Celebrate School Choice Week

       As has been written before in this column, the biggest issue facing our country today is the problem of so many of our public schools failing our children.  And that is as tragic as it is unnecessary.  Why?  Because today, particularly in lower economic neighborhoods, there is virtually no competition in education.  But, fortunately, that reality is changing in that more and more parents, particularly in lower economic neighborhoods, are realizing that they are increasingly being empowered to choose where the government’s money will be spent for the education of their children.  So if one school is not satisfying their children’s needs, parents can choose a different school, be it public, private, arts academy, military, religious or vocational. 

      Happily, this result is spreading all over our nation.  As an example, today begins National School Choice Week, which focuses attention upon the efforts of parents, activists, legislators, students and grass-roots networks to promote school choice programs throughout our country!  As a side note, this past year my wife Grace and I published a novel centered about School Choice entitled 2030 KIDS: We are the Rising Heroes of the Planet as our contribution to spreading the word.  Not only will school choice programs result in better schools through competition, they will also remove the inequity of many parents who have sent their children to private schools from having to pay twice: once to their school of choice, and a second through their tax money to fund the public schools.  And, as the courts have ruled several times, even if government money is spent on a religious school, this is not a violation of the First Amendment’s mandate that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion.  Why?  Because, just like with the GI Bill, the choice of going to religious schools is made by the parents, not the government.  So hold onto your hats, this program is going to continue to expand, and close the terrible gap between education procured for the haves and the have-nots.  Good!  

      [BTW For those of you who stay up at night, I will again be a guest on George Noory’s Coast to Coast radio program from 10 p.m. until midnight Pacific time next Monday, January 30.  It is carried nationwide, but in Southern California it can be heard on KFI AM 640.  And, just like with this column, feedback is always appreciated!]

Quote for the week from the Ziggy cartoon character:  “If ignorance is bliss, I should be a heckuva lot happier than I am.”