Rep Worried About Funding Non-Christian Schools

Personally, I am not surprised. Having gone to a Principle Approach Christian charter school for years upon years, I know what she is thinking and why she is thinking it. Its the whole “Bring America Back to God Again” mentality. Most far right wingers seem to ignore our county’s laws (Constitution) unless their own rights are being trampled upon. If someone suggested vouchers for all private schools except Christian schools, how much do you wanna bet she starts stating what her rights as an American happen to be?

Having grown up in Louisiana, this dosen’t surprise me. This state is heavily populated with people of all religions that think “My belief is better than yours!”… And it shames me to live here. This representative, Valarie Hodges, has discraced the word Freedom, and has flouted what America stands for. (And personally, she’s sounding quite a bit radically idiotic herself). Our world dosen’t need useless preachers like her… Go preach something useful!

Lately I have been meditating on this quote: “Disturbances in society are never more fearful than when those who are stirring up the trouble can use the pretext of religion to mask their true designs.” – Denis Diderot, Observations on the Drawing Up of Laws (1774).

I completely understand where Hodge’s is coming from. Why should we, as American citizens, be forced to pay for ANYONE’S private school fees. This countries citizens have got so damn lazy and if I had too guess, I would say about 90%a of the citiizens feel ENTITLED to that CHECK AND FOODSTAMPS every first of the month and I am sick of being FORCED into supporting those who are perfectly capable of working but just won’t get off their ass!!! This B.S. of granting social security too drug addicts and alcoholics is nuts. Welfare? Clean drug screen or no check, and, no more than a year on welfare. Our government is broke. Why are we spending billions upon billions (fake money by the way) NOW? rebuilding every road and bridge in America? Everyone better wake up before it’s too late. I believe we are getting too dependent upon our government. What happens when the government says “No check or no food for you and your kids this month unless you????” The school vouchers isn’t where it started. This has been going on for years. If you care about your family, your country, you better remember how to take care of yourself. And then, start making these politicians remember that THEY WORK FOR US. WE ARE THEIR BOSS. STOP THIS MADDNESS.

http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/weird-science-taxpayer-funded-religious-schools-in-louisiana-teach

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This statement is untrue and can be proven to be untrue. It’s unfortunate that those who use it have no interest in the truth, only in furthering their own agenda.

Well said Herbert.

But wouldn’t excluding the Islamic schools only lead them to be radical over bitterness of the exclusion??

Well everything was interesting in the comments until Judy showed up. Ya know Judy there is a lot in this world you are unaware of. I agree about the school vouchers. Our gov should instead be putting money into the public school system and grant ALL children regardless of race, religion, sexuality etc. Maybe then there wouldn’t be so many people on th3e system. I bet you never HAD to depend on Welfare or SSI and by the grace of the Goddess I hope you never have to but some of us TRULY need the help and without it my family would be homeless and hunger ,I do have 3 children a husband with seizures and several health issues myself making it impossible too work a job.Im not forcing you too pay for me or mine our wonderful government makes you pay not me. Always keep Karma in mind sister the energy you put out comes back. I’m just so tired of people assuming all people on Welfare WANT to be there. I am a Proud Witch and I hope Judy never has to want for anything ,but you need to think about those who are truly in need, be it Welfare, SSI, or a better school so they can get a proper education and not have to be on the system because they have the proper life skills. Brightest blessings Judy. Now get over yourself. Namaste.

So if it was an Orthodox Jewish School that shouldn’t be funded either, right? I hate to burst her bubble, but there were Jewish Founding Fathers as well as Christian. Not to mention several of the founding fathers were Deists.

Thousands of radical Islam schools in the United States? Truly? THOUSANDS? I believe Rep. Hodges is mistaking that number with the number of radical “Chistian” schools that have taken root. (Assuming she’s talking about the United States and/or Louisiana.. and if she isn’t, then that shouldn’t be a concern for her considering that her current occupation has no influence on the sphere of global education whatsoever.)

Not having the State support and subsequently control your curriculum as an educational institution means that you have to put your money where your mouth is, Rep. Hodges. You and others like you that want a Christian education for YOUR kids get to pay for it, not freeload off of everyone else who does not subscribe to your hypocritical tripe (referring to what is clearly her brand of Christianity, not to Christians or Christianity as a whole).

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@ Judy Haseker

You seem to be confused.

Rep. Hodges SUPPORTED the voucher system as long as it funded “Christian” schools (I’d be curious to know if the Rep. thinks that Catholic schools count as Christian, I’ve met many of Protestant denominations that don’t).

The only reason she STOPPED supporting it is because it went beyond her agenda to get taxpayer money for Christian schools and extended to schools of other religions.

Nothing else that you posted in your comment had anything to do with this article, so please stop wasting space with such useless dithering. Start your own blog to rant on if you have not already and leave the rest of us genuine readers in peace.

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@ Herbert Stewart

I definitely agree. It is almost (but not quite) amusing to see how short-sighted these radical Christian educational agendas are since they fail to understand that State money = State rules. Won’t be able to teach that hokey to kids anymore if the State is regulating the curriculum. Suddenly, they won’t want that merging of Church and State anymore.

Judy (4): Nice thought but until you can convince people that they should actually vote for something other than their religion, it’ll never succeed. The Republicans and Democrats have gotten rather good at getting people to vote against their own self interest (women who vote for Republicans who support anti-women laws and poor people who vote Democrat who support more government aid programs to keep people stupid). As a system, we are presented two options and we choose the lesser of two evils but the lesser of two evils is still evil. We have become conditioned to believe there is no viable third choice because well Democrats and Republicans want it that way.

barb (6): I’m not sure what statement is untrue. Perhaps you could enlighten me with whatever is untrue and then, of course, explain how it’s untrue.

What this Representative is thinking seems stupid to those who aren’t Christian but many Christians believe (thanks to David Barton) that this is a Christian nation. Of course, as Pagans, we know that this country is not now nor has it ever been a Christian nation. It never actually occurs to them that other religions either 1) exist or 2) should have the same rights as they do. I’ve read here before that other groups are trying to make first tier and second tier religions. First tier religions appear to mostly consist of Christians and the First Amendment would apply to them. The second tier would be all other religions but not recognized by the government and thus wouldn’t have the protections of the First Amendment.

I doubt Judy Haseker even read the article. She has what seems to be a canned opinion, and it is probably posted on many forums around the internets. It has very little to do with the article it was posted to and is written in an attempt to foment some brand of dislike toward political leaders who are proponents are not very conservative in their platforms.

Judy Haseker probably is a ‘bot, but there is a possiblitiy she is a self-hating unemployed person who spends all day on the internets looking for places to drop her diatribes.

Blessed Be

Biased isn’t she? Wow. If you open the door for school vouchers to religious schools, then ALL schools qualify for those vouchers, Christian, Pagan, or Muslim, or Jew. EQUAL UNDER THE LAW!

At least she withdrew it for everyone rather than try to make “exemptions for whomever she doesn’t like.

That said, where do we get lawmakers who don’t know history or law?

I think this chic is rather selfish. So if it’s right to her, it should be funded, if not then screw it.

Sorry rep. Hodges. The U.S. is a free country that doesn’t revolve around you or your beliefs. Period.

this seems a good place to share this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16K6m3Ua2nw&feature=share

I hope people enjoy it and don’t find it too far afield.

… I’m sorry to say, but stories like this make me realise that Americans scare the crap out of me. How can the most powerful nation on Earth be so ignorant?

You know someone needs to re-tell these folks they cannot have their cake and eat it too!. The world is not about Christianity so get over it. And no, our founding fathers did not base this country on a Christian precept. Good grief.
If they want to have vouchers for “private” schools, they have to realize that these may include non Christian, as well as non religious schools. You either have to include everyone or leave the cash where it should be: funding public education so that everyone can benefit.

Judy my husband spent 28 years in the military before surgery led to being medically discharged. I’ll tell you a lot of those military posts are built in the worse of school areas. Lazy? can’t get off our asses? You obviously have not priced private schools. Even 20 years ago when we first looked there was no way we could afford it. Civilian friends many whose husband worked two jobs couldn’t afford it. For a lot of us home schooling became the only option for insuring our children would get a good basic foundation in math, reading, science and history. Religion had nothing to do with it a good education did! School vouchers would of been a god send. As for a free ride, have you forgotten we are PAYING for that school through taxes, my taxes, your taxes why the heck shouldn’t I have a choice where I send my child with the tax dollars I am spending for the schools. Why should I send my money and my child to a failing school? Case in point the decision to pull our children out of the public school system and decided to home school was brought about by a teacher AND THE PRINCIPAL AGREEING, “Why are you worried? He can still play football with a D!” he was in the 3rd grade! Just what kind of reasoning was that? Excuse any spelling / grammar errors, I just get so darn mad when I hear people saying the parents must be lazy and are free loaders otherwise they could afford the fees of a private school, so let’s just leave their kids in the dregs of our school system. Why care if “those” kids get a decent education they’ll only end up free loading too. That kind of attitude becomes a self full-filling prophesy when you put a child in a situation where a D is good enough and he’s passed to the next grade automatically.

The representative from Louisiana apparently did not study American history too well. The “founding fathers” seldom were Christian. Christ is not mentioned in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. Most were Deist who believed in a higher power, but never mentioned Christ. She would do well to truly study the beliefs of the “founding fathers”. If so, she would probably not be as comfortable or as smug as she is in the good ole USA.

Under the first Amendment of the United States Constitution, it states that a person cannot “prohibit the free exercise of religion.” Hence, a person cannot infringe on a person’s right to practice their own preference of religion.

So I would think if you are going to provide school vouchers it would have to include schools of all religions. Not just the one some people think is “right”. America has always been a melting pot of different cultures and beliefs that is what has made her such a beautiful country.

The “founding fathers” were NOT Christian (Christian in the sense of what Christianity is today). It’s very cute how this facade has gone as far as government. I wish I was stupid enough to believe that one book has the answers to life, but alas, my IQ is over 2.
Does anyone in our government not realize they were voted in to protect EVERYONE’S religious beliefs, not just their own? Scary..VERY scary and very sad.

Louisiana and other states do not “NEED” vouchers, what they need is qualified and dedicated teachers. Personally, I think home schooling kids is not as hard as everyone thinks & while most people say it doesn’t prepare kids for the real world, actually it does, because as the parent youdecide what the cirriculum is for your child. I know this is what I did & we lived just next door to LA in good old Mississippi. I was lucky enough to work where I could bring my kids to work with me & they were taught how to do everything I did from the simplest job to carrying out the trash. And each quarter, they took the tests to be sure they met the state’s standard. All my kids are grown. They were all home schooled & are currently employed. Yes, we are a long line of very proud Pagans.
It irritates me that Christians seem to think they should have everything for them & zip for the rest of us. I’m a firm believer in Separation of Church & State.

Throw this into the mix – all things being equal, a family with ten children will pay less taxes into the system at the same time they throw a greater burden onto others, than will a family with two children.

It is interesting to note with the above in mind, that religious families are usually the loudest proponents of large families, and are against birth control for members of their cult.

No need to homeschool. Support your local public school. Volunteer your time there to make it a better, more enrichening experience, for the whole community. Be aware of your children’s daily activities in the classroom, and MAKE SURE they turn in their homework. Good students DO come from poor schools, if the parents are involved.

NO vouchers for private schools at any time. Public taxes for public schools only. While we are at it, it is time all RELIGIOUS institutions start paying their share of property taxes, just as if any private country club owned that property.

MAd Cow, home schooling is becoming one of the fastest growing ways of educating a child. Don’t insult home schoolers by telling us to be involved and check home work. My children were taught to read, write and do simple math before entering public school. Just as my parents instructed me and my siblings. I made a point to talk to my children’s teachers on a weekly basis and had good communication. Until we transferred and HAD TO use a school where a teacher tore up the home work in front of the kids because it was “Busy work the parents expected” He failed to show up for appointments with parents & he openly declared we had no place in his class room. He couldn’t be fired people had tried repeatedly to at least get him moved to a non teaching position. My son’s grades plummeted in that setting. my daughter would of been sent to that school the next year. It came down to it buying a quality recognized curriculum & teaching at home at $800. a year vs the $9,000 a year at that time for private school. Home schooling was our choice. Our kids were tested yearly by an independent tester & tested well above their peers every year. As far as I’m concerned home schooling provides that private school education that parents can’t afford in the child’s home. Because a parent who IS involved with their child’s education and IS concerned about its quality isn’t going to settle for a school that has forgotten they are there to give the students a good foundation for life and having kids passed on who can’t read, write or do numbers is not a good foundation. My sister teaches 8th grade she has kids who can’t read a simple 2nd grader reader! But the schools in the area have a no fail policy. If the parents had a choice in schools would those failing schools still be open today and would those teens be reading instead of being read to by teacher assistants?

I can hear it now….
“Wiccans and Islams and Jews……Oh my”

It may well have already been pointed out but Christianity was NOT our “founding father’s” religion. Try looking up “Jefferson’s Bible”: he wrote his own version!!!!

It may well have already been pointed out but Christianity was NOT our “founding father’s” religion. Try looking up “Jefferson’s Bible”: he wrote his own version!!!!

What happen to my comment I guess like most sites what only fits their liking I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s most likely a private place where only one is to be monitored by the high-priest!! Say It!!

HOME SCHOOLING: its a right, legally protected, and legally “supported” in many states (meaning the laws are not so stringent as to keep public schools from opening their doors). For me, I have a son with multiple disabilities and between his need for one-on-one and medication scheduling, the public school could not, would not provide him with what he needed in order to have “the least restrictive environment”. We were fortunate enough that I was at home and not only was willing to teach my son, but that I loved learning myself and it became a wonderful experience for us both, and spilled over into adventures and field trips for the entire family, providing each of us something more in our new “let’s learn” mindset. Unfortunately, being Pagan, my problem was finding materials and “support groups” that were NOT Xian. It does not bode well to approach a Xian home schoolers group even for the slightest detail once they suspect you aren’t “one of them”. Also, public school districts often intentionally “punish” and torment home schoolers because every child home schooled means funds lost the public schools. Finally, I think laws designed to support options for private schools are a great thing, as long as ALL schools can apply for and receive the benefits. Not just those claimed by “majorities”, especially based upon their false ideas that our “founders” would want it so. The forefront of our forefathers’ plans was “for the people, by the people”, as in all of the people.

Dew (30), I have no idea what you’re asking. Are you asking where a previously posted comment went? If you’re implying that I delete comments, you clearly haven’t been around here very long, or you’re not paying very close attention.

Sometimes comments end up in our system’s moderation queue, if they contain links that the system thinks might be spam. At present, there are no comments in the moderation line.

If you feel that one of your comments has failed to appear, let me know which one it is, and I’d be happy to research it for you and see what I can find out. Don’t come in here and accuse me of censorship or playing favorites.

patti

Ugh! When are these people going to wake up and realize that “Our founding fathers” did not all actively subscribe to Christianity and that this country’s principles are based on FREEDOM OF RELIGION, not CHRISTIANITY FOR ALL?

I’m with the separation of church and state crowd. One of the reasons the founding fathers wanted to avoid mixing religion with governance was because they didn’t want to be ruled by kings, which at that time was the inevitable result of mixing the two.

The thing I like about this story is that the the assumptions of Rep. Hodges were rightly challenged by the Muslim school’s actions. I hope she has learned a valuable lesson. We should thank the school ( http://www.isgno.org/ ) for their service. I would also like to point out that the legislation had already passed when this issue came up.
( http://bit.ly/LFvo0u )