attempt at a watered down voucher plan that did too little, with out the benefit of draining the worst schools of cash.
Some day OJ, a plan and or a school will come along that puts an end to all the happy talk about "good suburban schools."
One hopes you eventually excoriate the 'racism' of the dingbat soccer mom as effectively as you do the 'racism' of the anti-immigrant "wahoos."
The dingbats do more damage.
Posted by: Bruno at November 7, 2007 11:18 PM