Skip this site's navigation and go to its main content


Receive Updates From Heritage

Receive Updates From Heritage

The Heritage Foundation
Leadership for America

Our Vision

Building an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish.

About The Heritage Foundation

Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institution—a think tank—whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. We believe the principles and ideas of the American Founding are worth conserving and renewing. As policy entrepreneurs, we believe the most effective solutions are consistent with those ideas and principles.


School Choice Rally In DC: “Put Kids First!!”

Posted May 6th, 2009 at 5:38pm in Education 13 Print This Post Print This Post

Today in Washington, DC there was a rally for School Choice organized by DC Children F1rst. From Marion Berry to concerned parents to popular R&B recording artists, the message to lawmakers was clear – Put Kids First! What is also clear, is that by effectively killing the Opportunity Scholarship Program will put kids last.

The rally overall was very postive because the kids and parents were happy with their education. Why take that away from them?

Heritage expert Dan Lips has more about this event on The Corner.

Tags: ,

13 Responses to “School Choice Rally In DC: “Put Kids First!!””

  1. Lew Richards , Palm Bay , Florida on at said:

    Seems Obama paid notice to this protest, he changed his mind (again) on the Voucher program for D.C. . Sure wish he would change his mind on being a STATIST–he is destroying America as we speak( or rather as we DO NOT Speak}–SHAME on US!!

  2. Jason, Georgia on at said:

    What a shame that politics should take away these kids’ chance at a good life. It’s a sad day for freedom of choice and our education system. Thanks to unions, the rights of the teachers are put ahead of the education of our children.

  3. ozzy6900 on at said:

    From the pictures and the faces therein, the Left doesn’t look too good right now!

  4. Spiritof76, New Hampshire on at said:

    Where are the Republican Congressional members and why are they not at the rally? That is the reason why Republicans don’t have any credibility.

  5. Barb -mn on at said:

    Obama will come riding up on his black or white (not sure what is pc) stallion and save the day. All will be forgotten and everybody loves Obama.

    What type of leader would create a crisis?
    Only to take full credit if and when there is any…

    He can’t be trusted, his actions and words are hideous and pronounced lies! Don’t fall for him.

  6. jim wilemon on at said:

    Hey, the kids didn’t put any money in Democrat coffers and the unions did. Obviously the unions are smarter and more important than a bunch of kids or their parents.

  7. Jim Blackwell, Houston on at said:

    I see rhetoric but no action when it comes to improving our schools. It breaks my heart to see bright and optomistic kids not be given opportunities to reach their potential because some policy maker might lose their power and influence.

    It is time to pull out all the stops and give vouchers a chance. The current system has been failing for years, with plenty of funding.

    Sincerely,
    Jim Blackwell

  8. Sharon, Lubbock, TX on at said:

    Obama changed his stance on this issue only enough to extend the voucher program for those children already enrolled in this program, and only until they graduate. There will be no new enrollees allowed. The program is still effectively dead. How sad for us as a nation, that our President ignores what works in order to repay obligations to those (Unions) who elected him.

  9. ROBERT T. DAVIS on at said:

    THIS IS THE ISSUE FOR REPUBLICANS TO CRACK RIGHT INTO THE MINORITY VOTE AND THEY ARE TOO DUMB TO REALIZE IT. PROMINENT BLACKS MOST OF WHOM WERE GIVEN SCHOLARSHIPS TO STRONG SCHOOLS SHOULD MOBILIZE IN SUPPORT OF VOUCHERS. COMPETITION BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE. UNION EDUCATORS HAVE NO COMPETITION. DISGUSTING AS WE WASTE BILLIONS ON THIS MONOPOLY SYSTEM.

  10. Lynn B. DeSpain on at said:

    Children First? Since when? Not in the Twentieth nor the Twenty First Centurys have the Children come first! At least not since WW!!. As first in the long line of Baby Boomers, as children, we were told the same things by our teachers and our Governments, Education is the only answer! Higher education is the Best and only answer! From the First grade one this was indoctrinated into us. And we and our parents bought it, hook, line and sinker.
    The ,”Truth”, was written in the Fifties in a book called the, “War Babies.” The problem then, same as now, was that there was a disproportionate amount of children born, a double amount from the previous years, for a period lasting twenty years. The result for those who starting first grade through High school, we were never in a school that was not being built, or added to. Our Senior Graduation numers were three times the size of the previous years Class of ‘64′.
    Going to College in Ashland, Oregon, the previous years four year sstudent body was a total of 1250+. 2,400+ Freshman came in the Fall of sixty five. We were placed in Hotels, mtels, had classses on lawns, in gyms, basements, anywhere you could gather a hundred to two hundred sudents for a lecture. We didn’t think of it as odd, as from the Fist Grade on, our Class sizes were between forty and fifty students.
    Back to the Book,”War Babies”. What it fortold, acutally happened. With such a large amount of people entering the ‘Job Market” between 1965 and 1969, there were no jobs! Period! There was Vietnam for those who couldn’t go to College and for those who were done with College. But still no base jobs such as manufacturing to build services jobs on.
    Now we have the same thing happening, except the number of Students is larger, due to the proportion of the ‘Baby Boomers having children and Grand Children.
    This time the Economy was based on house building, something that Alaska is very familiar with, known to them as the 5 to 7 year Boom and Bust Cycle. Things happen quicker there, but the same thing happened here! No more jobs in base manufacturing, no more service jobs! The Government knew it would happen, so they created edicts to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Banks, basically saying, “Do not validate anything on anyone’s credit application, or lose your FDIC!” Extended the time frame, such as Vietnam did, but that’s all.
    The facts are we need down to Earth, no , “Pie in the Sky”, real jobs, here and right now! Jobs that are available immediately, without need of Fedueral Funding, or any Outside Nation’s funding.
    We need to say to the rest of the World, “Look, we produce less polution than the best of you could even dream of if you were to shut down. So we are going to keep on minig and using Coal. We are going to keep on drilling for and using OIL. We are going to keep on drilling for and using NATURAL GAS. We will build our own refineries and our own storage. We will sell to ourselve’s first and cheaper than anyone else. We have always come to the aid of any Nation who was in need, yet few have ever come to ours. From now on, we help our friends only. The rest of you are on your on. Especially you Mexico! You have never come to the aid of anyone in the World. You just take and take, and blame everyone else for your problems. Well they are your problems, so you fix it! We are Americans and we take care of our own at ANY COSTS! Any costs. Any costs.
    Hozro

  11. Sharon Georgia on at said:

    What a disgrace that the democrats tout themselves as for the poor but this decision showed they are only for themselves. Our children should not be politcal pawns of this administration. Obama is a disgrace and tarnishes the position of President. Years from now history will show that Obama was nothing more than a puppet of the extrimist left.

  12. John Clancy, Wyandotte, MI on at said:

    There is a fundamental problem in our country that has grown over the years as we move to the left: government schools and universities. They prepare students–mostly by ignoring our particular history and the history of western civilization from which we come. This miseducation promotes an electorate that is losing its unique heritage. The whole idea of a free society, for which our fathers died, is lost upon us. The present administration finds this to their liking. They don’t want a truly educated citizenry, and this includes minorities like the children in D.C. THEY, the elites, will take care of everything. Freedom in education for them (and the NEA) doesn’t fit their totalitarian template.

  13. TGOTCB on at said:

    Mainstream media has ignored this issue. It highlights the two-faced, back-stabbing, flip-flopping policies of the current administration. No conviction to princples. Wait until there is a major event affecting national security. They will screw it up big time because they are are afraid to offend anyone and try to please everyone. America growing weaker every day because of this “leadership” ——– what a farce.

Leave a Comment

In order to leave a comment, you must supply information for all of the required fields below (which are indicated by bold text).

Comments are subject to approval and moderation. We remind everyone that The Heritage Foundation promotes a civil society where ideas and debate flourish. Please be respectful of each other and the subjects of any criticism. While we may not always agree on policy, we should all agree that being appropriately informed is everyone's intention visiting this site. Profanity, lewdness, personal attacks, and other forms of incivility will not be tolerated. Please keep your thoughts brief and avoid ALL CAPS. While we respect your first amendment rights, we are obligated to our readers to maintain these standards. Thanks for joining the conversation.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.