Louisiana's new voucher program gives $$ to religious "schools" without facilities or teachers

[JoePhilly]

46. If the area where you live has private schools of only one

religious affiliation, and the public schools are "bad", then in reality the parent has no choice.

If you don't feel comfortable sending your child to a school of a particular religion, then you are stuck. Meanwhile, your neighbor, who is a member of that religion, does have have a real choice.

In reality, what these programs will do is give a tax break to Catholics who send their kids to the local catholic school, where they were going to send them anyway.

Non-Catholics in that same area will get no such tax break if there are no alternatives. And that is the reality today. In Philly, if you want to send your kid to a Catholic school, no problem, they are everywhere. If you are Jewish, good luck ... unless your willing to send your kid to the Catholic school ... which should be a very pleasant experience for those 5 Jewish kids.

The only people using the voucher will be those sending their kids to religious schools already. Poor families won't be able to use the vouchers, not for religious reasons, but because the vouchers won't cover all the costs.

And so, we'll pull money out of public education and give it to the families who are sending their kids to private religious schools. And families who are not of those religions can ether join, or watch the public schools collapse.

Last point ... those private religious schools will be giving priority admittance to those who are already members of the parish in good standing. If you aren't a member of the parish (or other local religious group), you will drop to the bottom of the admit list.