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Don't smear homeschoolers in reporting child abuse case

Re: The Dollar family.

For the most part the Times, at least, has stuck largely to the facts of the horrible Dollar family situation. But as a home educator of more than a decade, and director of the statewide nonprofit educational resource organization, Learning is For Everyone, Inc., I strongly urge the media to adhere to correct terminology when reporting stories like these.

The fact is that the Dollar family was not, as they've been repeatedly identified, "homeschoolers." As the Times itself correctly pointed out, this family registered their children in what is known as a "600" school, a private school that provides a home-based learning option. By legal definition, the Dollar children were considered private school students in Florida, not homeschoolers. To continually refer to the Dollar family as "homeschoolers" with relation to the violent treatment of the children is an affront to the nearly 50,000 loving and law-abiding home educators in Florida who are equally horrified by this story.

Even more important, this is not an educational issue. It's a more far-reaching social issue. Far more publicly schooled children are horribly abused by adoptive and biological parents each year, and yet their educational choices are rarely brought into the discussion.

Where children attend school is not the issue. The vast majority of families make academic decisions based on what's best for their children. It's wonderful to have the choices we do, from quality public schools and new public education choices, to an amazing array of private schools and home and alternative learning options.

Please don't cast unfair aspersions on the thousands of loving families whose educational choices are nothing less than the highest reflection of their love for their children.

Beware of giving them an inch

Re: Leave religion out of school-voucher debate, by Clark Neily, Feb. 7.

Sorry, Mr. Neily, without the religious push there would be no such thing as "school vouchers." This is a simple case of the nose of the camel getting under the tent flap, as far as getting government money to promote religion. It is a long, sad history indeed.

The "chronically failing" public schools will suddenly find themselves successful at teaching children if they simply fail the students who won't learn, and expel those who interfere with classroom procedure. They should also fire incompetent teachers - as every private school will in a heartbeat, without worrying about somebody suing them for their own failure.

At collegiate level, there is still a strong question as to why, when churches enjoy a relaxed tax status, any public tax money should be spent on sending people to study how to further the church's agenda? This will be debated by judges, not by the people who promote putting tax money into churches.

Vouchers violate state Constitution

Re: Leave religion out of school-voucher debate.

Two Florida lower courts have held that the following sentence in our state Constitution prohibits the basic voucher program enacted by the Legislature:

"No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution."

Since school vouchers use state money to enable students to attend religious schools of their parents' choice, the vouchers clearly violate the constitutional prohibition.

A questionable learning curve

Re: Speaker: Limit terms to 12 years, Feb. 9.

What employer will grant you 12 years to learn your job? Didn't our forefathers perform their civic duty in a few weeks and return to "work?"

Citizen, beware.

Dean offers new leadership

Re: Bashing Howard Dean.

We have recently heard and read several political "experts" bemoaning Howard Dean's upcoming leadership of the Democratic Party, some even going so far as to call him a "liberal." The issue is not really about a party sliding to the left or to the right - it's about new leadership to end the current reign of incompetence, recklessness, arrogance and secrecy.

Dean's Democracy for America is a grass-roots effort to bring competence, honesty and balanced-budget discipline back to government. It's not a temporary coalition of convenience established for the purpose of winning a single election.

The critics should recall that "liberal" is a meaningless word used by Republicans when they want to win an election and are too ashamed of their own positions to discuss any issues.

They aren't town meetings

I grew up in New England and attended many town meetings from a young age.

I continually hear of the president's trips around the country referred to as "town meetings." I see no comparison between the town meetings I attended and these propaganda tours.

A town meeting is open to the entire public. No question concerning policy affecting the citizens is ever suppressed. It was truly impressive to watch. People elected to make decisions for the town stood up and faced the people who would be affected by their decisions. Some questions were hostile, some embarrassing and some downright off the wall. It occasionally took courage to stand before the people and defend positions the officials felt were beneficial to the community.

Whatever it is the president is doing it in no way resembles a town meeting. His presentations are not open to all, questions are vetted and the press certainly gives the president much more deference than any alderman would receive from the local newspaper.

Politics jams traffic

Re: Bush visits Tampa on Feb. 4.

Either our president has no experience commuting or he sees nothing wrong with closing the roads at their peak usage. It's very telling that our president came to Tampa with the intention of helping workers with his "faux-choice" Social Security plan while imposing gridlock on the business district at 4:30 last Friday afternoon.

Next time, take a helicopter!

[Last modified February 11, 2005, 00:52:18]