California Conservative

When President Obama signed the omnibus spending bill that will fund the beast the rest of FY2009, he also signed the DC Voucher Scholarships out of existence. My question now is simple: Will President Obama side with the NEA or will he side with needy children who deserve a first class education? Based on internal Democrat communications, Democrats have no intention on re-instituting the DC scholarship program:

Prominent lawmakers said throughout the debate on cutting D.C. school voucher funding that they would consider reauthorizing the program, but an internal document shows House Democrats have no intention of doing so.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over the D.C. voucher program, appears to have made up its mind, according to an internal document obtained by The Washington Times.

“Currently, the Committee is unaware of any pending legislation to reauthorize the D.C. school voucher initiative. Therefore, the Committee does not anticipate reauthorizing the program,” the Democratic committee staff said in a 2010 budget document circulated Friday.

President Obama needs to make a stand on this. Will he side with underprivileged DC children? Or will he continue to let Prime Minister Pelosi run roughshod over these children? This is partisan politics at its worst. Not only is David Obey, et al, willing to eliminate an important program but they’re willing to do that as payoff for one of their best political allies.

Rep. Obey’s giving DC children the finger is one of the most despicable pictures I’ve seen in political life.

It’s a profile in cronyism at its worst.

Unless President Obama fights for these children’s right to a first class education, he’ll lack credibility as a thoughtful postpartisan politician. If he doesn’t fight for this scholarship program, we’ll have proof that he’s just another partisan politician who does what his puppeteers tell him to do.

That isn’t change I can believe in. It’s change I’m disgusted with.

Democrats who voted against Mr. Ensign’s amendment shrugged off accusations that passing the bill would kill the program, saying they would hold hearings or re-evaluate it before making a decision.

“Senator Lieberman’s committee is going to take a close look to see if this program has worked,” Sen. Richard J. Durbin said. “I do not understand the reluctance on the other side to have an honest evaluation of the program that has cost us over $70 million in taxpayer funds.”

What’s the need for hearings? Durbin’s spin is disgustingly transparent. How difficult is it to figure out whether underprivileged children are better off attending Sidwell Friends, where President Obama’s daughters attend school, or whether they’re better off being imprisoned in dangerous academically-challenged schools?

This is a cheap ploy designed to distract us from the fact that Democrats oppose vouchers. They’ve opposed vouchers since the day the NEA told them to oppose them. This isn’t complicated. It’s one of the few things that’s transparent in DC these days.

Likewise, Sen. Diane Feinstein of California has said she would be open to supporting the program if hearings show that it is working.

Why do these empty suits start with the position that it might not be working? It’s as though they assume that this program can’t work. That’s a disturbing predisposition on Durbin’s and Feinstein’s behalf.

But a spokeswoman for Rep. Edolphus Towns, New York Democrat and chairman of the committee, confirmed that the panel does not intend to green-light the program as of now. “Since Chairman Towns has not seen any legislation regarding the voucher program, he is not anticipating taking up reauthorization,” spokeswoman Jenny Thalheimer said.

A spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican and the committee’s ranking member, accused Democrats of being disingenuous. “Talk of hearings, assertions that no final decision had been made were deceptive doubletalk. Democrats on the House committee that would have to reauthorize the program had already decided poor D.C. children shouldn’t be in private schools,” spokesman Frederick Hill said.

The only thing these hearings will do is kick the can down the road until it disappears from the radar screen. Rep. Towns’ spokeswoman makes that abundantly clear.

What’s particularly offensive is that the Democrats’ attempt to look like they’re fiscally responsible is really their willingness to be the NEA’s puppets. The Democrats’ behavior is morally reprehensible and shouldn’t be tolerated. This program needs to be re-instituted ASAP so that as many underprivileged children aren’t subjected to DC’s failing schools.

Technorati Tags: Education, Private Schools, Public Schools, School Violence, DC Scholarships, Joe Lieberman, Dick Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, David Obey, Speaker Pelosi, Edolphus Towns, Hearings, Unions, NEA