Yesterday the White House Domestic Policy Council issued a 164-page report with some rather stunning recommendations. It calls, among other things, for a sweeping program of public subsidies for religious education through vouchers, tax credits and other forms of tax aid at both the federal and state levels.

Wall Street continues to melt down, so the report made no splash at all in the media. That’s a shame, because what it proposes is truly radical, and Americans ought to know about it. Consider this: 90 percent of American schoolchildren attend public schools. There’s no denying that some of those schools are troubled, especially in poverty-stricken inner-city and rural areas. Yet this report suggests we collectively throw up our hands and bail on them by diverting resources to private religious academies that are in no way accountable to the public and that have the right to refuse admission to a child for almost any reason.

This approach is breathtakingly brazen in light of the fact that vouchers don’t work. Milwaukee has had a voucher plan in place for more than 15 years. The most recent study of it, considered the most comprehensive to date, found voucher students doing no better academically than their peers in public schools. Studies of the voucher plans in Washington, D.C., and Cleveland got the same results.

Blinded by ideology, the White House’s new study blithely recommends more tax aid to private religious education and even the creation of religiously themed charter schools. (Yes, it seems there’s a “faith-based” solution to every problem!) The report casually notes that there may be some obstacles to this idea. There sure is – it’s called the First Amendment.

Religious schools serve a religious end. Their primary purpose is to impart the dogma of the churches that sponsor them. Churches have the right to run these schools, but they have no right to expect the taxpayer to subsidize them. Religion should always be paid for with funds voluntarily given.

This new report comes from a discredited, unpopular administration that is simply out of gas. Given President George W. Bush’s 25 percent approval rating, the document is likely to be ignored.

But that doesn’t mean the issue is not important. Indeed, it is very important. The presidential election has been dominated by questions about the economic crash, the war in Iraq and national security. Those are pressing issues to be sure, but what could be more important than the education of our children?

Where do the candidates stand on this White House report and the multitude of suggestions it contains? Would they seek to implement all, some or none of them? The American people would like to know. Perhaps someone should ask the candidates.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 2:15 pm and is filed under Uncategorized .