Obama's Kids to Get Private Education

[Hoss]

quote:Originally posted by guido911

quote:Originally posted by Hoss

quote:Originally posted by guido911

quote:Originally posted by we vs us

quote:Originally posted by guido911

quote:Originally posted by azbadpuppy

Do you know anything about DC public schools? No one sends their kids to DC public schools that can afford an alternative.

That's my point. Obama is telling those families that have no choice but to use D.C. public schools-tough luck and no voucher for you! Hey, change you can believe in.

Where do you want 'em to go, Guido?  Georgetown?  

Maybe you want to explain vouchers to me a little bit better, because all they look like to me is way to sap an already underfunded public education system. Is that what we're going for here?  Or are we trying to break the teachers union?

First, what is more important to you-preserving our public education system or getting the best possible education for our children? Is it more important to you to protect teachers unions or to provide the best possible education for our children?

Vouchers would achieve at least two results:  1) Provide families a choice on where to have their child educated; 2)Impose pressure on public schools to improve or face a reduction in student population and thus funding.

As for Obama sending his kids to private school, not only is this a thumb in the eye to all those millions of dollars teachers union gave to his campaign, it is entirely consistent with his contradiction that he can have school choice but you, inner city kid, do not. Incidentally, D.C. does have a voucher program that Obama, who at one time supported, now no longer does thanks to teachers unions:  

http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=28382

Finally, see my previous post to Waterboy about the predictable reach around. I am waiting to hear Hoss chime in to provide cover for Obama as well.

Gweedork, you really crack me up.  [}:)]

As someone just stated, you're arguing a non-issue.  How many other presidents with children have sent theirs to private school.

The election is over and the guy you didn't want to win did.  Get over it.

Oh, because Obama won I cannot be critical of his decisions? Guess what, this is only the beginning. I am going to be all over this guy when he makes decisions I disagree with. I am going to bring the same amount of vitriol (non-hysterical) that those on the left have heaped on Bush for the past eight years.

As for presidents that sent their children to public school, I had to go WAY back in history to find one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenna_Bush

Are the black helicopters finding you ok?

Hey, you can spend energy criticizing every little thing President-elect Obama does.  Here's a newsflash for you though.

I didn't waste my time criticizing every little thing Bush did.  Why?

There weren't 25 hours in a day for me to devote to it.

[:O]

[guido911]

quote:Originally posted by azbadpuppy

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

Bogus guido...read your link.

Jenna Bush went to a private elementary school and middle school when she was the same age as the Obama girls.

When she did go to a public school, it was in Austin, not Washington D.C.

AND Bush wasn't president yet when she was in public schools.

First, my link was not "bogus" RM. Hoss essentially asked what president had not sent their child to private school and I gave him one. Now you want to change the question to what president sent their child to public school while they were president. I knew exactly what the link I posted read. Bush was governor at the time Jenna was in public high school and president while she attended that small, private University of Texas. Incidentally, did Obama's kids attend public or private school while he was a senator? Any guesses?  

You guys are hilarious with the excuses you are making for this decision. Obama is supposed to be all about helping the "middle class". One way to help would be to give middle class families the same opportunity he has, which is to get their children out of failing public schools. It's interesting that you all have ignored the point that he is against the D.C. voucher program which has given those minority families a chance to get their kids out of that atrocious public school system. I liken this story to John "Two Americas" Edwards and his fighting for the middle class while living in a 28K square foot home and Ted "Environmentalist" Kennedy fighting against a wind farm near his home.

Let me make this plain. I do not blame Obama for not going with public schools. Heck, my children have never attended a public school and, God willing, they never will attend a public school. But do not tell me that he is about helping those middle class families who simply want the same as him--the best (and, yes, safest) education available.

[TheArtist]

You know, I used to be against vouchers because the first thing I saw that would happen is that a large number of children, those most likely to need better schools, would be the ones left behind in the worst schools.

How many times have we heard stories of children whose parents dont even know IF their kid is in school, or where they are? How bout the parent who would like their kid to go to a better school but cant get their kid to that school? Perhaps they dont have a car, work odd hours so cant drive the kid to school or pick them up, perhaps the private school is too far away,etc. Not every little school that would crop up under a voucher program could have buses that can cover a large area. And in many areas, where would these other schools be? How big would they be? How many students could they have? Would every private school be forced to take every student that wanted to go to that school? Where would they get all the teachers etc and wouldnt all of that in a way do the very thing we have said needs to be done anyway... more money on more teachers, more classrooms and smaller class sizes, smaller or more schools, each with their own libraries, other school services and facilities etc.

Say you have a bad school in the area. Then one or 2 other schools open up to "compete" for vouchers. You then have 3 schools, 3 principals, 3 librarians, 3cafeterias, auditoriums, sports facilities, science labs, etc. More teachers, possibly smaller class sizes etc. since not all students will leave the first school. Each school will have to have its own buses or make the parents drive the students to the school. Each school will have to pay to be maintained, cleaned, built,etc. And on and on. Kind of similar to why the College Regents do not want too many duplicate programs at local colleges and want each to specialize in different degree programs. Limited funds doing the most they can.

But again... I say let em. Let the vouchers go ahead. In very short order you will see that costs are going to go up. In very short order you will see that many many students still arent in better schools and or are under-performing.  THEN we will stop arguing back and forth about vouchers, and will finally get serious about actually fixing the schools and spending more money on those students who need more care, not less on the poor kids and more on the rich kids who would likely do well regardless.

[RecycleMichael]

Again, guido...you are making up facts...the schools in DC are not "atrocious".

The public elementary schools in DC are very average. Here is a link to their most recent scores I could find on their website...

http://www.k12.dc.us/Dcps/data/Stanford-9/SAT9_2002_Read-elem.htm

http://www.k12.dc.us/Dcps/data/Stanford-9/SAT9_2002_Math-elem.htm

Obama's daughters are 1st and 4th grade. This test has the national average at 50.

The city-wide average for the 1st grade is
reading 50    math 56

The city-wide average for the 4th grade is
reading 48    math 51

[Red Arrow]

Most private schools have some kind of religious affiliation. I don't want may tax dollars, via vouchers, supporting someone else's religious views.

Fix the public schools.

[Ed W]

On the other hand...

...if the Obamas had decided to send their children to public schools, they'd be criticized for more elitist posturing, putting other people's children at risk, and for not doing what's best for their own kids.  

The bleating heart's candidate lost the election, and they will find fault with absolutely everything about the Obama presidency.

[pmcalk]

The Clinton's received the same grief when they chose to send Chelsea to a private school.  Everyone griped, why not a public school.  The truth is being the child of the president makes attending a public school in DC virtually impossible.  The last kid that did it was Amy Carter.  When the Clinton's looked into the same school, they learned how difficult it was for the daughter of the president to have attended that school.  Amy was not allowed to play on the playground with the other kids because it was too close to the street, and did not provide adequate protection.  And that was back in the 70s, when fears of terrorism were much lower.  Sidwell has a large enclosed campus, and is use to high profile students.  While "choice" might sound nice, Obama's girls had no choice in being the daughters of the most powerful man in the US.  No other parent has to chose not only which school will provide the best education, but also which school can best ensure that terrorists will not be able to blow their children up.

[swake]

quote:Originally posted by guido911Guess what, this is only the beginning. I am going to be all over this guy when he makes decisions I disagree with. I am going to bring the same amount of vitriol (non-hysterical) that those on the left have heaped on Bush for the past eight years.

See, the difference is that you hate him already, that you want to tear down the new president only because his not of your (Limbaugh's) political kind.

Bush has proven over eight very long and bad years to be the worst president in the history of this nation. Through a needless war, wrecked economy, destroyed credibility, lost moral high ground, reduced personal freedoms, inept leadership and constant insider deals he has earned his "vitriol".

The far right that's attacking Obama over his choice of school (when he is the first to say the public schools are failing) is just being petty. It's why it's going to be a very long winter for the Republican party.

People are tired of very real Republican failures and attacks over meaningless nonsensical issues are only going to hurt your side. Politically it's 1932 again. After Hoover's loss how long was it before Republicans took power again? This being the second time the Republican party has destroyed this nations economy they may never recover. Espeically if is this is how they are going to continue to practice politics. Stupid personal attacks over the choice of a private school for the president's children while the nation descends into depression just continue to prove the rights failure and lack of ideas for solutions to the problems they have created.

Keep it up and the Republican party will soon find itself with the status of being the third or fourth party in American politics. Go Bull Moose in 2016!

[guido911]

quote:Originally posted by swake

quote:Originally posted by guido911Guess what, this is only the beginning. I am going to be all over this guy when he makes decisions I disagree with. I am going to bring the same amount of vitriol (non-hysterical) that those on the left have heaped on Bush for the past eight years.

See, the difference is that you hate him already, that you want to tear down the new president only because his not of your (Limbaugh's) political kind.

Bush has proven over eight very long and bad years to be the worst president in the history of this nation. Through a needless war, wrecked economy, destroyed credibility, lost moral high ground, reduced personal freedoms, inept leadership and constant insider deals he has earned his "vitriol".

The far right that's attacking Obama over his choice of school (when he is the first to say the public schools are failing) is just being petty. It's why it's going to be a very long winter for the Republican party.

People are tired of very real Republican failures and attacks over meaningless nonsensical issues are only going to hurt your side. Politically it's 1932 again. After Hoover's loss how long was it before Republicans took power again? This being the second time the Republican party has destroyed this nations economy they may never recover. Espeically if is this is how they are going to continue to practice politics. Stupid personal attacks over the choice of a private school for the president's children while the nation descends into depression just continue to prove the rights failure and lack of ideas for solutions to the problems they have created.

Keep it up and the Republican party will soon find itself with the status of being the third or fourth party in American politics. Go Bull Moose in 2016!

Oh give me a freakin break. Man you have short term memory. The day Bush was sworn in, "Bush Derangement Syndrome" kicked in with the "selected not elected" crap. Then 9/11 happened and one of the major stories was Bush not dropping the book he was reading to school kids and leaping into action. Then there was the never-ending criticisms of how he speaks (i.e. Bushisms").

And Swake, pay attention to what I post and not what you think I posted. My beef is not that his kids go to private school (if you read what I posted, I admitted that my kids go to private school). Rather, it is that middle class, "working" families in D.C. (as if rich families do not work), which he claims he wants to help, are using a voucher system to get their kids out of that failing public school system. To appease teachers unions, he opposes that plan. Now, so you and the other Obama apologists out there can understand, the impression, no the effect of this, is that the middle class are unable to have what he has--the best education available.

[patric]

Does anyone really think the Secret Service was going to even allow him to put his kids in a public school?

[waterboy]

quote:Originally posted by patric

Does anyone really think the Secret Service was going to even allow him to put his kids in a public school?

Guido knows that. He simply is using any decision Obama makes as a prybar to open issues that he and his party feel strongly about yet differ from the winners of the election. A landslide election btw. Actually, I think that's fair, though it makes for a rather dismal day to day existence as most everything that Bush & Co. have championed in the last decade has been repudiated.

Reaching across the aisle is anathema to idealogues who lost. Gonna' be a long hard decade for you Guido!

[nathanm]

quote:Originally posted by guido911


Oh give me a freakin break. Man you have short term memory. The day Bush was sworn in, "Bush Derangement Syndrome" kicked in with the "selected not elected" crap.

which he claims he wants to help, are using a voucher system to get their kids out of that failing public school system. To appease teachers unions, he opposes that plan.

First off, he was selected, not elected. (the first time) Get over it.

As far as school vouchers go, the way to fix a school system isn't to take money away from it. Vouchers are a stupid idea. The real purpose of them is to starve the public schools of money so as to lead us further down the road of a permanent underclass.

I say this as someone who thinks public schools are run mostly by complete morons and that they indoctrinate rather than teach. They have no place for alternative means of learning. Even good ones are terrible in many ways. Nevertheless taking money from them will only make things worse.

The last thing we need are religious schools being funded with public money. We already have too much religion in the public sphere as it is. Religion should not be worn on the sleeve.

[swake]

quote:Originally posted by guido911Oh give me a freakin break. Man you have short term memory. The day Bush was sworn in, "Bush Derangement Syndrome" kicked in with the "selected not elected" crap.

Seriously, you think it was unfair for people to have been upset that the candidate that received a million more votes wasn't the winner?

quote:Originally posted by guido911
I liken this story to John "Two Americas" Edwards and his fighting for the middle class while living in a 28K square foot home and Ted "Environmentalist" Kennedy fighting against a wind farm near his home.

The best one though is Sarah "six pack" Palin and her $150,000 spending spree on clothes.

[rwarn17588]

quote:Originally posted by waterboy

quote:Originally posted by patric

Does anyone really think the Secret Service was going to even allow him to put his kids in a public school?

Guido knows that. He simply is using any decision Obama makes as a prybar to open issues that he and his party feel strongly about yet differ from the winners of the election. A landslide election btw. Actually, I think that's fair, though it makes for a rather dismal day to day existence as most everything that Bush & Co. have championed in the last decade has been repudiated.

Reaching across the aisle is anathema to idealogues who lost. Gonna' be a long hard decade for you Guido!

I agree. If guido is the best the GOP has to offer on this board, then the Republicans are in deep, deep trouble.

[Gaspar]

Good for Obama!  

I think everyone should have the opportunity and choice to send their children to the best school they can afford, and with the state of the DC public school system, I would think far less of him if he chose to send them to a public school for PR reasons.

I'm liking him more every day.

I wonder if he would consider a voucher system to allow the rest of us to do the same?