Re: “Lazenby: A Liberal Argues For School Choice”
Dear Ms Lazenby,
I applaud the logic and literary quality of what you’ve written that I’ve read in FITSNEWS recently about School Choice. I hope you continue to write in that vein.
Some of my thoughts about this issue: School Choice is using public funds to subsidize a parent who chooses that his child be K-12 educated someplace other than an institution operated by the state. The subsidy is in exchange for the parent’s surrender of his child’s right to attend a public school during a year.
The public school establishment in South Carolina operates institutions that produce a terribly low quality product. They should add more value than they do to the raw material that they receive. The reasons for this are many – and those reasons cannot be overcome by the General Assembly or by the Boards of Trustees of school districts because most of those members have a priority conflicting with raising the standard of living of South Carolinians: Getting re-elected.
The public school establishment uses the word voucher because Joe Six Pack doesn’t know what a voucher is; he and many others fear the unknown. Proponents of school choice should never use that word. The state should not use vouchers to fund school choice.
The granting of a scholarship to attend a non-degree granting institution is income taxable to the recipient. Beware of K-12 scholarships.
The state should not grant money or a K-12 scholarship to a parent; instead a school district should grant a parent a tax credit in the form of a Tax Payment Instrument (TPI). This TPI should be marketable bearer paper. Marketable makes the benefit usable to a non-taxpaying parent. Bearer paper enables a bank or a dope salesman to buy it; this makes its benefit usable to a parent at the time he pays tuition, not months later at tax paying time. Think of a TPI as being a large green stamp.
A TPI should be usable to pay any tax, fee, penalty, or interest imposed by the state, a county or a city. A tax collector or dope dealer, any bearer, can deliver a TPI to the State Treasurer in exchange for cash.
If a child is truant, whether or not his parent received a TPI, the truancy law should be enforced.
Charter schools are public schools. There’s no such thing as a private charter school.
Most rich suburbanites are satisfied with their public schools, fear change, and selfishly won’t assist proponents of school choice.
Blacks will benefit from school choice more than will whites, and when blacks cry for school choice, elected officials will rush to lead the parade.
Each school district should be authorized to issue an unlimited number of annual TPIs, their average not to exceed $5,000. A district may vary the amounts of its TPIs with the details of each pupil – special needs, etc. As long as a school district’s average amount of all TPIs in a year doesn’t exceed about $12,000, that school district will have an increased amount of funds per retained pupil.
Yours very truly,
Edward D. Sloan, Jr.
Greenville, SC
***
FITS accepts letters to the editor on any subject. To submit a letter for consideration, just use our tip wire or email it to our founding editor at w@fitsnews.com.
32 comments
Mr. Sloan;
Why don’t you just come to the point and state “I’m tired of supporting all those lazy MF’s who want me to pay for their childs education.”? I do.
Have a Great Day!! :) There won’t be many left with the Demlicans and Republicrats in charge.
Frank Pytel
Mr. Sloan;
Why don’t you just come to the point and state “I’m tired of supporting all those lazy MF’s who want me to pay for their childs education.”? I do.
Have a Great Day!! :) There won’t be many left with the Demlicans and Republicrats in charge.
Frank Pytel
This letter writer states: “The public school establishment in South Carolina operates institutions that produce a terribly low quality product.”
My children go to public school in SC and they perform at the top level on National Standardized Tests…For you to put down my child based on your ignorance indicts you. My children work very hard, and it is reflected in the results they achieve academically.
Also: There are public schools in South Carolina that fare well in quality when compared to any school in the nation. But in some areas there is little emphasis placed on scholarship and that is mirrored in the quality of the student. Most of these poor performing districts have a lack of parenting and the people display poor social behavior, that is not addressed by the leaders in those regions.
Other than that, your opinion seems to be rooted in weak-thinking cliche and more false premises. You may need to do a little homework to Re-Educate yourself, before you preach to others. You are not a very learned person, based on your letter.
1. The fact that you have children is just scary.
2. If your children are smart, it clearly is from their mother’s DNA.
3. You really should take a look at what Ned Sloan does in this state in his attempts to make government follow the rules before saying “You are not a very learned person… .”
At least they’re not homeschooled..
“My children go to public school in SC and they perform at the top level on National Standardized Tests…”
Must be adopted…no woman with any brains would take this guy.
Check this out:
“GrandTango Hank Hill • 2 days ago ?
Yet you are too F^&*in Stupid to offer anything yourself, except what some dumb@$$, leftwing puppet-master feeds your ignorant @$$…
Are you For expensive, Failed, liberal-controlled public schools???
Or: Are you w/ Lizenby and for efficient, suuccessful, Private schools because she is ready to concede liberalism has failed children miserably???”
Change in meds?
That you are too ignorant for complex thought is one thing. But showing everybody else how shallow you are requires real stupidity…
Big T, let them make fun of you. For once you get it. Howie, Fits and the rest of the School Choice folks have been attacking innocent public school children for years, in their effort to force the state to pay for private schools. It is wrong and unfair to those children who have worked hard to show they can compete with anyone. There are many children attending good public schools who will go to excellent colleges and be successful. But to hear this crowd every child who attends public school is a dullard or neglected by their parents. I think its generally out of insecurity. They need to convince themselves that their huge investment in private school was worth it. They aren’t really sure, so they want the state to pay for it. That way mom can still drive the kids to after school LaCrosse in her BMW while Dad makes his game at the club and the rest of us foot the bill.
Intentionally bashing innocent children to get your hands on state money is disgusting.
“Intentionally bashing innocent children” because people are insecure about whether private education is worth it and want to go to the club and drive BMWs? You lose all credibility when you say things like that. To hear you tell it, no parents in the public school system are advocating for choice. That’s simply not true. What about this spike in charter schools? This is public school choice:
http://www.thestate.com/2013/04/06/2711422/interest-in-charter-schools-in.html
These people are talking about a public school system that has some serious problems – that has to do with the adults who run it, not the children who are in it and suffering from bad policy. Some want public school choice and some want private school choice options. It’s not a clear cut issue, no matter how much you wish it was.
But by all means, stick to the same set of talking points, regardless of the argument made by the other side. Continue to copy and paste.
Hey, Mr. Sloan……..
Vouchers, Vouchers, Vouchers = Voucher Scam.
Regardless of what you call it. It’s a scam.
You are just another Voucher Clown. And you wrote the “public school establishment” uses the term “voucher” because of “Joe Six Pack?” Really?!?
Either Mr. Sloan is totally ignorant or he is just another brainwashed Voucher Clown.
Maybe, both.
Many Voucher Clowns are totally ignorant of the real issues facing public education.
But, most of them know that Howie’s voucher scam (regardless of what Howie’s voucher pimps call it) is nothing but a scam.
Howie’s Voucher Clowns started the term “voucher” – not the “public school establishment.”
They dropped the term after being defeated a brazillion times in the SC Legislature by honest and responsible elected officials because everyone realized what it really means. Vouchers are a scam!
The voucher scam robs public tax dollars from those who need help the most and does nothing but leave them further behind.
Sloan writes that “blacks” would flock to private schools under the Voucher Scam.
With that comment Mr. Sloan exposes himself with a lie.
Pick Two: “Ignorant” “Racist” “Voucher Clown”
Or, roll them into one. Think about it Mr. Sloan.
You may figure it out.
BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair, Flare and Balanced
P.S. That giant sucking sound we recently heard from the State House was the latest version of Howie the Voucher Clown’s voucher scam going into the sewer where it belongs.
“P.S. That giant sucking sound we recently heard from the State House
was the latest version of Howie the Voucher Clown’s voucher scam going
into the sewer where it belongs.”
Not so much. The Senate just passed this last night:
https://www.fitsnews.com/2013/05/24/sc-education-reform-points-on-the-board/
Yes. So much. The voucher scam is in the sewer again where it deserves. Your pathetic post is pandering to Howie and sic(k) willie to help keep the voucher pimp money flowing. What a scam! What Voucher Pimps!
Hey, Mr. Sloan……..
Vouchers, Vouchers, Vouchers = Voucher Scam.
Regardless of what you call it. It’s a scam.
You are just another Voucher Clown. And you wrote the “public school establishment” uses the term “voucher” because of “Joe Six Pack?” Really?!?
Either Mr. Sloan is totally ignorant or he is just another brainwashed Voucher Clown.
Maybe, both.
Many Voucher Clowns are totally ignorant of the real issues facing public education.
But, most of them know that Howie’s voucher scam (regardless of what Howie’s voucher pimps call it) is nothing but a scam.
Howie’s Voucher Clowns started the term “voucher” – not the “public school establishment.”
They dropped the term after being defeated a brazillion times in the SC Legislature by honest and responsible elected officials because everyone realized what it really means. Vouchers are a scam!
The voucher scam robs public tax dollars from those who need help the most and does nothing but leave them further behind.
Sloan writes that “blacks” would flock to private schools under the Voucher Scam.
With that comment Mr. Sloan exposes himself with a lie.
Pick Two: “Ignorant” “Racist” “Voucher Clown”
Or, roll them into one. Think about it Mr. Sloan.
You may figure it out.
BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair, Flare and Balanced
P.S. That giant sucking sound we recently heard from the State House was the latest version of Howie the Voucher Clown’s voucher scam going into the sewer where it belongs.
“P.S. That giant sucking sound we recently heard from the State House
was the latest version of Howie the Voucher Clown’s voucher scam going
into the sewer where it belongs.”
Not so much. The Senate just passed this last night:
https://www.fitsnews.com/2013/05/24/sc-education-reform-points-on-the-board/
Yes. So much. The voucher scam is in the sewer again where it deserves. Your pathetic post is pandering to Howie and sic(k) willie to help keep the voucher pimp money flowing. What a scam! What Voucher Pimps!
Liberals have made too many schools unfit for poor children in democrat-voting districts.
The GOP (or Conservative voters) respond by building a different (and better) product. The Conservatives and open-minded want a fraction of the same public funding for those superior schools.
Instead of begging failed liberals for OUR money to subsidize OUR schools, the GOP in S.C. needs to TAKE our schools Back.
Have some Guts. Stand up to the Failure, and tell the liberals Failure has consequences. We have the POWER in this state. Showing success will have a STRONG influence.
Allowing the left to control education allows the media (like FITS) to bash Republicans. Not doing the right thing leaves the Right vulnerable to failed Liberal dogma.
You’re off your rocker, Clint.
You’re brain dead, w/o the ability to offer anything, other than what is fed to you from your leftwing puppet masters…
Liberals have had education for 50 years, and it has gotten worse except where parents have influenced achievement. The state has Failed…
Republicans have allowed it to happen, so that FITS can bash Republicans, not for what they have done, but for NOT protecting the voters from the failure of liberals…
The public school system has been made unfit for too many. And now Obama is doing the same to our healthcare system…and it will be unfit.
The GOP would be in power forever, if it TOOK BACK education and healthcare, and the government in general. Decent people are demoralized because Republicans have let the left get away w/ so much…and damage our country…
If the GOP would act Conservative (Gun Control, Sequester, Immigration) FITS would not be able to attack them…and the voters would be enthusiastic to reward them w/ re-election…and more offices, nationally.
Isn’t anything school prayer can’t fix?
The idea that somehow if vouchers/tax credits/school choice is passed that suddenly, private schools will open their doors to large numbers of economically disadvanted students is at best, unrealistic. Folks send their kids to private schools in many cases to avoid these kids, who often have a whole set of issues aside from academics to address. I hear a great deal about how charter schools are going to solve everything. In reality, the academic results of charter school have been for the most part disappointing. (The SC Department of Education studiously avoids the topic of charter school results.) The reason is that charter schools are working with the same challenging kids that regular public schools are. At least, charter schools have to publish their results and can’t exclude kids for any reason they want. Under the voucher/tax credit/school choice legislation, no such accountability, transparency or access will be required, even though private schools would be benefitting from a government handout disguised as “free market reform.”
The idea that somehow if vouchers/tax credits/school choice is passed that suddenly, private schools will open their doors to large numbers of economically disadvanted students is at best, unrealistic. Folks send their kids to private schools in many cases to avoid these kids, who often have a whole set of issues aside from academics to address. I hear a great deal about how charter schools are going to solve everything. In reality, the academic results of charter school have been for the most part disappointing. (The SC Department of Education studiously avoids the topic of charter school results.) The reason is that charter schools are working with the same challenging kids that regular public schools are. At least, charter schools have to publish their results and can’t exclude kids for any reason they want. Under the voucher/tax credit/school choice legislation, no such accountability, transparency or access will be required, even though private schools would be benefitting from a government handout disguised as “free market reform.”