Question for Sali challenger; Choice in education

The Idaho affiliate of the American Family Association

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Bryan Fischer, Executive Director

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SALI CHALLENGER PRO-LIFE CONSERVATIVE

Extensive conversations with Matt Salisbury, who has declared his intention to run against fellow Republican Bill Sali in next year’s congressional primary, indicate that he is devout in his faith, firmly pro-life, an opponent of the homosexual agenda, and a supporter of the war against radical Islam.

Apparently Mr. Salisbury was unaware that the phrases he chose to use in announcing his candidacy – keeping “politicians out of your bedroom” and “out of your social mores” - are the very ones used by abortion and homosexual rights activists to advance their agenda.

Mr. Salisbury thus unwittingly chose wording that communicated a meaning opposite of the one he intended. He acknowledged that his positions on the issues would likely be identical to Rep. Sali’s 90% of the time.

His unfortunately inapt phrasing in his first foray into political life perhaps reveals that Mr. Salisbury, though obviously well-intentioned, may be a bit too inexperienced to make his first run for public office a run for a seat in Congress.

Further questions about how willing Mr. Salisbury would be to fight for pro-family values were raised in an article in today’s edition of the Boise Weekly. According to the Weekly, in his campaign Salisbury will stress “the importance of compromise” and his willingness to “work with Democrats” on things such as “the environment and energy policy.”

He declined to get into specifics with the Weekly, but clearly voters need clarification and amplification from Mr. Salisbury on these issues.

He would be well served at this point by issuing a written statement staking out his positions on abortion and the homosexual agenda in clear, unambiguous terms to remove any doubt about his positions on these critical social issues.

The question that remains is a more pragmatic one: if the congressional seat is already held by a devout, pro-life, pro-family supporter of the war effort, why is Mr. Salisbury even running against him?

Boise Weekly - Sali vs. ?

MARYLAND CHARTER SCHOOL EXPERIENCE ILLUSTRATES NEED FOR CHOICE IN EDUCATION

Although many educators in the public school system are supporters of choice in education, and delighted when parents are presented with growing alternatives, not all are so sympathetic. In fact, many public school officials have an outright hostility to anything that would threaten their stranglehold on the educational system.

A case in point comes from Maryland, where the hostility of a local public school to an innovate and effective charter school drew disapproving clucks even from the far left Washington Post, normally an ardent supporter of government monopoly of education.

In Annapolis, a pioneering charter school, which was showing remarkable progress in educating minority and low-income children in both math and reading, may have to shut down for lack of a facility because county school officials refused to rent unused classrooms to the charter school. The public school in question is only at 38 percent of capacity, and therefore has room for 900 additional students.

Among the explanations for the KIPP charter school’s success are the commitments from teachers to an 11-month school year and to be available by phone until 9 p.m. on a typical school day to help students with homework.

But the public school refused to lease any of its space to KIPP, animated by what even the Post calls “the antipathy many traditional educators have for charter schools.” Finally the school district offered some portable classrooms to the charter school, but the offer may be too little, too late, coming after many students and teachers had left, believing the school was finished.

Said the Post, “The losers will be minority and low-income children … (and) there should be no question of who is to blame.”

The IVA is hosting a reception on July 31 in honor of the legacy of Milton Friedman, the pioneer of the school choice movement, at which we will present some proposals to increase educational choice in Idaho. We hope you will be able to join us. The reception will take place at the Owhyee Plaza Hotel in downtown Boise from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (Details below.)

Spaced Out - washingtonpost.com

Idaho Values Alliance: Friedman Legacy for Freedom Reception

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