Opponents of school choice argue that, because private schools do not have to accept all students, vouchers will lead to two very different education systems. Few schools, they claim, will accept special needs students or children from poor families. Consequently, these students will have no alternative to government schools at the same time that those…
A recent survey by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs found that 61 percent of Texans favor school choice, but only 53 percent support applying such a policy to all Texas families. In short, while a majority of Texans favor school choice, a significant number think such policies should be based on…
With school choice gaining support in Texas, defenders of government schools are unleashing a media blitz. No matter the details of their articles and speeches, it always comes down to a claim that more money is needed for government schools to achieve acceptable results. As an example, the President of the Houston Federation of Teachers,…
Defenders of government schools claim that those schools do a better job of educating students than private schools. And the advocates for school choice claim that private schools do a better job. Both sides can cite numerous studies to support their position. If we are going to claim that either private or government schools are…
Gambling and vouchers promise to be two hotly debated topics in the 2023 session of the Texas legislature. Legislators have filed several bills to expand gambling in the state, as well as bills to create a voucher program. Texas Baptists are opposing both efforts. Interestingly, they claim that education vouchers violate religious liberty and the…
Imagine for a moment the reaction if the State of Texas decided to operate government grocery stores. What if the state determined what products would be on the shelves and socialized the cost of groceries purchased at those stores by imposing a tax on property owners? Competitors would lose business because of the subsidies for…
Insanity, it is often said, is taking the same actions over and over and expecting different results. Many opponents of education vouchers in Texas provide an example of insanity. State Rep. Harold Dutton, the chairman of the Texas House Public Education Committee, recently said, What is the problem that you’re trying to cure with school…
Most people want the freedom to choose how they will live their lives. Yet, many of those same people advocate policies that eliminates freedom of choice for others. They support freedom of choice, so long as they agree with the choices. Sadly, we see this among both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans don’t like the choices…
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said that he supports parents’ “choice to send their children to any public school, charter school or private school with state funding following the student.” The Republican Party of Texas has listed school choice as a priority in the upcoming legislative session. However, rural Republicans oppose school choose measures. They…
Discrimination means recognizing the difference between to or more things. Every choice that we make is an act of discrimination. To oppose discrimination is to oppose freedom of choice. Anti-discrimination laws are anti-choice. As an example, consider laws that prohibit “source of income” discrimination in housing. Such laws force landlords to accept housing vouchers, regardless…
Housing activists frequently proclaim that a household earning the minimum wage cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment. This is the elephant in the room that housing activists refuse to address. As an example, the executive director of the Capital Area Housing Partnership in Michigan writes, The fair market rent for a modest two-bedroom apartment in the…
A recent article on The Conversation asserts that “building more homes won’t solve the affordable housing problem for the millions of people who need it most.” While the authors acknowledge that we need more housing, they don’t believe that this is a sufficient solution. The authors present numerous facts to bolster their argument, but these…