As Americans, we hold our freedoms to be very sacred. Anything that infringes on our ideals as a nation is an immediate cause for alarm. One freedom that has long been trampled upon is the freedom of choice. A proposal that would extend this freedom to American youth and families is beginning to gain steam.School vouchers would seek to give all families the freedom to choose where their children attend school, but liberals have shot down the issue time and time again. Organizations that claim to work for the rights of Americans instead are working to deny us these very rights.The school voucher program currently exists in Cleveland, and is on a trial basis in Milwaukee. The program provides state money to low income families who can then use that money to afford tuition at a school of their choice.Under Milwaukee’s program, single parent families with an income of less than $14,000 and families of four with an income of less than $28,000 can apply for assistance. In 1997, 6,200 students enrolled in Milwaukee’s voucher program.Vouchers give inner-city children the opportunity to escape second-rate schools and gain the education they desperately need and deserve. Polls show that vouchers have the greatest support among blacks and single parents, both of whom give the program 56 percent approval. In New York, 22,000 families applied for 1,300 available vouchers.Strongest opposition in the polls comes from suburban whites and senior citizens. Low-income families should have the opportunity to give their children the same education that rich families have gotten for years. Studies show that the program works as advertised. Test scores of students in the program have narrowed the gap between minority and non-minority students. Poor public school districts are outspent by a five-to-one margin by rich school districts. Freedom of school choice would narrow this gap and place all young Americans on equal ground. But some groups do not want students on a level playing field. It’s not the right wing Republicans or the Christian Coalition that have come out in strongest opposition to helping inner-city youth. It’s the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.How intriguing it is that a group such as the ACLU, who claims to be the protector of our freedoms, would not support an initiative that would expand freedoms to our children and the poor. They claim it will lead to public schools being left to rot because they cannot compete with private schools.What they are missing is the entire point. Ask yourself what is more important: keeping afloat a deteriorating school that cannot meet the educational demands of society or allowing children to reach their greatest potential? If children leave schools because they are not competitive, it will force these schools to upgrade to compete. It’s capitalism at work, folks. In time, poor schools will shut down and students will be attending schools that teach instead of baby-sit.But the liberals of the ACLU don’t want this to happen. The NAACP, another liberal group, opposes vouchers as well. A group that supposedly puts the well being of minorities to the forefront, the NAACP is opposing a plan that 56 percent of blacks support. They oppose a plan that is proven to narrow the gap between minority and non-minority test scores.The NAACP is not in favor of allowing inner-city youth the chance to escape their insufficient schools. They instead align themselves with white suburbanites who fear that vouchers will permit “undesirables” to permeate their school systems. If that is their idea of promoting the advancement of colored people, I think they should reevaluate their principles.As Americans, it is incumbent upon us to help all our children grow into their fullest potential. School vouchers give children this opportunity, and would help America`s pathetic education system reach the standards set by our international counterparts. Liberals want to prevent this growth and opportunity. It is not only wrong, it is unjust, and if you ask me, just a tad racist.
Aaron Wiegand is a business major from Mansfield.
