http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695225580,00.html
[excerpt]
Vouchers killed
Foes are elated; legislators call issue dead
By Tiffany Erickson and Bob Bernick Jr.
Deseret Morning News
Published: Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007 12:56 a.m. MST
Supporters say it was a worthy fight. But after eight full months of
aggressive campaigning and millions of dollars spent on the battle, the
voucher law was rejected by Utah voters.
Election results
» State of Utah Elections Office (Lieutenant Governor's Office)
» Salt Lake County Clerk
Opponents are relieved. And while some voucher proponents say they are at
least satisfied with how far they had come, others say the 62 percent vote
that defeated the private school voucher law — which lost in every county
in the state — is a disgrace.
"I'm ashamed of Utah that this could even be a close vote," said Patrick
Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com, who has donated millions of dollars to support
vouchers. "This is parents looking at their kids getting a third-rate
education and other kids getting basically a death sentence and saying,
'That's OK by me."'
But those on the anti-voucher front were hugging and cheering Tuesday
night. Voucher critics say the vote sends a potent message to the
legislators who passed the law last spring.
"I think it shows that Utah voters care about all Utah children and they
care about putting all the resources we have in the state in public schools
where they can be available for all children," said Lisa Johnson,
spokeswoman for the anti-voucher Utahns for Public Schools.
"So for us this is the end of a campaign but really a beginning as well —
we look forward to working with the Legislature and others in the education
community and working on meaningful reforms that will help all students,"
she said.
The voucher law, which squeaked through the Legislature, would have
provided Utah families with a private-school tuition voucher ranging from
$500 to $3,000 per student based on the parents' income.
In March, Utahns for Public Schools successfully gathered enough signatures
for the referendum that would allow Utahns to decide whether they wanted a
voucher program. The law was put on hold pending Tuesday's vote but is now
off the books.
"This sends a strong message to us as legislators to represent the
constituents that elect us — we're not here for political party, we're not
here for the issue — we're there to represent the voice of the people and
if we don't do that, then we don't deserve to be re-elected," said Rep.
Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, who voted against vouchers during the
legislative session.
[end excerpt]
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You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
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.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
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USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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