Did you know this week was National School Choice Week? Me neither. Well, apparently, the implacable foes of public education not that they want you to think that have been promoting school vouchers all week so they can divert taxpayer money away from public schools -- which makes public schools worse, which in turn amplifies the cries for "reforms" such as school vouchers. Those of us who've given the matter a few seconds of thought know the drill -- school vouchers don't pay for the full cost of a private education; a private school doesn't have to admit you just because you have a voucher in your hand; too many private schools are religious schools and shouldn't get taxpayer money -- but you may not know that too many vouchers don't go to kids who want to get into private schools, but to kids who are already in private schools, which kinda defeats the stated purpose of a school voucher, right? It's almost like that's the idea. We owe ourselves, and our posterity, more dedication to our public schools than that. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State helps you tell your federal elected officials that you oppose school vouchers.
Meanwhile, President Obama delivered yet another well-crafted and well-received speech the other night, but during that speech he spoke about the need for "new trade partnerships with Europe and the Asia-Pacific," by which he means the Trans-Pacific "Partnership" -- not that he could call it by name, since that name is mud to everyone who knows it. Mr. Obama even had the gall to suggest that it would help "small businesses" "create more jobs," which was very Republican of him! Small businesses aren't going to get their cronies in government to shut down websites on the suspicion of copyright infringement, nor are they going to dump poisonous crap in the air and in the water and then try to avoid lawful sanctions by appealing to "investor-state tribunals" to strike down a nation's environmental laws. No, big corporations will do these things, and news flash! They're not going to create jobs, either, not if they can avoid it, which, once they have their "investor-state tribunals" in place, they can. The big corporations don't create jobs unless we make them -- by demand for their good products, preferably, but by strict regulations to bring them to heel, if need be. Public Citizen helps you oppose these nefarious "free" trade deals.
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