Why Oklahoma’s Religious Left Should Embrace School Choice
In various publications and public forums (both friendly and hostile) I continue to make the case that Oklahoma needs school choice. That is to say, parents should be given the freedom and the ability (through tax cuts, tax credits, or tuition assistance financed by tax credits for donors) to choose the safest and best schools for their children, whether those schools are public or private.
Later this month I’ll be arguing for school choice at a meeting of a statewide religious organization that is committed to ecumenism and to left-wing politics. Not exactly a friendly crowd, but hey, I’m glad to be invited. I’m thinking I’ll use two main lines of argumentation (relating to social justice and to the future of mainline Protestantism), but if you think something else would be effective please post a comment and let me know.
First, social justice. The simple truth is that school choice is already widespread – unless you’re poor. Upper- and middle-class folks can exercise school choice simply by purchasing a home in Edmond or Jenks or someplace. Or they can pay tuition at a private school. The Oklahoman reported a few years ago that one prominent corporate executive who sends his kids to a private school also happens to be chairman of the … Oklahoma City school board (fercryinoutloud). Another wealthy liberal, the loquacious co-host of "FlashPoint," sent his kids to a private school. Brad Henry lives in public housing on the city’s northeast side, but do you think he sends his kids to the public school in that dubious neighborhood? No. State troopers drive them to public schools in Shawnee. It seems a pity that liberals, who say they’re always looking out for the little guy, would deny these same choices to others.
Secondly, many mainline Protestant churches are losing members faster than you can say “ordaining lesbians.” Heck, if it weren’t for the AA meetings the foot traffic at some of these places would be even lower still. Perhaps school choice is one way these churches could stop the hemorrhaging. “You would see a significant number of non-Catholic parochial and private schools develop,” Rudolph Giuliani predicted. “You would see many of the Protestant denominations develop parochial schools that would attach to their churches, and you would see private groups putting together schools because the funding would be there for it.”
Later this month I’ll be arguing for school choice at a meeting of a statewide religious organization that is committed to ecumenism and to left-wing politics. Not exactly a friendly crowd, but hey, I’m glad to be invited. I’m thinking I’ll use two main lines of argumentation (relating to social justice and to the future of mainline Protestantism), but if you think something else would be effective please post a comment and let me know.
First, social justice. The simple truth is that school choice is already widespread – unless you’re poor. Upper- and middle-class folks can exercise school choice simply by purchasing a home in Edmond or Jenks or someplace. Or they can pay tuition at a private school. The Oklahoman reported a few years ago that one prominent corporate executive who sends his kids to a private school also happens to be chairman of the … Oklahoma City school board (fercryinoutloud). Another wealthy liberal, the loquacious co-host of "FlashPoint," sent his kids to a private school. Brad Henry lives in public housing on the city’s northeast side, but do you think he sends his kids to the public school in that dubious neighborhood? No. State troopers drive them to public schools in Shawnee. It seems a pity that liberals, who say they’re always looking out for the little guy, would deny these same choices to others.
Secondly, many mainline Protestant churches are losing members faster than you can say “ordaining lesbians.” Heck, if it weren’t for the AA meetings the foot traffic at some of these places would be even lower still. Perhaps school choice is one way these churches could stop the hemorrhaging. “You would see a significant number of non-Catholic parochial and private schools develop,” Rudolph Giuliani predicted. “You would see many of the Protestant denominations develop parochial schools that would attach to their churches, and you would see private groups putting together schools because the funding would be there for it.”
