Funding private schools through back-door "scholarships"

[Firebird]

This is one of more infuriating things I've read recently. It's blatant corruption of public tax dollars.

Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools

[markmcdaniel]

This is a policy that needs to be stamped out ruthlessly. Public education money should be used only for public education.

[Ali]

It's no coincidence that conservatives who would otherwise be happy to slash and burn education spending and programs to assist the needy are almost always pro-private school voucher programs.  They try to frame it like a capitalistic solution ("the best schools will get the most students...blah blah blah") but in fact it's not about the quality of education that they're after.  The funny part is that if it weren't for a little thing called the Establishment Clause, conservatives wouldn't give a flying fuck about the quality of the education that poor kids recieve.  They'd be all "Why should I work hard and pay my taxes so some welfare queens' kids can get a fancypants education?  Entitled much?!?"  But here's the rub, private schools are allowed to be religious schools in the US, as opposed to public schools.  Ergo, conservatives are trying to funnel tax money away from public schools and use it to pay for religious schooling for all, thereby circumventing the First Amendment and allowing them to teach their religion in the classroom just like they've always wanted.  Which leaves me on the conservative sounding side of the argument for once, going "Why should I work hard and pay my taxes so a bunch of religious zealots can try to destabilize the public education system to the point that private religious institutions seem like the only option?"  Because of course, public schools are always in dire need of funds, and so by funneling tax dollars away from them, you can almost ensure that the quality of the public school education drops as well.  All so they can make sure that their kids (and yours too, maybe!) pray in school.  Ain't that an insidious bitch?