Human nature is something else. Here we have President Bush offering to the nation’s capital an experimental voucher plan for about 1,700 students trapped in terrible, low-performing, bureaucratic schools.
Instead of embracing the experiment, liberals in Congress are fighting it. Why? Because if conservatives are proved right–that injecting competition into the educational system will provide incentive for improvements–liberals will be shame-faced. I believe many Democrats agree that something drastic needs to be done in D.C. but will not give an inch to help children, especially if that assistance comes from Republicans. Read the latest.
An excerpt:
House and Senate Republicans have revived a controversial school-voucher plan for the District and are aiming for final passage of the program this week.The Senate has never voted on the plan, which would provide several hundred low-income D.C. public school students with federal tuition grants to attend private or religious schools. After the House narrowly passed the measure, Senate Democrats filibustered it last month.
GOP House and Senate negotiators have decided to put the vouchers provision — and the $5.6 billion 2004 District budget to which it is attached — into a larger federal budget bill that cannot be amended. That has set up a showdown in which the only way Democrats can block vouchers, or other controversial items in the broader spending bill, is to force a shutdown of many federal government operations….
Voucher critic Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said that opponents would continue the fight using all means available. “We are working with senators to take full advantage of Senate rules in order to take vouchers out of our appropriation,” Norton said in a statement relayed by her chief of staff, Julia Hudson.
Good example of the corrupted nature of Man: Eleanor Holmes “No Vote” Norton viciously opposes choice for students. Why? One of her statements on vouchers:
“Our public schools will lose a combination of $12,557 per pupil in both DC and federal funds because every school system must be funded on a per pupil basis. That would be a blow DC public school funding cannot afford today.”
There you have it. Cash! The teachers unions give Democrats millions of dollars in contributions. If students flee, teachers unions lose money. If teachers unions lose money, they will be a tad upset. Donors don’t support politicians who upset them. Poor kids.
