S.C. Sen. Robert Ford and Rep. Eric Bedingfield will be “side-by-side on the piano” tomorrow as they join Rep. Tracy Edge and numerous other supporters of parental choice to unveil legislation aimed at expanding educational opportunity in the Palmetto State and fixing our worst-in-the-nation public school bureaucracy.
Called the “Education Opportunity Act,” the new legislation provides tax credits ranging from $2,400 to $4,800 for parents who choose an alternative school setting for their children – i.e. one that actually meets their educational needs.
Of course every bit as newsworthy as the new bill is the duo spearheading it.
Already being referred to around the S.C. State House as “Ebony & Ivory,” Ford and Bedingfield co-authored a widely-read article that appeared in newspapers across the state earlier this month.
The article caused quite a stir – even generating a front-page story in this weekend’s La Socialista.
Since the article ran, Ford has been predictably attacked by status quo black lawmakers like Rep. David Mack and Sen. John Matthews – both of whom are nothing but bought-and-paid-for big government hacks with big dollar, taxpayer-funded conflicts of interest (check out this A. Citizen column if you’re interested in learning more).
Of course the attacks on Ford by these two establishment goons aren’t surprising when you consider the same thing happened to African-American Sen. Darrell Jackson just two years ago when he merely hinted that “a time was coming” when he would support parental choice.
Fortunately for those of us who support giving parents more choices, Ford is “not pussyfooting” around.
And Bedingfield? Yeah … he eats labor unions for breakfast.
So basically, the fight for parental choice is being led by two guys who will give the education establishment as good as they get.
That’s awesome news, because the taxpayer-funded, alpabet soup educrats have been playing dirty pool for years on this issue, with a sycophantic MSM going along for the ride.
It’s about time somebody called them all out … well, other than us.
Tomorrow’s event – which we’re sad to say doesn’t actually include a piano – will be held at 12:15 in the upper lobby of the S.C. State House.
Be there or be square …
By Bono Beach March 23, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Nice.
About time a stand is taken against the money pit of failure that is the public school system (note “system” does not not eqaul “classroom”).
Let me go ahead and predict that some self righteous “for-the-kids” technocrats are going to use my tax dollars to fight this one.
I bet a whole lot of pissing and moaning on their part will really help out the children. Maybe some name calling and finger pointing will help too.
We ought to just extend HOPE and LIFE scholarships all the way down to Elem schools.
By Christian March 23, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Ford’s done left the Plantation……the Democrats can’t have that.
By BIN News Editorial Staff March 23, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Education Opportunity Act.
Same scam. New name.
What ever happened to Putting Parents in Charge?
Sorry. It went down in flames along with all the other version of the voucher scam that Howie’s clowns keep cooking up.
sic(k) willie, tell Howie his voucher scam is really really dead in SC.
BIN News Editorial Staff
By baker March 23, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I think Robert Ford seems like a pretty interesting guy. He was the one who wanted to fly the African unity flag or somesuch on the statehouse along WITH the rebel flag, right? I remember thinking that was a pretty neat proposal.
Anyway, since Sen. Ford is talking about the public schools failing poor blacks, how is he planning to ensure that this “opportunity” bill helps those kids? Can he guarantee that those students will get into the private school of their “choice”? Can he guarantee that they will even get any tuition money if their families are too poor to pay enough in income tax? Will the “scholarship-granting” groups be required to help the neediest first?
I mean, I don’t doubt that Sen. Ford’s heart is in the right place. But there sure do seem to be a lot of obvious practical challenges wrapped up in this plan.
Oh, and just one other thing. It’s funny to me how one side bashes the other for saying “it’s for the kids”…..don’t both sides in this debate claim to be working “for the kids”?
By Nope March 23, 2009 at 11:40 pm
“Since the article ran, Ford has been predictably attacked by status quo black lawmakers like Rep. David Mack and Sen. John Matthews – both of whom are nothing but bought-and-paid-for big government hacks with big dollar, taxpayer-funded conflicts of interest”
Say — did Ford get any money from Howard Rich? And if he did, does that make him more or less “bought-and-paid-for” than other black lawmakers?
By Bono Beach March 24, 2009 at 11:44 am
So money from Howard Rich makes equity for low-income parents a bad thing?
Talk about a red herring!
By Nope March 24, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Bono Beach, what I said had nothing to do with the merits of the plan, which will sink on its lack of merit without my help.
My point was that if Fits believes that Mack and Matthews are “bought-and-paid-for big government hacks with big dollar, taxpayer-funded conflicts of interest,” how would they be worse than Robert Ford, the bought-and-paid-for SCRG hack with big dollar, privately funded conflicts of interest?