Tax Dollars for School Choice

Tax Dollars for School Choice

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

August 30, 2011

John Sherlock of Indianapolis is misguided. Not to pick on Mr. Sherlock, but he sure needs to get a clue about whose money is whose.

In a letter to the editor of the Indianapolis Star on Sunday August 28, Sherlock jumped to the popular misconception that tax dollars are the government’s money to do as it will. “It is totally inappropriate for parents to expect to use taxpayers’ money to fund their children’s education at religiously affiliated schools,” wrote Sherlock.

Just where does Sherlock think the government procured said “taxpayers’ money?” That should be a rhetorical question, but clearly needs answering. As though it should be the question to a Jeopardy! answer in the category of “Stupid Answers,” the TAXPAYERS, Sherlock.

As the adage goes, follow the money. Parents earn money on the job. Part of that money pays the property taxes on their house – tax money used to fund the public schools. Perhaps these parents choose not to subject their children to the failing public schools of Indianapolis. Since the money used to fund the public schools they choose not to use originated with the parents, why not have that money stay with the parents to send their children to the schools of their choice?

In his letter, Sherlock referred to giving money to parents who in turn give it to religious schools as a ruse for what he believes is the government funding of religion. The ruse, Mr. Sherlock, is that the money belongs to the government in the first place.

As for those renters with school-aged children, part of their rent paid to the landlord is used to pay the property taxes on that apartment building. That portion of the property taxes used for public education funding should also be returned to those renters wishing to enroll their children in a religion-based school.

Libertarian thinking would defund all public schools and make parents responsible for financing their children’s education 100 percent. But, for the same reason citizens without children pony up to keep the school doors open, there is a societal benefit to having public schools funded by those who do not have children.

Without public schools, even miserably failing ones, more youths would be roaming the streets uneducated. Ultimately the burden of their support would fall on the shoulders of the taxpayers, funding the unemployment and food stamps of the public school uneducated children.

On second thought, why not privatize the entire public school system, by enlisting corporate sponsorship of the schools, just as they would a sports stadium. This would create a competitive arena, grant the corporations a nice tax write off, and for sponsoring schools, the corporation would endear itself to the local community who would, in turn, buy their products. It’s win-win.

Under a system of privatization, bloated costs could be reduced and expenses would be meted out more efficiently because corporations have stockholders and boards of directors to whom they answer. The corporations would have a vested interest in the success of the students as potential future employees as well – again a win-win.

In order for such a plan to work successfully, the rank and file must dispel themselves of the misguided notion that taxpayers’ dollars belong to the government and not the people earning them.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Clergy, 1st Responders More Important Than Politicians

Clergy, 1^st Responders More Important Than Politicians

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

August 24, 2011

In continuing efforts to sanitize and extinguish all legitimate meaning behind the upcoming 10^th anniversary of the worst attack perpetrated against the United States on its soil, the so-called powers that be announced there will be no clergy invited to participate in what doubtless will be a solemn event. For this, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg must be castigated for this deplorable decision.

Initially, first responders were denied a role in the memorial events, and now with the absence of clergy, one must wonder if survivors and families of the victims will be welcome or will this simply be a dog and pony show for the politicians and the so-called powers that be.

Ten years ago the NYPD, FDNY and the EMS were not invited either, but they showed up anyway.

This is disgraceful and an affront to the memories of the victims, among them, numerous first responders. The last thing that should be done, but it comes as no surprise, is for such an occasion to be politicized.

This is not for the politicians. It’s already bad enough that politicians have commandeered the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site to ignore and eradicate the names of the victims and to not denote what really happened on September 11, 2001. The so-called powers that be have no conscience, no soul and no guts to tell the facts of that fateful Tuesday morning.

Has the United States become so politically correct, so afraid of its own shadow as to not be able to tell facts without worrying about who might get offended? Apparently so. And it’s just wrong – on so many levels. History must be taught and never forgotten.

The beautiful clear sunny morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was permeated by the depraved evil of 19 radical Muslim extremists, mostly from Saudi Arabia, a so-called ally to the United States. The havoc and mayhem they perpetrated took the lives of approximately 3,000 innocent people by hijacking four airplanes and intentionally flying them into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane appeared headed toward the US Capitol but the efforts of the terrorists were thwarted by the 40 passengers and crew who managed to prevent the plot from reaching fruition as it crashed into the Shanksville, Penn. field.

Whether events are being held at the site of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or the field in Shanksville, they should most certainly include clergy and first responders as well as survivors and victims’ families first and foremost. No one else matters during this solemn memorial. Not the politicians, not the voyeurs, not Code Pink or any other potentially disruptive organization with an ax to grind, or even the media for that matter.

Although the media does play an important role in bringing the events into the homes of the world viewership, they should do so from a distance – in an unobtrusive manner. And I say this as a writer who on September 11, 2001 was a working newspaper reporter in Northern Virginia, just miles from the Pentagon. The media should not transcend the news, but instead silently present the news as it unfolds.

What I am presenting here is editorial content, not unbiased, news – the difference too many in the business are not able to properly discern.

There are those who said that clergy were not invited to participate in the upcoming 9-11 events because they did not play a role in the prior years’ activities at the Ground Zero locales. That simply means that for nine years the so-called powers that be were wrong. That wrong should not be compounded with a bigger, more egregious wrong on such a powerful day of memorial when prayer is needed more than ever.

Is there anyone who truly believes the passengers on Flight 93 were not praying prior to crashing into the field in Shanksville, PA? How about the firefighters who went into the buildings in New York City and the Pentagon? Anyone think they didn’t say a prayer before their life threatening endeavors? How about those employees who were absent from, or late to work that sunny Tuesday morning? Anyone think they don’t say an extra dose of prayers to this day?

If not having clergy participate in the memorial activities on the 10^th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks of 9-11 is a means of placating certain atheist groups, we the people should be ashamed. What other possible explanation could there be for not having rabbis, priests, reverends and pastors participating in event that are taking place on what is referred to as “hallowed ground” be so many.

The United States of America was founded on religious freedom. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. We are a society created on the basis of Judeo-Christian values. If ever there were events crying out for the participation of clergy it is those that will take place in a couple weeks.

This year September 11 falls on a Sunday. I defy any reader to find a rabbi who won’t deliver a sermon the day before on Saturday or a priest or reverend who won’t deliver sermons that morning about the importance of faith, prayer and the remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001.

Clergy along with the first responders should not just be in attendance at the September 11, 2011 events but they should be front and center. They, combined, held this nation together – in terms of the spiritual and the physical by their presence and their deeds. They are too humble to make such a declaration, but it needs to be made, heeded and honored along with those who gave their lives and their families in what became the inaugural shot fired in the current global war.

May the memories of the victims of September 11, 2001 always be for a Blessing.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. On September 11, 2001 he was working for a local newspaper in Northern Virginia.

People Connect on Their Own

People Connect on Their Own

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

August 1, 2011

Regarding the Indy Star July 29 editorial, “We’re too spread out, disconnected,” it is reminiscent of the days of forced integration, which clearly failed.

People associate with whom they choose for myriad reasons – religion, politics, sports teams and even geography. In the dating world it is called being geographically desirable.

For all the sprawl, it spreads out traffic instead of concentrating it within one place, i.e.: the Beltway; thinning it out, keeping people moving. And urban centers do have advantages – night life, symphonies, sports, restaurants and museums. However, these same metropolises are rife with high crime rates and poorly performing schools.

For all the new homes and neighborhoods being erected, have the builders and real estate companies pony up proffers for the necessary roads, schools and sewage systems needed to make a new community successful and thriving. They will be the entities reaping the profits – to which they are certainly entitled, therefore they can share in the creation of such profit-making ventures and keep government involvement to a minimum.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

[This item appeared in the Indianapolis Star.]

Should the Obese Fatten the Government Budget

Should the Obese Fatten the Government Budget?

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

July 18, 2011

Plucking obese children from their parents is the ultimate in “nanny-statism.”

Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston and Lindsey Murtagh, an attorney and researcher with Harvard’s School of Public Health, want to extract obese children from their homes and away from their parents for a government intervention.

Ludwig and Murtagh want to place these children in foster care, as if that system is without fault. Should the anorexic be removed from their homes as well? How about the bulimic? How about those with ADHD? What about children who refuse to study? Where should the line be drawn?

This is the same government running a perpetually failing postal system, AMTRAK, motor vehicle departments and public schools at federal, state and local levels. This is another example of an overreaching government exerting their kung-fu grip on the American people. The continuing notion that government can better raise our children should put fear in our hearts and minds not unlike that of Nazi Germany.

Government is partially responsible for the rise in childhood obesity. Examine the fat-laden school lunches and now breakfasts shoved down the throats of low-income students. How many schools have eliminated physical education, extra-curricular sports and other exercise-based activities in the name of budget cuts? Society will pay the piper regarding the rising cost of health care and dependency upon Medicare and Medicaid.

Also consider the numerous teens unable to secure part-time and/or summer employment. The overrun of illegal aliens storming our borders to “do the jobs Americans won’t do,” the oft-repeated mantra of many turning a blind eye to the epidemic of illegal immigration, keeps ever-fattening teens on the couch.

Make no mistake; parents also must carry the weight of irresponsibility for stuffing their children with fast food and allowing them to lounge around playing video games or enjoying faux lives on-line.

Here’s an idea for a job creator: parenting school. Folks need licenses to drive, teach, work as accountants, electricians and plumbers, but not the most vital of all jobs – parenting.

Yes, the American people have a collective obesity problem, but so too does the government who instead of cutting its own fat, wants to add more bureaucracy and spend more money it does not have on programs that will ultimately fail like their numerous predecessors. Stop spending tax-payer money on public school diversity manuals as in Nebraska and get the children into the gym.

Sanford D. Horn is an educator and writer living in Westfield, IN.

Keeping Cursive is (Write) Right

Keeping Cursive is (Write) Right

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

July 11, 2011

Like a well-executed bunt in baseball, cursive writing is sadly becoming a lost art.

“I want to learn cursive,” my seven-year-old niece Lauren said. “I don’t want to just print,” said the rising Oak Trace Elementary School second grader.

That Indiana has removed cursive writing from its curriculum is a curse against the current and future generations of school children. Just because 45 other states have done likewise does not make it right. Replacing cursive writing with keyboarding does a disservice to students who will ultimately suffer.

Writing, like reading and arithmetic of the vaunted “three Rs” of academia, is a vital leg of children’s learning. Like a three-legged stool, eliminate one leg and the stool becomes useless. Students need a foundation in cursive writing to compliment the skill of using the keyboard as not everything they write in life will be composed on a computer.

Education experts have determined that the third grade is the optimum time to commence learning cursive writing. At that age and grade cursive writing instruction is ideal to enhance motor skills.

“The computer is important, but that’s just pressing buttons,” my 10-year-old niece Elysa said. “With cursive, you are doing the work – working your hand muscles,” said the rising Westfield Intermediate School fifth grader.

“School is where you should learn to write,” said Elysa. “You need to write your signature in cursive” and it “shows your personality,” she said. “We started learning cursive in third grade. We used handwriting books and the Promethean Board,” said Elysa, referring to the interactive white board.

Having taught middle and high school, handwriting ranges from the creative to the illegible and students with poor handwriting skills tend to get frustrated and not write enough, thus making the handwriting even more difficult to interpret by teachers.

Not all applications can be filled out on-line. Paperwork in doctor’s offices, checks and thank you notes still require handwriting. Neatness ensures accuracy, while the alternative could be costly financially or even medically.

It’s unfortunate, even tragic, that far too many schools have eliminated physical education, art and music enabling students to expand their horizons. It is even more detrimental to see watered-down history/social studies curricula as well as English classes where spelling no longer counts or where grammar is not taught. Eliminating cursive writing is another nail in the coffin of a formerly exceptional American educational system.

Don’t write off cursive.

Sanford D. Horn is an educator and writer living in Westfield.

Punished for Responsible Behavior

Punished for Responsible Behavior

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

July 7, 2011

Make no mistake – I, in no way, condone drinking and driving. In fact, the penalties for such an egregious offense are not nearly severe enough.

Strike one should cost the intoxicant his or her driver’s license for two years and a $10,000 fine payable to a drunk driving victims’ fund. Strike two should cost the guilty party his or her driver’s license for life – yes, life, along with a $50,000 fine. Should a drunk driver kill someone a death sentence should be attached. There is no excuse for any person to slide behind the wheel of a vehicle having imbibed beyond the legal limit.

That said, a recent decision made by the Indiana Supreme Court upholding the conviction of a woman for public intoxication while riding in a vehicle as a passenger is outrageous.

Opting to do the right thing and not operate her vehicle, Brenda Moore took the responsible path and enlisted a friend to drive her home. However, for the offense of a burned out license plate light, Moore was arrested and charged with public intoxication.

While the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the initial conviction, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld that conviction in a decision it reached on June 28. The Indiana Supremes voted four to one retaining Moore’s conviction, noting that the law was properly obeyed as public roads are considered public places.

However, was Moore in public by riding in her vehicle? If so, does anyone riding on a bus or other mode of transportation run the risk of facing arrest should they be under the influence of alcohol when they avoid driving their own vehicle? It seems like a classic Catch-22 – damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

If the letter of the law has been appropriately followed, the intent certainly was not. Clearly Moore was attempting to behave in a legal and appropriate manner by responsibly choosing not to drive herself home knowing she was polluted by alcohol. For her sober decision, Moore should not have been subjected to arrest.

Certainly this is no plea to ease the laws as they stand. That would simply be injudicious. Instead, an intoxicated person riding in his or her own vehicle or even a public mode of transportation not causing any harm to another person or creating a disturbance should not be charged with a crime. It is essential the Indiana legislature revisit this law and amend it.

Sanford D. Horn is an educator and writer living in Westfield.

Happy Birthday to US

Happy Birthday to US

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

June 27, 2011

“The Declaration of Independence [is the] declaratory charter of our rights, and the rights of man.” – Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826); Founding Father; credited author of said document and third American president.

A housekeeping note – I dislike the expression “happy fourth of July.” Happy Independence Day is the correct expression or happy birthday America is acceptable. We the people are celebrating our independence from the tyrannical shackles of King George III and that of England. Every country has a fourth of July, but not every country has independence.

The long road toward independence did not end on July 4, 1776 – that was merely the date we the people declared enough was enough from England. Enough taxation without representation, enough quartering British soldiers at colonist’s expense, enough passing of laws unilaterally without regard to their effect on the people, enough denying the people local representation who would understand the needs and problems the colonists faced, enough deprivation of trial by jury to the people, enough denying the people the right to trade freely with other international partners, and enough of the general and overall usurpation of rights and freedoms, at a whim, given to free people.

Sadly, only 235 years since that declaration, this country finds itself once again at a crossroads fighting against a government that refuses to listen to the people. We the people have a government more strongly supporting eminent domain than ever before, thinking it knows what is best for the people. We the people have a government hell bent on stealing our freedoms one by one by denying us the right to make our own decisions regarding health care.

“I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.” – Thomas Jefferson. Imagine what he would think of the monstrosity called the federal government in 2011 instead of 1811. The bigger the government, the more far-reaching into our pockets and the firmer the grip it has on our rights and freedoms.

Both major political parties are complicit in allowing our borders to remain porous and unchecked. Both parties have taxed and spent this country into ever deepening debt and deficits that virtually all its members are complicit in not just stealing from the American people, but from future generations. More than 80 percent of the acts committed by the Congress – those elected members of the federal government we sent to represent us – are actually unconstitutional.

While on the subject of what is or is not constitutional, message to Barack Obama: spreading the wealth around: unconstitutional. “Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.” – Founding Father James Madison (1751-1836); credited author of the United States Constitution and fourth American president.

“Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” – Thomas Jefferson; The Declaration of Independence. Those who seek our support and votes are also answerable to us as well. They must be held accountable every day – they work for us – not the other way around.

Heed this message: don’t let the other guy worry about our country – take personal responsibility – learn about candidates and vote on Election Day – every year – not just in presidential elections. The ignorant can be enslaved, the learned can prevent tyranny.

Tyranny can also be prevented by the preparation and strength of our defenses. We have our freedoms because of the determination of a military willing to sacrifice their most precious and ultimate gifts – their lives – then, as well as today. From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan and all wars and conflicts in between, it is the military – the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and reservists that preserve our rights and freedoms and enable us to live in peace in the United States.

“To be prepared for war, is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” – Founding Father George Washington (1732-1799); Revolutionary War general and first American president.

“Independence forever.” – The last public words of John Adams (1735-1826); Founding Father who, for some time, stood alone in pushing for Independence from England before it became popular and second American president. The nation mourned the loss of Adams and his friend and rival Jefferson simultaneously as the two giants died on July 4, 1826.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. The 10 year City resident still keeps a finger on the pulse of Alexandria.