Lawmakers Organize Own Campaign for Voucher Referendum
None by KCPW
(KCPW News) Supporters of vouchers already have a powerful and deep-pocketed advocacy group campaigning for school choice in this November's referendum. But Republican lawmakers who ushered vouchers to success in the Utah Legislature are branching off with their own campaign strategy. State Representative Greg Hughes explains:"We didn't really want someone else to be the flagbearer solely," says Hughes. "We really want to make our case and reach out to our constituents to explain why we voted the way we did."
Hughes is an organizer of the new political issues committee called the Informed Voter Project.
"We're afraid if we align with a campaign people would see us as a simply 'vote for vouchers' advocacy group, when we're really about informing our constituents about why we voted the way we did," adds Hughes.
House and Senate Republican leaders are on the group's board. Hughes says they opted to create an official campaign organization so they can raise money to hold town hall meetings and send out mailings without tapping their personal campaign funds. That also means they will compete for funds with the primary pro-voucher group Parents for Choice in Education.
"Any effort they do will complement exactly what we're trying to do in reaching out to the community," says PCE Spokesperson Leah Barker. "It doesn't really matter who spends the money as long as it's about educating the community on what this important vote's going to be about."
Barker was unaware lawmakers were creating their own campaign organization, but she doesn't fault them for wanting to communicate their views. Both groups plan to use similar tactics - holding one-on-one conversations, canvassing neighborhoods and organizing town hall meetings.
Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom, Legislative Coverage, and 2007 Legislative Coverage. Copyright 2008 KCPW
1. Isael Teitelbaum said:
Utah Can Lead the Revolution!When the American Colonists of the 18th century felt their liberty being violated by the ruling government, they came together and decided on a plan to take back their government. Their legacy gives us the ability to accomplish the same, and the voters of Utah can lead the way. Here's how.Voters in Utah are being asked to vote on a minor voucher program that will take nothing away from public schools. Actually, it will add to their per-pupil budget. Yet, the unions are spending millions of dollars opposing these vouchers. Why?They claim these measly vouchers - averaging $2,000 - will hurt the public schools. While it is true that competition will eventually force some useless bureaucrats out of the system, the children will only benefit. Just as competition in enterprise always improves quality and efficiency, so is this true for education. Proof of this is readily available wherever vouchers have been given a chance. Far more than education is at stake here. America's education monopoly is an enormous enterprise of over $500 BILLION per year that generates over $2 BILLION per year into union coffers. Much of this cash goes to generously grease the wheels of government, which generates enormous political power.I know it sounds very harsh to say this out loud, but factually the educrats are holding our children hostage in substandard schools (see Wall Street Journal editorial, below), often under horrendous conditions, in order to maintain this bonanza on the backs of hard-working taxpayers. How they get away with this day after day and year after year is difficult to explain, other than to say that he who controls the government gets to do whatever they please. The good thing is that the people of Utah now have the chance to stop this tragedy dead in its tracks. By choosing to free parents from this bondage that requires them to turn over their precious children to inferior schools by government fiat, voters can decide to lead the New Revolution. Success of these vouchers will bring freedom not only to the children of Utah. This will send a message that will reverberate all across America and announce for all that The New Revolution has come. We have had enough of being ruled by union leaders who were never voted into office. We don't want any more education experimentation on our children.Utahns can now lead the way for voters all across America to follow in November '08. Those who believe in the U.S. Constitution as originally written, with liberty and justice for all, will now have a good chance of being elected. They will run for office, and we can then vote out all those who have been denying us our freedom to raise our families without governmental interference. This could turn around the '08 election from one that now appears to favor the left, 180 degrees to the right. By voting for representatives who will pass the Civil Rights Act for Equal Educational Opportunity, to require equitable funding for every child, just as we now have equal opportunity in housing, employment, travel, entertainment and other public accommodations, we will create a new America - the way it was meant to be. With freedom in education will come freedom from over-taxation and freedom from left-leaning so-called liberals who have all but taken control of all facets of our government and our lives.Voters of Utah. Our future is now in your hands. Every vote counts. Please make it count for a better future for us all. Vote YES on Referendum 1!
2. Dawna Roskelley said:
THE VOTING NEEDS TO BE PROTESTED! If all counties did the same thing as Box Elder, then the vote needs to be taken again.
Box Elder send out early ballots to all county residents TWO WEEKS before the voting. That means that none of us got to see the onslaught of valuable information that came in the mail daily leading up to the voting date.
One lady said: "I didn't know Hillary Clinton and those other liberals were against the vouchers or I would have voted FOR the vouchers!"
How many others were convinced of the right way to vote AFTER the fact????
This needs to be investigated and protested in my opinion.