Why so ANGRY?

Why is the group that supports Utah education vouchers so ANGRY? Not just angry, but ANGRY. And cranky, too.

The voucher supporters' group, Parents for Choice in Education (PCE for short) conducts an unethical "push-poll" to spread vicious rumors, but that tactic is exposed by Paul Rolly over at the Tribune.

Then, they attack our public school teachers through paid ads assaulting their national association (the National Education Association). Heck, my Mom was a member of that group and she could hardly have been labeled the way PCE claims! (May she rest in peace.)

Next they send an angry letter from some lawyers declaring any discussion of the voucher issue to be forbidden on school grounds to try and intimidate educators from exercising their Constitutional right of free speech.

And, so they aren't alone, PCE's helpers - the legislative leaders who squeezed vouchers through the Legislature - resort to calling lobbyists in to demand they put up money and votes to pass the voucher referendum (Referendum 1). Then, these same legislators threaten to withhold support from a health care proposal unless these groups do more to support vouchers.

Whew. These folks are mad.

Why?

Because they don't have real facts to support a universal education voucher system in Utah. The facts don't support vouchers.

Vouchers do hurt the public schools. They take money away from our public schools to help fund a private education system. A private education system that is not accountable for results or for how it spends tax dollars.

My Dad used to tell me that "you can only spend a dollar once." He was right. If I have $1 and I spend it on candy then that $1 is not available to be spent on clothes or saved with other $$ to be spent on something bigger, like an IPOD.

Same with vouchers. If tax dollars are spent on private school vouchers, then those dollars are not available to be spent on PUBLIC schools or anything else or, heaven forbid, saved for a rainy day.

So, to divert attention from the facts, the groups backing vouchers just have to be ANGRY. I feel sorry for them.