The Journal Record
By Andrew C. Spiropoulos, Guest Columnist
Posted: 09:31 PM Wednesday, August 25, 2010
George Orwell had it right: The most important political act is not winning an election or passing a bill – it is telling the truth. Now, telling the truth in politics often means admitting that all the facts aren’t in your favor. In most cases, your opponent has some good arguments and the facts to back them up. Most people find it difficult to confront the truth of their opponent’s argument and honestly explain why, despite the justice of that part of the opponent’s case, they are still right. There are a few times, however, when an argument is so clearly wrong that it is difficult to understand what anyone can say in its favor.
The debate over State Question 744 presents the rare case of an indefensible position, which is why you can’t find a state leader of any consequence who supports this initiative. Even Gov. Brad Henry, who never found an education proposal he didn’t want to throw money at, opposes this calamity in waiting.
Why do even those who support the initiative’s goals urge its defeat? Because, given the reality of our state’s budgetary and economic circumstances, approval of the proposal would force the state to choose between two unacceptable alternatives. The initiative, which most concede has been devised, funded, and pushed by national and state teacher unions, would, if approved, force the Legislature to increase per-student education funding to the regional average. The pro-744 forces estimate the gap to be about $1,600 per student; increasing our spending to close this alleged gap would most likely cost more than a billion dollars... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Wed, August 25, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski