It’s time for true capitalists to separate themselves from the general “business community,” which includes an unhealthy mix of ideologies that range from capitalism to corporatism to socialism.
A letter by Johnson County Community College Trustee Benjamin Hodge, as published in the Topeka Capital-Journal:
In a difficult period of economic correction, there is no better time for leaders in Kansas to finally embrace a movement that will create tremendous economic growth, lower taxes, diversify the community and provide hope and opportunity in the inner city.
I am writing about consumer-driven school choice: allowing parents and students to determine where to receive an education. There is one chief reason why the public higher education system works and why the K-12 system doesn’t: competition.
Let’s be clear about two things:
- The move away from government-run education is already occurring. The Kansas numbers are incredible. Between 1970 and 2000, Kansas grew by 25 percent in population, yet the total number of children in public schools grew not at all. Interestingly, during that period, the number of teachers grew by 30 percent, and the number of school administrators grew by 90 percent.
- Local business leaders actively oppose educational reform. So-called chambers of commerce have allowed unions, government schools and trial lawyers to cloud their reasoning.
School choice proponents are extremely flexible in our request to provide parents with vouchers or tax credits worth merely a fraction of what the school district would otherwise receive (the state average is $12,000 per student).
Within weeks of such legislation, great new schools with enthusiastic teachers would appear, providing diverse educational services.
Johnson County Community College has convinced me of these things:
Deregulation is usually a good thing. JCCC students who received education from home — often from parents with no government-approved teaching license — are among the strongest students.
- Increased competition benefits the consumer.
- The consumer almost always makes the right decision.
- Let’s embrace school choice. Freedom is what makes America exceptional, and freedom always lives up to its promise.
BEN HODGE, Johnson County Community College board member and former state representative, Overland Park
Moe Lane
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Caleb Howe
Dan McLaughlin
Vladimir
This is one of the top issue's we need to run with...
JadedByPolitics Sunday, December 28th at 1:17AM EST (link)and loudly and everytime we are on TV we need to be prepared with stats and be ready to say enough is enough that unions and Democrats have destroyed the public school systems and WE have the answer in both charter and vouchers that if the children of this country are important than the first place to help them especially in the inner cities is through choice!
Let the Democrats get on the defensive about the horror that is the public school system and an add on to it is 45 minutes a day of PE to fight childhood obesity we certainly did not have that issue in my day and the reason WE had 45 minutes of PE EVERY DAY! enough with the social classes and more of the basics and PE. It’s a winner everybody LOVES the chidren
Whoever has his enemy at his mercy &
does not destroy him is his own enemy
I agree with the diary and Jaded's points here.
Rod_Patrick Sunday, December 28th at 3:37AM EST (link)We need “real” freedom of choice in educating our children.
This is one issue that WE MUST WIN!
I just hope that Redstaters will focus on real, more relevant issues. I hate old issues and current gaffes over old issues.
The Saltmann and Duncan blah blahs are a waste of time. Republicans and conservative will never win if they continue to act like reactionists and apologists. We will further destroy our party and our principles by such squabbles. Obama is now the President-Elect. We need to focus on big issues that will contrast the Conservative Agenda from the incompetence and meaningless policies of the incoming Obama Administration.
Let’s totally ignore the issues being dictated by the MSM that only promote agendas by the liberals and democrats.
From now on, let us dictate our own issues that will advance our cause. Education and enhancing the productive skills of the American workers should be part of our overall agenda.
Thanks for agreeing with me Rod and another....
JadedByPolitics Sunday, December 28th at 6:59AM EST (link)issue is the one I did the diary on which is the War on Drugs because it is a failure and again because the government can NEVER do something right they have to make it 10X worse….our message of LESS GOVERNMENT and taxes and social issue’s back to the states all work with these two issue’s I have talked about and we need at least 2 more.
We are being beat on the tax issue because of the “promise” of middle class tax cuts so while talking about them we must talk about these other issue’s schools and choice and rehabilitation for first time drug offenses NOT ruining a persons life and let me tell you WE will have that libertarian vote back on that issue. We are still a law and order country but the WOD has ruined many a young person’s life and as we all have been young we have a tendency to be stupid BUT should have to pay for it for a lifetime.
I know there are a great many more idea’s out there lets get them and run with them and actually have something to throw in the faces of Democrats whose idea’s are DEAD just ask the cities and states where they run them in totallity.
“As Ronald Reagan emphasized, America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.” lets get back to that shall we?
Whoever has his enemy at his mercy &
does not destroy him is his own enemy
I hate that I am beginning to sound as your seconder, Jaded, but
Rod_Patrick Sunday, December 28th at 9:29AM EST (link)but I always find myself agreeing with you Jaded. Funny, but I AGREE again with you on this, for the nth time.
The Drug Menace is another big issue that we must fight against.
Drug users are generally the liberals. It may be a sweeping statement but so far, that’s what my experience has shown me. Conservative guys and gals might have had their own rendezvous with drugs in their earlier age. But it didn’t stick to them. In fact, many of the “grown up” conservatives are ashamed of such and would never admit it (except to God!)
In contrast, drug dependents are always the “self-proclaimed” libs and dems…the typical “freedom” (?) fighters in America.
Besides the usual issue of drug trafficking, we have all kinds of other related problems including murder, robbery, extortion, rape, child molestation, broken marriage, school dropouts, and clinical depression, to name a few.
Caution: The Libs are winning this issue. Legalization of Marijuana is spreading in many states like an epidemic.
Very well done.
NightTwister Sunday, December 28th at 9:26AM EST (link)Businesses benefit from a well educated population. School choice, including Charter schools, creates the necessary competition that drives all schools to improve.
Get Connected in Colorado…Colorado Political Analysis: 2010
I recommend this diary.
Rod_Patrick Sunday, December 28th at 9:36AM EST (link)To KansasConservative,
I clicked the Recommend This button twice already but somehow my name didn’t appear as one of the Recommenders.
If my idiotic clicks would register in the system as “unrecommend”, please forgive me, bro. But like Saltsman, I put the blame to the RS4.0 guys (sorry, Neil).
As my penance in advance, I specially made this comment to clearly state my Recommendation.
Oww, Clicked it for the 3rd time and it worked.
Rod_Patrick Sunday, December 28th at 9:48AM EST (link)Yehey!!!! It’s really RS4.0’s sin and not mine.
Hoops! Neil and RS technical people might get angry. Sorry, guys! RS4.0 is really far far better than the former. Congrats to the RS technical people (but it sounds like a shapeshifter? No?)
Excellent diary.
itrytobenice Sunday, December 28th at 5:14PM EST (link)I agree.
The problem with America is stupidity. I’m not saying there should be capital punishment for stupidity, but why don’t we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
"Business leaders" want to sell soap!
longwalker Sunday, December 28th at 10:20PM EST (link)“Business leaders” should not be expected to take public positions which may cause prospective customers refuse to buy their products That is why, although they would benefit from such things as school choice, “business leaders” have, generally, remained silent and out of the fray. Taking controversial positions may hurt sales and no “business leader” wants to do anything that will hurt sales. SO DON’T RELY ON BUSINESS LEADERS! They can’t afford to take sides and lose potential customers.
Do not classify the words or deeds of your opponents as being hatefull, malicious or criminal in nature if they can also be easily characterized as simple ignorance or gross stupidity. Anon.
then they're not LEADERS
kansasconservative Monday, December 29th at 12:43AM EST (link)The argument can be made that these men are not business LEADERS, then, but merely heartless capitalists.
And the reality of capitalism is that uncourageous and selfish (as opposed to self-interested) businessmen are not successful businessmen in the long run.
News from http://www.kansasprogress.com.
No, they're BUSINESS leaders
Neil Stevens Monday, December 29th at 1:19AM EST (link)not POLITICAL leaders.
Don’t blame them because conservatives are failing to come up with political leaders.
Want to run for conservatives? Give.
There Is No Crisis
I’d rather everyone get along, but I’ll settle for everyone united in hating me for being a jerky moderator.
5
zuiko Monday, December 29th at 3:11AM EST (link)The only reason most of them get involved in politics at all is to make their protection payments to keep the government off their back. That’s why they give to both sides.
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
Neil, I think we're unnecessarily debating here
kansasconservative Monday, December 29th at 6:23PM EST (link)Neil, I don’t disagree that conservative political leaders are needed. We should encourage new conservative politicians, vote out the liberals, and apply pressure to the “more or less conservative but uncourageous.”
Regarding my emphasis on business, it is because business and politics are intertwined. Sure, businessmen use 95% of their time making business decisions. But:
- they make political donations
- Whatever you want to call it, the politicians who receive those donations “listen to/reward” those donors with regard to legislation.
- One could argue that, during the 10 years of the recent GOP control of Congress, Republicans were too nice to the business community, without expecting enough in return.
- In the local level, c’mon, business leaders ARE political leaders, and often in a liberal way (they’re the ones “chairing” campaigns to raise taxes for “education” or “public safety” or “curing cancer”).
Again, I don’t disagree with you that political conservatives must be elected and re-elected. But just like many readers here would stop reading Redstate if you removed your pro-life plank, we need to let business leaders know that it’s time for them to end the nonsense of calling good local/state Republicans “anti-education” just because they think parents should have more than ONE choice of school district.
News from http://www.kansasprogress.com.