Turning their collective back on some of Arizona’s most vulnerable children, Democrat lawmakers voted against legislation allowing corporate tax credits to pay for tuition grants for foster families and disabled children. The bill comes in response to an Arizona Supreme Court ruling that the state’s direct school voucher system for those children was unconstitutional.
This weeks debate on Arizona’s school tuition program was a clear example of the Democrat Party succumbing to the pressure of powerful special interests and disguising it as a feigned concern with the allocation of public school dollars.
I’m surprised how far the Democrats will go to protect the interests of the Public Education unions. It’s clear that voters approve of school choice. It is unbelievable to me that Democrats would vote against a program that provides choices for foster families and parents of disabled children.
Democrats argued that the legislation would cost Arizona’s overburdened taxpayers $5 million, when in fact the state will end up saving needed resources by keeping these students in an environment that focuses on their unique and challenging educational requirements.
This is the first time Democrats have shown concern for taxpayers. Usually, they just want to raise taxes and spend more money. Let’s not forget that one of the reasons we’re in this terrible situation is that Democrats proudly voted for the boated 2009 budget which spent us into the nation’s greatest deficit per capita.
These Democrats should be ashamed that they voted against a program that allows parents or guardians of disabled and foster children the ability to send them to a results oriented school that provides them access to a quality education. Evidently, when Democrats talk about the educational needs of these vulnerable citizens, it is only if those citizens are attending a unionized public school.
