Talk About Economic Stimulus

I can't really tell you why, but school choice is an issue I have a great deal of passion about.  I firmly believe that every child in this country deserves a good education.  This is actually something that government money is well spent on.  If we educate our children properly it will do nothing but lift our country up.  We are falling further and further behind on the world stage in math and science.  We cannot possibly stay competitive on the world stage at this rate. 

Many people outside of the tea party movement make fun of the people who say they want to get rid of the federal involvement in schools.  Especially if anyone says to close down the department of education.  The department of education became a cabinet level department in 1979 under President Carter.  The current budget is almost $70 billion per year.  Under President Bush, the DoED was strengthened with No Child Left Behind. 

In math, only four countries had average scores lower than the United States. Students in 23 countries had a higher average score, and those in two countries did about the same as the Americans.


The ranking of U.S. students in math and science is about the same as it was in 2003.

What exactly are getting for the $70 billion?  I don't think all that much.  We spending good money after bad and the test scores are not improving.  There are a variety of reasons for this; one of which is the lack of parental involvement in some cases.  There have been many studies to back up the assertion that children who have parents that take an active involvement in the education of their kids, they have higher grade point averages, higher levels of graduation and will go onto to college.  The government can do nothing to help with this.  People will involve themselves with their children or they will not. 

School Choice is one answer that the democrats has been totally unwilling to use as a tool to help this country improve it's education system.  The DC program was very successful, yet the funding has been pulled and many parents are left with no choice but to send their children to failing schools as they just don't have the money to move to a neighborhood that put them in a better school, let alone afford a private one.

Not only is this an issue about government waste, it is an issue about the tenth amendment and federal overreach.  While it may seem that the tea party has bigger fish to fry, this is an issue that can rally people.  As it does affect all of us, even if you don't have children.  You are paying to educate every public school student in the country.  We need to educate our children to keep the country competitive.

Seriously, talk about economic stimulus; if we can get a good education to every child from the welfare system and give them the opportunity to get a college education or a good trade how much money will we save on the welfare system in this country?  It could potentially be billions.  That is what I call stimulus.

We need to think about what direction we want to take the tea party movement to in the future.  The mid term elections are just about over, but the work to get our country on a more financially stable footing is just beginning.  Start looking into things in your local area or state that need serious addressing and rally around that cause.  Our financial future certainly will not be improved until we involve ourselves in how the money is being spent.  For me this cause is education.  Find out what your cause will be. 

Quote of the Day - President Obama Edition Part 3

“I’ll be blunt with you, The answer is no right now.” He went on to say that despite making great strides over the past several years, “The D.C. public school systems are struggling.”

They are “terrific individual schools” in the city, but the larger problem remains for parents who can’t choose to send their children to school where they please, he said. “They should be getting the same quality education for their kids as everybody else, and we don’t have that yet.”

President Obama on why he doesn't send his children to DC public schools.  Now, personally, I don't have a problem with the children of a sitting president attending private schools.  The safety issues alone is reason enough.  I also think that as young children who didn't run for any political office, they deserve privacy and that will be better attained at a private school than at a public school. 

What I have a real problem with is him allowing the sucessful voucher program to be terminated. 

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.

Chris "Two Stones" Christie on School Choice

Chris Christie, the new Governor of New Jersey, is willing to speak truth to power, and everyone else for that matter.  That is the reason that Cliff over at Another Black Conservative has nicknamed him "Two Stones".  Cliff is lucky enough to be reaping the benefits that will come from Christie's policies.  He is a no nonsense guy who is cutting the budget and doing his very best to improve the horrific and failing school systems that keep inner city children in clutches of public assistance. 

Unions should not have more say in our children's education than parents do. 

Oh, Cliff is not willing to share the governor with the rest of us in 12.  Although I guess with New Jersey's out of control tax and spend policies, who can blame him? 

Christie speaks in Washington DC, calling Newark schools 'absolutely disgraceful'

School Voucher Update

It was announced today by the White House that those 1700 children who are receiving vouchers will be allowed to finish school through graduation of high school. I want to commend the President for bucking the unions that were trying to stop this program and take away the educational opportunities of these low income children. I realize that this issue wasn't talked about much in national media, but it did get quite a bit of attention in the DC area.