Family Time and Summer Movies in DC

Every year DC has free movies under the stars (or clouds in this week's  case).  Thursday the movie was E.T.  Believe it or not, I had never seen it.  But, it is good wholesome family fun that is free. 

Picnicking down by the river and watching a movie under the stars is part of the summer here in D.C.

The Blind Side and Dirty Dancing were postponed due to bad weather and will replay at the end.  Most of the movies are kid friendly.  So if you in DC and free on a Thursday night join me for a night at the movies.  Just bring some bug spray and a blanket and you are good to go.  It is great way to create some memories for your kids.  Parking has been easy to find so far. 

Politico's Winners and Losers of Shutdown Deal

Politico has an article of which they assess the winners and losers of Friday night's last minute deal to avoid the federal shutdown.  Winners include Speaker Boehner and Planned Parenthood.  The losers include Nancy Pelosi and The District. 

They point to the lack of federal funds being used for abortion and the voucher program as the reason why DC has lost.  The most obvious thing one can say about the abortion issue is this is just further proof that federal money isn't used for the funding of abortion is an outright lie.  But when it is convenient the left will trot out this mantra yet again. Now the district is very left leaning so it is likely that the majority of the residents are pro choice.  This being a classified as a loss for The District is understandable from that point of view. 

What I don't understand is why the voucher program is considered a loss.  The expert that congress hired to look at the program without an political agenda has concluded that the program was successful.  It is brought down the shamefully high number of high school drop outs in DC.  The voucher program is less expensive than the DC public school system and generates a higher rate of graduations and a higher level of college acceptance.  How is that a loser?  We are spending less money to get better results.  In no way does this program take money away from the public school system.  The program actually gives twice as money to the public/charter schools than it does to the vouchers.  If a parent wants their child to continue in the current public school they are in they have the right to do it.  But for the parents who realize that their child is in a school that is failing them or in a dangerous neighborhood they have the choice to put them in a better school.  An education is the key to lifting the poor out of poverty. 

Here is a commenter on the Politico article:

Why do the right hate education so much?

OK, my first question to this person would be did you go to the DC public schools?  My second would be why do you keep insisting that voucher program isn't designed to help the poor?  The only people who can rationally believe that this program is a loser is someone who is so blinded by the liberal left orthodoxy of how unions are the answer to improving our educational system.  Even when the facts bear out that this program is a winner. 

Not only will these children get a chance at a better education and are more likely to graduate and go onto college.  They will help lift themselves and their families out of poverty that will reduce their dependency on the government dole.  Yes, that sounds like a loser to me. 

How Low Can The Dems Go? - It Seems Pretty Darn Low

The controversy over Walmart building stores in D.C. is continuing.  The protests by the activists continue.  But, here comes the real low point. 

young people would get criminal records when they couldn't resist the temptation to steal.

Nice to know this is what they really think of themselves and each other.  This is what the dems really feel about the people who live in poor, urban, minority communties.  This is a quote from one of the commissioners on the city board

Apparently, even the residents feel the same way:

"There'll probably be a lot of shoplifting going on. They'll need a lot of security,"

Walmart is planning on opening four stores in the District.  These four stores will create 1200 jobs, the stores will be in lower income areas, they will be on bus routes that will allow the people in the area not to have to travel to Maryland or Virginia to go shopping. 

What I find most frustrating about this article is that they are saying horrible things about the residents of the area, they then slam Walmart:

"I'll believe it when I see it," Mya Harris, 24, said skeptically. "Sure, you can put the store here, but what are they going to put inside it?"

It seems to me that you just can't make these people happy.  They scream that there are not jobs for the poor of the community and no affordable available shopping.  You give them the options to get those and they still complain about it.  I am no fan of Walmart so this isn't sticking up for them.  But this could be good for the community.  None of the areas of that the stores will be placed in have a great deal of small mom and pop businesses that are normally driven out of business by the larger Walmarts that they can't compete with. 
. 

Mr. President, Why Don't You Want to Help the Poor?

So who is that really doesn't want the poor and needy in DC to succeed?  I would say the evidence can hardly be denied that would be the democrats.  The Department of Education has released a report on the school voucher program in the District has been very successful. 

“…students who were randomly selected to receive vouchers had an 82% graduation rate. That’s 12 percentage points higher than the students who didn’t receive vouchers. Students who actually used their vouchers had graduation rates that were 21% higher. Even better, the subgroup of students who received vouchers and came from designated Schools in Need of Improvement (SINI schools) had graduation rates that were 13 percentage points higher than the same subgroup of students who weren’t offered vouchers–and the effect was 20 percentage points higher for the SINI students who used their vouchers!”

This has been the most successful government educational program in history.  So, what did congress and Uncle Obammy do?  They stopped funding the program.  That's right, no more educational opportunities for you.  This is nothing more than a payback to the unions that stuff millions upon millions into the coffers of the democratic party and did the same for the election of President Barack Obama.  The first black president, who went to private schools, denying the minority children of Washington, DC the same educational opportunities that he is giving his own daughters.  Two students from this program attend the same school as Malia and Sasha. 

The same Uncle Obammy that is more willing to say that building bridges for turtles is economic stimulus.  You want real economic stimulus, then education our young.  Especially the ones that are coming from strained economic backgrounds.  These kids will go onto college and lift their families out of poverty.  What can be more better for our economy than that? 

This program has been cut off effective at the end of this coming school year.  That means that parents that have younger children will have to send those children to the crummy schools while the older child will be able to go a better and safer school.  That is decision that no parent should have to make.  How do they explain to the younger child that they are not meaningful enough to go to the a better school? 

Sorry, Bobby, I wanted to send you to a good school, but Pelosi and Obama cut off the funds.  Just be careful while you are walking through the slums and stay away from anyone who has a gun. 

That may seem like an exaggeration, but it really isn't.  Some of these children live in horrible neighborhoods that I would never walk around in on my own.  I have gotten lost in bad sections of DC and have been very scared.  Gang violence is the norm in these neighborhoods.  That is just the reality. 

Another very interesting development to this program is how the public schools reacted: 

• 28% made changes to retain students.
• 24% encouraged more parental involvement in school
• 22% added parent orientation programs
• 21% did building improvements
• 20% did advertising to public
• 20% added tutoring and programs designed to help children improve achievement
• 17% made additional provisions to improve school safety
• 15% made adjustments to disciplinary issues within the school
• 14% added more achievement orientated classes i.e. computer technology
• 8% altered class sizes

Hmm, sounds to me like free market competition helped improve the public schools. 

This program has the potential to change lives of low income people.  It should have been continued.  Especially when you consider it more expensive to send a DC student to the public school than to give the voucher.  If you want to donate to this wonderful program please go here.