Why not? She already has had a hip replacement because of a bike wreck.

Is it really, though? The Xians are the ones who think our military should be helping take over the world for Jesus. Train fewer Xians, and the military might be used to intervene where they're needed (like helping starving African nations) instead of where the Bible says they will help bring about the Apocalypse.

@Paul4747 The US military has never been used for religious purposes. Regardless, I’d be fine with spending a bit less on the military and more on education.

@indirect76 Plenty of neocons, including Bush, believed we were hastening WW3 and the Apocalypse with our invasion of Iraq. That's about as religious as it gets.

@Paul4747 You really do think that’s why we were in Iraq? OK. If you say so.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, here in Australia, religiously based, Private Schools receive fundings from the Taxpayer VIA the Government even though they still charge somewhat exorbitant rates and fees, etc, whilst Public School Education suffers from endless cuts in return.
I attended, in the 60's -70's our local Public High School where we regularly had between 30-35 kids per class and when asked WHY we could have a Second High School the answer given was, " There is NOT enough Government Funds available," BUT the local Marists Brothers High School, with far less students per class, was receiving unbelievable funding grants regularly from the Government.
We were being taught in classrooms that were cramped, over-heated in summer, freezing cold in winter, constructed from weatherboard and corrugated iron roofs whilst the Catholic Schools children were in brick constructed classrooms with less than 18 students per class, heated in winter and cooled in summer.

@Triphid Now that definitely sounds unfair. I’m surprised there hasn’t been rebellion. Does the Catholic Church have a lot of political power there?

I politely disagree. It doesn't matter if it is a voucher or scholarship. If those items are paid for with tax payer money, they are being paid for by tax payer money.

To me, IMO, the bigger problem is not the tax payer money being spent appropriately or inappropriately. The larger problem is the burden placed on society and on the individuals who are not being educated in a society which is technologically moving forward at a rapid rate.

@BookDeath Some of the religious schools have very high standards and produce high quality graduates. Albert Einstein attended a Catholic School.

Often the very reason that parents choose a private school is that the public schools are failing.

@avron Every student who attends a private school is a student who does not have to be educated by the public school system, resulting in a cost savings for the public school system. Vouchers BTW are only supplements and are not enough to fully pay for private schooling.

In many cases the public schools are failing but parents are forced to pay taxes to support those failing schools whether they are useable or not. Vouchers seem fair to me.

@avron

“What the Research Says

Researchers have conducted 42 analyses on the fiscal effects of private school choice programs. All but three found these programs generated net fiscal savings overall for taxpayers, and the other three found the programs were revenue-neutral for taxpayers.

What each analysis has found is that public schools have some fixed costs, but most of their costs are variable, meaning costs are reduced when students leave the same way costs increase when new students enroll. That was true long before school choice programs existed, and it will continue to be.”

[edchoice.org]

@avron, @Heathenman

“What the Research Says

Researchers have conducted 42 analyses on the fiscal effects of private school choice programs. All but three found these programs generated net fiscal savings overall for taxpayers, and the other three found the programs were revenue-neutral for taxpayers.

What each analysis has found is that public schools have some fixed costs, but most of their costs are variable, meaning costs are reduced when students leave the same way costs increase when new students enroll. That was true long before school choice programs existed, and it will continue to be.”

[edchoice.org]

In most cases private schools provide superior education. A lot of public schools are failing under a morass of red tape and bureaucracy.

@avron I was just relaying what I found when I googled, not really knowing much about the site.

It is often determined through cost-benefit analysis that it is cheaper and more effective for government agencies to contract for certain services. It’s not a black/white issue.

@WilliamFleming

Again, It's not the money. It's the long term burden these schools place on individuals and society as a whole.

Yes, some, private schools are great, others aren't.

The subject schools are not doing a good job. They are not only giving a poor education, they are instilling hate.

As far as taxes go, the article mentions one of these schools taking in half a million.

@Heathenman You could be right but there’s something about the article that sets off alarms in my brain. It sounds like political propaganda. There are other studies that show that graduates from Protestant schools outperform those from public schools and are on a par with those from Catholic schools.

There is currently a huge propaganda campaign against “evangelicals” and this article mirrors that campaign. It’s based on false assumptions and definitions.

@WilliamFleming Public schools are funded by the number of students in them, where I come from. Reduce that number and you reduce the amount of money for building maintenance, teacher training, replacing furniture, even things like internet connections. The students who stay in public school don't get the resources they need. Meanwhile, people who want to have a "school choice" spend their voucher on the Christian school down the road (which is already heavily funded by private donors, by the way). That's money and headcount that doesn't go to the public schools.

This is all to the good, as far as private school advocates are concerned. The public schools are set up to fail if they can have their funding diverted to private schools under the rubric of "choice". And the religious school education is NOT equal as long as they teach in "science" class that evolution is "just a theory", then go down the hall to learn about the geneology of Jesus.

@Paul4747 I have nothing else to say about it. You make some good points.

What happens if a majority of the public wants those vouchers and they are voted in? All involved will have to adapt. It's not an end of the world scenario. Remember that we are forced to pay property taxes whether we have children in public schools or not, and that is basically for all our working lives. It seems fair that some of that tax money be refunded if the public school does not meet the needs. The citizenry will have final say.

@WilliamFleming There's a difference between those scenarios. Property taxes are for the public schools and the common good. Tax money going to private schools, and especially religious schools, benefits a particular segment of the populace at the public expense.

An analogy to those who object to their money going to public schools would be people who don't own cars or don't use public transport. Nevertheless, their tax money goes to road repairs and bus services. We don't choose where our taxes go specifically, beyond the fact that they are supposed to go to a public service, not a private establishment. That is the root of my objection to school vouchers, no matter whether it's religious or so-called charter schools that get the money. (Of course, religious schools also face the 1st Amendment issue when they receive tax money.)

@Paul4747 Public funds are disbursed to private companies all the time. Road construction is almost always done by private contractors. Even the surveying and engineering parts are often contracted out, depriving government surveying and engineering departments of work. Cost-benefit analysis determines what is cheapest and best for the public.
The army contracts for aircraft maintenance—just a couple of examples.

As I see it, using your voucher to attend a church school is not a 1st amendment issue—it’s not establishing a religion, and the Supreme Court has agreed. If the vouchers were only valid for a particular religious school then that would be a violation.