Delay: Voucher System Will Run Obama Girls' Classmates Out Of School

[mqf0489]

Why do people argue for D.C. vouchers and use kids going to Sidwell as an example? Sidwell is about $28,000 and the voucher is about $7,500. Take away the voucher and they can still afford a school like Georgetown Visitation or apply for financial aid.

[jeffmagic32]

All parents should have the choice of where to send their child to school.

[effingreat]

go to public school.

[rbeaker]

And this idiot thinks the kids going to his daughter's school are under privileged? BS!!!! Thank goodness they got rid of the vouchers. It was just giving the rich a free ride and allowing them to pay LESS. No under privileged kids could afford to go to the schools where vouchers were being used!!!

[Gulfporter]

Whether or not one can afford Sidwell Friends with a voucher is not the issue. The issue is that vouchers could help poor and average people send their kids to a private school that will have them. There is no reason to means test vouchers, limit them to problem children, or "award" them through a lottery. Vouchers should be available to anyone.

[thereallurker]

LOL, Delay defends the most elite school in Washington DC.

Vouchers shouldn't be a handout for the richest.

[Gulfporter]

"Vouchers shouldn't be a handout for the richest."

What an absurd statement. Wealthy people pay the most in taxes, they subsidize our kids going to school whether it be public or private.

[EdugeBDroN]

If he is so worried about Dc kids just give them representation dumasssssss

[Gulfporter]

Washington DC is not a state. If it were, it would be a sad one, because it's already taxing the hell out of itself and its schools suck. It's schools are among the best funded in the nation, but because you can't hold the kids or the parents to a standard, the schools are dangerous and nonperforming.

[nuumskee]

Repubs like it because vounchers are good for private buisness at the expense of the public.

[checkurself]

We need money to fix the public school system NOT private school funding. I just know that the politicians in DC are sending their kids to private schools on our tax dollars. This voucher is an outrage.

[checkurself]

I don't have kids and I pay taxes that go to public schools in my district. I don't mind. I'd rather have an educated public than a stupid one. I am against these vouchers. Instead of fixing the public schools they have us pay extra? I thought Repub were about helping yourself. No free lunch. Not sticking to your ideologies, Mr. DeLay!

[GlobalSufi]

yeah, like I am going to listen to the BS spewed by a CONVICTED CRIMINAL???

Talk about Texan hypocrisy?

Fuck this guy. He belongs in jail, getting his "info" from behind.

[stengevarsel]

I would like to hear the full story behind that point.

[tjm7077]

Maybe if we're really lucky, we'll get to hear from Abramoff on tomorrow's show.

[hajqbvii]

BS....if you can't afford private school, then there's public!....My taxes does not entitle me to send my children to catholic school on the expense of other taxpayers!...Vouchers are an entitlement the republicans voted in, during Reagan's term!....and you better believe those politicians in DC took advantage of that...under privilege children my ASS!

[bender183]

ahhh....figures.

[dejahthoris]

DeLay spews nothing but lies, why is he even on TV?

[luchamini]

If TV only showed politicians that told the truth we would all forget about Washington DC and most ofus would forget who the president is.

[Francebrasil]

Delay.. Can anybody supply this bigoted moron with a one way trip to Wasilla, Alaska??

[mmeyerdc]

Isn't Tom Delay supposed to be in prison for money laundering?

[10pigdog6]

Why, for the love of all that is decent, are we still having to listen to Tom Delay?

[marniespeaks]

Obama should have sent his kids to Public School

[aknightofswords]

What he is not saying is that the studies that have been done, show that the voucher system has no effect on the performance. I mean, 2,000? In all of D.C.? Sounds like a crap system made to bolster revenue for friends in the private school sector. Got to go. Important shit to do.

[kcp12304]

yes...go ahead...talk about hypocrisy...I'm sure you know all about it

[gotemlookin20]

I like Obama and voted for him but...

this makes me sad :(

[Karlfalcon]

Why? The voucher system only guaranteed that shitty schools would stay shitty, buy letting parents that wouldn't normally send their kids to private schools sidestep their local district entirely.

This is going to force parents that had bailed on their schools to take a deeper interest in where their children are attending.

[gotemlookin20]

so you are saying that children are going to be forced to go to public schools?

help me understand...im interested

[chick7489]

How do you make the picture come out like that? Even though I use a really good camera and upload it onto youtube, it still turns out really blurry.

[azas1949]

Why is DeLay being given a forum ? I don't care about his opinion - he's a crook !

[NeilSagan]

Republicans know that 60% of every city and towns budget is education.

They send their kids to private schools. THAT is why we have vouchers. Why should people who want to send their kids to private schools be able to take tax revenue away from the town?

[KosmicCitizen]

The whole education system needs reform. Public schools often lament a lack of money (which is in part true, esp. as far as compensation for teachers is concerned), but part of this problem is created by a wasteful, artificially pro-longed schooling experience in which kids simply aren't learning anything.

Keep it simple, get well paid teachers, and remove the silliness. Americans could have a cheaper, better education system NOW if they wanted it. Back to basics.

[Karlfalcon]

American education as a whole needs to re-think its entire structure. Things would be radically different if the schools operated on, say, the British or German systems. Its a completely different approach both in terms of when you learn what and for how long.

[VonSchnutze]

Isn't that shithead supposed to be in jail?

[Scoppertop]

Yeah, why are all the GOP crooks on the 'liberal media'TV?

[animeownage86]

because it's comedy hour but it's just not the same without Bush and Palin.

[Scoppertop]

Good one. Maybe Tweety was made to put DeLay on for his "Oh, God" blurt about Gunga-Jin.

[annarboriter]

How many elections must a GOP hasbeen lose before the media stop giving his a platform to prattle on about his own discredited views?

[eljefereal]

Here's my thought. We should not give you money to send your kid to a school that isn't ours when that money could be used to make our school better. It's counter-intuitive.

If private schools want more kids, offer scholarships and/or drop rates. If you want to send your kid to a private school, you've got to figure that out. We shouldn't undermine our own system to get your kid out of it.

[KataVideo]

I have no idea what delay is talking about with this voucher thing. it was not the subject of the piece, and he has a history of pulling lies out of his ass.

however, he looked awful. bloated and sweaty, and on my TV i could see a lot of zits or pock-marks or something awful on his face. it was very unpleasant. maybe years of breathing those exterminator's chemicals is finally getting to him.

[tomblue12sbc]

Vouchers are terrible......that's how parents segregte their kids in the first place...My nephew and nieces go to private school and I hate it, because they are missing out on real life and there is not enough competition, b/c of smaller class size.......they need to kill the voucher system......integration now!

[eljefereal]

Not enough competition? Wouldn't it be a steeper challenge to be at the top of a private school? Sure, there are fewer people to compete against, but they're being driven just the same way your nieces/nephews are, whereas with public you have no clue what's motivating these kids.

Quantity =/= Quality.

[ver506]

Tom Delay is as outdated as the republican party....

[BigPurple121]

OH SHIT! Someone needs some ointment for that rash, cuz you burned him

[quiveringpalm]

WOW....THIS GUY.....BECAME....so fat

[CYLONEJACK]

The PTA was taken over by right wing religious zealots along time ago. They want to take over private schools also.

[squidb8]

um when was that. I know in CA nothing they teach appear anywhere close the curriculum of a "right wing zealot".

[whoo689]

There was once a time in our nation's history when education was the gold standard of the world. Now it's one of the worst in the industrialized world. There are obvious reasons why, one of them being excessive federal involvement. Bureaucrats from Washington don't know a damn thing about how to solve the education crisis. Local school boards are a joke, esp. since they don't really give a damn what parents and students think or want. Students come last in our public system.

[danny5534]

my good sir did you know north korea is the most literate country in this world with a literacy of 99% of its population. this is because their "federal government" is highly involved in their literacy. now i am not suggesting we should become north korea, but what i do know is that we are not in this situation today because of too much involvement by the federal government. We are in it because there are has been a lack of involvement and funding.

[whoo689]

It was a pipe dream to think the federal gov't can solve education for all 50 states and the 50 million+ K-12 children. Parents need to be allowed more involvement in their education, and the bureaucrats need to step aside and quit trying to be "experts" and set all this idiotic criteria for "well-roundedness" (a vague and ridiculous concept) and have kids do bullshit like take art classes they don't like (such as myself).

There never was a one-size-fits-all approach. Not feasible.

[squidb8]

True, but then again parents need to BE more involved in their childrens schooling.

[nuumskee]

Vouchers help and hurt because private schools increase prices in order to cut the amount of people who could benefit from the vouchers by finally able to pay in the 1st place. Its all relative...

[MooseOfReason]

nuumskee, Doesn't that also mean education grants and student aid from the federal government cause colleges to raise tuition?

[UltraSWG]

You should really research how much the cost of education rises each year. Just Google "1994 ASU tuition" and the very first hit is a tuition history of Arizona State University. Here's the breakdown:

1994 tuition: $1,894

2008 tuition: $5,659

DoE funding has not kept up with the increasing costs of education. Thus, funding for education in this country has been DECLINING for decades.

[nuumskee]

in part some would argue yes, but many factors go into increases in education that surpas the vounchers. remember we havent had the vouncher program that long and cost were on the rise way before then. inflation, CEO, and board member salaries a have risen 38%+ while teacher salaries have decline. the college transfer system is a complete hussle to suck you dry of funds, lack or oversite etc are also part of the problem.

[simplybkuz]

I find it reprehensible that this indicted criminal is given a platform time and time again. Matthews should be ashamed of himself for putting him on the show and then again for fawning all over everything this crook says. Not to mention... he really should introduce this guy as the indicted, removed from office because of ethics violations creep that he is. I urge everyone to do as I did and fire off an email to MSNBC letting them know you're not interested in hearing from this criminal again

[swankrecords]

When Tom Delay is suddenly concerned about poor school children you know something is fishy. No doubt we'll see Delay leading the charge for poor kids in the ghettos of America.

Never mind all the wealthy DC kids in private schools using (abusing?) school vouchers.

[ScottFerrante]

you just can't admit that obama is wrong on this can you? he is wrong its ok to say it he wont get every thing right

[gsuitter]

We know what your children need better then you do.

Vouchers and private schools will not be tolerated.

All minds of mush must be run through the public school system meat grinder to ensure conformity.

No deviations will be allowed.

The state has spoken.

[fergiebear]

As a former teacher in the New York City area, I am telling you, the vouchers given are not enough to pay for the high end private schools!!!!! The Friends School in DC is $29,442 go to their Website!!! The vouchers are just a 3 to 4k no more!!!

[nuumskee]

I went to Sidwell Friends in 93-95 and I recieved a full ride becuase I entered the Chinese program. Back then Sidwell was about 10k+ for Highschool so i know the vouchers arent much but every little bit counts and its sad to see people turned away because they are a few g's short. There are other good schools in the DC area much cheaper and thats where you'll get the most bang for your buck with vounchers. I say they don't allocate enough money to the program and should do more.

[simplybkuz]

How about they just make the public schools better? Public schools should be reformed to the point where vouchers to better schools are unnecessary. What about the kids who don't get vouchers? It's an unfair program to begin with. I believe our goal should be to make public schools better.

[whoo689]

Well, that won't happen anytime soon, I'm afraid. Not unless Obama can somehow wave a magic wand. I mean, the feds have thrown money time and again, and it doesn't affect test scores, for one thing. NCLB has been a failure. The Clinton era saw tons of stupid-ass new approachs like Goals 2000 that didn't work.

I say it's high time we abolish the DOE and give public education back to the states where it belongs. They're a lot closer to the people and can better alleviate these problems.

[nuumskee]

OK 1st THE DOE Doesn't RUN Over the STATE when it comes to education because the DOE budget and manpower is so small so they ONLY sublement what the states budget might LACK. Each state has its own state standards and goals. My Mother has worked for DOE over 30 years & in that time DOE budget has be cut EVER YEAR. Perhaps if it EVERY COULD BE FUNDED FULLY instead of being the 1st Depart they cut EVERY budget cycle states would recieve more support with innovative programs

[MooseOfReason]

nuumskee, the US Dept. of Ed's budget went from 27 billion in 1994 to 68.6 billion last year.

What DOE did your mom work at, and where are you getting your numbers?

[UltraSWG]

"the US Dept. of Ed's budget went from 27 billion in 1994 to 68.6 billion last year"

Misleading facts are misleading.

While gross funds to the DOE seem to increase, the reality is that funding per student has dropped every year.

College tuition alone has doubled since 1994 and more schools are being built every year. Do the math and you'll see why schools are seeing less and less federal funds and rely primarily on property taxes.

[nuumskee]

Thank you for this reply. You beat me too it but we have to remember when ever we talk about cutting funding to any of our public programs that our population is growing by the day and thus more resources have to be submited into the budget or we will lose ore standard of living. in fact i would argue that budgets haven't reflected the realities on the ground in years.

[squidb8]

True but how would one do that around their unions.

To reform you would need to fire the bad teachers and bring better ones. The unions won't let you fire the bad teachers without a fight, and better teachers cost more money than you could pay with your taxes(that is after the local Gov pockets their share.)

[nuumskee]

The union is a samll % of the problem. because they fact is tha funding is far below what is needed so getting on under paid teachers for protecting a small amount of bad teachers will not even begin to hit the problem. as long as property taxes are the sole funding for state public education than the urban areas will always be worst off becuase they pay less in property taxes and the suburbs take taxes away from urban areas because they have stronger reps.

[Gulfporter]

What a load of crap. The urban schools are not underfunded, as a rule they are better funded than the suburban schools. Washington DC spends more per pupil than any of the surrounding counties.

[nuumskee]

Sorry , Im from DC and I went to Sidwell Friends. DC residents pay extremely high taxes.. More so than many of the surrounding areas. please go check articles on DC taxation issues trust the are a exception and NOT the rule. I am a grant reviewer for DOE & I punch the #'s & most urban centers are underfunded because the edu is based off of home taxes & with more lower income reds with homes and apt's in urban centers the funding will always be under the suburbs.

[Gulfporter]

Washington DC has one of the highest per pupil expenditures in the nation. About $4000 more than either Maryland or Virginia. Detroit spends $10,576 per pupil compared to the statewide avg of $8561. Utah spends

$4838

[nuumskee]

Again these are the exception and not the rule. With that you still have to factor in that almost every school here is over crowded they just they have only built 2-4 new schools in 30+ years if not longer and the rest and in serious need of repair and the extra income is based on hight proverty value, hight sales taxes, & a dense population. teachers are paid according the the med-income and the proverty line. u make under 55K in DC you are considered poor & base salary for teachers is 34K-48K

[Gulfporter]

They are not the exception. You need to get out of your office and out of DC and actually look at the real world, because America isn't falling for it anymore. $55k/yr is NOT considered poor anywhere in this country unless you are trying to support too many people on it. The DC teachers salaries ranger from $42K to $98K and that is NOT underpaid. Now take the ppe and multiply it by 20 kids per classroom and you get $280,000/classroom/year.

The problem isn't funding. cont.....

[Gulfporter]

The problem isn't funding. The problem isn't teachers salaries. The problem is that public schools cannot educate youth who can't or won't behave themselves and can't or won't learn. These are supposed to be schools, not reform schools, not mental institutions, not custodial care facilities.

My mom went to Eastern High School when it was highly respected. You and I both know what the difference was between then and now. Pretending that isn't the problem doesn't fix anything.

[JohnRhysMusician]

Most urban school districts spend more per pupil and overall than their suburban counterparts. DeLay knows what he is talking about. It is a shame Democrats put special interest over their constituents. Republicans never do that. Republicans always have core beliefs, and it may not seem like we're sticking up for the little guy, but in the end, the data shows that we are.

[nuumskee]

I wish would would. I think a Japenese early education model of more group activities until college would be better instead of the "u are on your own & do for self" framework we promote in our schools. howevery funding is the problem and until u address the unequal funding between urban and suburbs than the problem will NEVER be fixed. Ed is funded mainly on property taxes which makes it all but certain that educational success will be unequal across race and class lines. Any ideas?

[mom4education]

How the HELL does this criminal, Tom Delay, get credible attention from the press?

Geez, Looooeeeez. I've had it up to my ying yang with all of this blah, blah, blah.

Our planet is dying, our country is in dire straits, and we are encouraged to hang on to insignificant words from one of the most corrupt individuals of the G.W. Bush administration.

Love,

mom4education

Orange, California USA

[aesthector]

we've given these repugs 8 years

we shouldn't give them the time of day after what they did to this country

after this segment the Hammer stepped back into his sheets and attended a rally

[hb2998]

If you can't afford to send your kids to private school, don't. I've been at private schools all my life, turned out fine (in medschool now). Private schools matter for the extremely religious who want to control what their children are taught (creationism). [not to say all private schools are religious, but you get the point].

[47f0]

I don't even know why this is controversial - didn't President Obama always have the position that he leaned more towards accredited charter schools and less towards vouchers?

[EntropyGuardian]

Who let this fucking crook on TV

[Sharpshooterjoe]

vouchers in the school system is the easiest way to create competition amongst schools, if a school is doing poorly not as many kids will go to it and there for not as much money goes to that school. vouchers should be used for all levels of schooling whether private or public.

[newmanfrigan]

Always with the protect the rich schtick. Fuck these guys.

[sachaput]

He's an idiot and you have to wonder about the folks sent him to Congress!

[Pleblian]

Delay is a criminal and needs to be jail.

[oldtownkid]

Here we go again with the school stamps ! ...and what the hell is Tom Delay doing on national tv? Wait till his P.O. finds out.

[voyeurdug]

Obama Girl is still in school?

Do they have senior enrollment there???

[biggerflexible]

Silence retard.

[squidb8]

I thought that was pretty funny

[dejahthoris]

me too

[kalane]

Why is anyone asking Tom Delay for his opinion?

[newmanfrigan]

Because the media is bought and paid for by corporate criminals.

[Richardgwm]

I thought Delay was in prison. He is a convicted felon.

[mikebee02]

Well... not convicted... yet.

[squidb8]

I'm a little slow, but hypocracy means saying one thing and doing another. So what did Obama do that was hypocratic, please someone bring me up to speed.

[Nutrino2179]

It sounds like more Repub BS - he refers to something the House did today, and then claims that Obama is being hypocritical. I'm pretty certain that nothing the House did today has already moved thru the Senate and been signed by Obama.

[mahyarmohaghegh]

haahaha this guy is retarded hhahaha

[TomStrong08]

He's right.

[MooseOfReason]

TomStrong08, Logic isn't accepted here. Include some ad hominem in your comment, maybe some "haahaha stupid GOP," and you'll fit right in.