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September 18, 2007
Money and madness take over in Utah voucher fightFirst there was the short-lived Mormon radio ad. Then there was the same-sex union push poll. And now it's a think tank "essay" that has Utahns shaking their heads as the campaigning over the upcoming voucher referendum heats up.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Glen Warchol reports on a Sutherland Institute essay that essentially attempts to link the fate of the Mormon church to support for vouchers, warning even of "cultural extinction." Not surprisingly, some think the essay overreaches, to say the least.
"I shook my head when I read it," says Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, who is LDS and a voucher opponent. If Mero's argument is that because 19th Century Mormons relied on private schools, 21st Century Utah should provide vouchers, Allen says, "Then we should also go back to polygamy, too."
Quick! Somebody get HBO on the phone. Oh, that's right, they've already done Big Love.
Frederick Buchanan, a retired U of U professor who has written extensively on the history of Utah education questions the idea that the public school system threatens Mormon culture in Utah. "That's nonsense. The public school system reinforces the LDS values at every turn." That's one reason, Buchanan says, there are so few Mormon parochial schools.
Meantime, campaign cash is rolling in for both sides, with the bulk, so far anyway, coming from the National Education Association for voucher opponents. More on that from the Salt Lake Tribune. And Paul Rolly reports on the intimidation tactics against educators by the pro-voucher campaign. Similar tactics were employed in past voucher campaigns, including Michigan's in 2000.
Posted September 18, 2007 3:22 PM | Privatization & Choice
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