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Vouchers, Separation of Church and State, and Art Williams

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

1.         The recent Supreme Court Decision on school choice is a great step in the right direction for our nation’s children.  Finally, parents will have the ability to spend their tax money to obtain the type of education they really want for their children.  This will introduce competition into the market, which will benefit all children, including those who remain in the government schools.  While we certainly should have a legitimate concern about the government’s using voucher programs to obtain control over private schools, and while we should carefully consider education tax credits and other vehicles for giving parents more freedom, still, this decision should help open up a wide range of opportunities to families and break the stranglehold of government schools that has put middle class and lower income children at a severe disadvantage for so long.  With neighboring Ohio providing these opportunities for its children, perhaps we can hope that Kentucky will also offer an option that releases our children (and teachers) from the tyranny of KERA and frees up Kentucky teachers to offer more and better options to Kentucky’s children.  The education of our children is much too important to leave in the hands of government bureaucrats.

(See also:  A victory for school choice – Inst. For Justice http://www.ij.org/media/school_choice/ohio/6_27_02pr.shtml

 And Cato Inst. http://www.cato.org/new/06-02/06-27-02r-2.html

And Michigan wants choice http://www.mackinac.org/4434 )

2.         While the Supreme Court Decision on school choice is a welcome decision, it is a pity that the battle had to be fought at all.  Those opposing school choice framed their arguments against vouchers in terms of the first amendment and “separation of church and state”, arguing that the vouchers were an impermissible support of religion.  But what appears to have been ignored on all sides is what the first amendment actually says, which is the following:  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  It is very clear that the first amendment was intended to be a restriction on the power of the U.S. Congress.  It was not intended to restrict states, local school districts, or anyone else.  The U.S. Constitution, even including all its amendments, is a very short document.  If you really want to celebrate freedom in a meaningful way this July 4^th, why not do something very radical and subversive and actually read the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution? 

3.         The ruckus about Art Williams and Vehicle Emissions Testing has erupted again, since John Riley and the Stop the VET folks are now asking County Judge Executive Rebecca Jackson to fire Williams for acting contrary to the will of the people.  While Jefferson Review generally has preferred to stick to the issues and not to personally attack anyone, and while we fear that any replacement bureaucrat would probably be just as unresponsive to the will of the people as Williams has been, we think it is very important for the VET issues to be discussed and explored.  So, we have been happy to provide a forum for that discussion in Jefferson Review. 

            The Vehicle Emissions Testing issue is very complex, with regulations coming from all directions – federal, state, and local – creating a regulatory web that is, by intentional design, very difficult to untangle.  We are very fortunate that contributors to Jefferson Review have provided many articles analyzing and explaining the issues – from the lack of effectiveness of the VET to the workings of pollution credits.  (If you want to read some of those articles, you may use the “search this site” feature and search by the key word VET.)  It is time for our so-called “public servants” to come clean, explain the whole air pollution control system, and explain why they continue to support Vehicle Emissions Testing despite the fact that it has been shown to be ineffective in cleaning the air.  Forget the scare tactics or personal smears, and don’t expect us all to worship at the government altar, where it is considered heresy to question or challenge the high priests, such as Art Williams.  If a couple of arrogant bureaucrats or elected officials lose their government paychecks and have to earn a living in the private sector, at least they would learn something about the need to be responsive to their customers! 

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