We're 'broke,' but can apparently afford school vouchers (Boehner chokes up, again)

[ProSense]

WE'RE 'BROKE,' BUT CAN APPARENTLY AFFORD SCHOOL VOUCHERS....

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) doesn't participate in a lot of floor debates, but he spoke yesterday in support of H.R. 471 -- the bill he's sponsoring to use federal tax dollars to finance private school tuition in the District of Columbia.

Indeed, choking back tears as he touted vouchers, the Speaker implored his colleagues to subsidize private schools, giving their students "a chance."

As expected, the House GOP was only too pleased to spend the money.

House Republicans voted overwhelmingly Wednesday for the only bill that the Speaker is expected to offer this year, a voucher measure that would provide $20 million annually for five years for scholarships for public school children attending poorly performing schools in the District of Columbia, and $20 million each for charter and traditional public schools in the district.

The bill, known as the SOAR act, would reprise a 2004 program that Speaker John A. Boehner helped devise in which over 1,000 low-income students in the District students were given $7,500 annually in federal money to help pay for private schools, the only program of its type in the nation in which children received federal dollars for vouchers.

The 225-to-195 vote wasn't close -- though it was interesting to see nine House Republicans break ranks and vote with Democrats against the voucher scheme.

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I obviously can't read the Speaker's mind, but there's reason for skepticism -- while Boehner wants to spend $20 million of our money on private school tuition, he also supports brutal cuts to Head Start, Pell grants, Title I grants (which help schools with kids who live in poverty), and nutritional aid for pregnant women and women with young children, among other things.

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[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. It's actually pretty easy to understand

Public schools=bad
Private schools=good
Religious (Christian) schools=best

Edited to add: there is ALWAYS plenty of $$$$ for anything "private" according to the GOP :eyes: :puke:

[valerief]

2. We can afford WAR, corporate welfare, bank bailouts, and avoidable disaster clean-ups.

Just not food, clothing, and shelter.

[bluestateguy]

3. Ron Paul voted no

Real libertarians can see that as soon as private schools start taking government money the door is opened for those schools to be subject to a multiplying list of new government regulations.

[SnakeEyes]

4. He's also against federal funding of public schools

[Empowerer]

5. The states rights, get the government out of our lives crowd - once again - insists on deciding how

Washington, DC should govern itself.

Interesting.

[MessiahRp]

6. Since we now know that Voucher programs do NOT work...

Like in Wisconsin, where Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) long lamented as one of the worst school districts in America but definitely the worst in the state, OUTPERFORMED the Choice Schools:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/118820339.html

I had my son in MPS until mid-2009, I can tell you they don't have the budget to provide a serious education to anyone. No Art class, no Music class, Social Studies through 4th grade was obedience training (they called it "Steps in Respect"), barely any Science classes. It was all about reading, writing and math to pass the NCLB tests.

The fact that the long heralded Choice Schools underperformed that says it all. Dump voucher programs for good and put that money into the districts that need it most.

Rp

[BanzaiBonnie]

7. Private schools were always more expensive than public schools

So tell me why we need to give vouchers to private schools? It's certainly about saving money.

[LuckyLib]

8. He was choking back tears again? Good grief, get this idiot out of Congress

and into some kind of special care. If only he could be persuaded to dissolve into tears at the mess his party has made of this country.

[LuckyLib]

9. dupe