School Choice Bottom Feeds off Taxpayer Money, and wants more.

Cute answer, dumb idea.

Check out this well thought out response to the argument that taxpayer money shouldn’t be taken from public schools. Jim Bender, president of the advocacy group School Choice Wisconsin: “It’s not their money. It’s taxpayers’ money. It’s parents’ money.”

There’s one problem to this cute answer; It is their-public schools-money, not the private sectors. It is the public’s money meant for public schools. Period.

And this is from Wisconsin Watch, a part of the Wisconsin Center for "Investigative Journalism." (my quotes) They are kidding, right?

In that netherworld of upside down conservative Humpty Dumptyisms, it’s not quality of education that matters, it's “the student’s needs first:”

“It’s not about a system. It’s not about a district. It’s about a student. If we put the student’s needs first, then there’s no problem with having the money following the child.”

Sounds like touchy feely, parent controlled, taxpayer centric bullshit to me. Oh, and motivated by conniving profiteers. For all the Republican Party’s talk about free markets and profit driven competition, the private sector is quick to pick the deep pockets of unsuspecting taxpayer with big, but temporary promises. Always keep in mind that behind the scenes, they are demanding more money, saying they can't keep their schools open without it.  

According to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, expanding vouchers to Racine will add nearly $3 million to the state’s costs over the next two school years, after aid reductions to the Racine Unified School District are factored in. But Bender says the district “gets to make up for 100 percent of the state aid reduction” through local property taxes at a lower per-student cost than for Racine public school students.

There you go, taxpayer money to the rescue.