Editorials
|
Editorials
|
|
February
27, 2002 Archbishop John J. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and a former diocesan newspaper editor writes, “The Catholic press is an important source of strength for my spirituality and for my sense of Catholic identification and community. I cannot say that the Catholic press strengthens diversity, nor do I think it should. The Catholic press should lead to a greater understanding of and appreciation for diversity — and it does that very well, because only the Catholic Church … reflects such universality and indeed such unity in diversity…” He adds that our Church community “is strengthened by the Catholic press.” The Catholic Advocate has been celebrating the stories of our local church for 50 years! The paper continues to be a reliable source of information about the Catholic Faith, an encouragement for people to take an active part in the life of their parish, and a reminder of our shared baptismal call to holiness. Later this spring, The Catholic Advocate will be celebrating our 50 years — and the Archbishops, the bishops, the priests, the religious and the many lay people who have made it possible for this paper to reach out in hope, and to be a reminder of the Catholic Faith we all share. We strive to be a call to love of God and neighbors. We pray that we will be able to successfully continue the work begun so well by so many! Choosing, funding good schools In the current debate about vouchers, one main point is most often raised by opponents — vouchers will take money away from public schools and result in an even poorer performance at some schools than taxpayers already are buying. A recent letter to the Wall Street Journal from Milwaukee Mayor John G. Norquist indicates this is an incorrect assumption. The opposite is true. Norquist wrote, “Faced with the good things that have happened (in voucher-fostered schools), choice opponents often claim the vouchers help private schools at the expense of public education. But when Harvard economist Caroline M. Hoxby investigated the impact of vouchers on public schools in Milwaukee, she found that wasn’t the case. Her peer-reviewed conclusion was that, ‘Overall, an evaluation of Milwaukee suggests that public schools have a strong, positive response to competition from vouchers.’” And “...students have made significant academic gains.” A recent survey by the Star Ledger showed that “60% of Jerseyans back vouchers...” (Ten percent were undecided.) Cheers for Member of Congress Chris Smith and his colleagues who have the courage to buck the lobbyists who would deprive parents of choice. Rep. Smith goes beyond the voucher arguments and has proposed a kind of income tax rebate for parents, that would allow them to make good educational choices for their youngsters. New Jersey residents who care about the education of children should support and encourage efforts like Rep. Smith’s, which seem to be moved at encouraging higher performance from all schools. Voters might well wonder why legislators would not want to support this kind of good idea. It seems to be the kind of proposal that lets the children —and parents — win. Isn’t that why school taxes are collected?
|
