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Candidates abound in Utah

Looks like the educrats are lining up to make sure they get every dime they can funneled to the teachers' union.

People need to be sure to attend party caucuses to elect PRO-VOUCHER delegates, becuase the well organized teachers' union is sure to be out in force.

Utah kids deserve better than what the union thinks is best for our kids!

The Republican party has had parental choice in education as part of their platform for decades. So it has not done anything different than what the principles of the party have been established on. Mitt Romney strongly supports vouchers and he took the vote in Utah by an historic 90% vote in February. So Vouchers are not the deal maker or breaker that the democrats, or democrats in republican clothing, wish to make them out to be.

You guys are just wrong. Vouchers were re soundly defeated and will be again if any legislator is foolish enough to bring them up. If you want to send your kids to a private school, pay for it yourself. I thought you republicans were FOR self sufficiency.

Claims of a well organized Union = "BAD"!!!

Utah is a right to work state, and there really aren't that many teachers that belong to the Union, because the state does not pay them enough. If they have to choose between food and Union Dues, it's usually food.

In CA, all teachers are required to join the NEA to get a job, and there, the Union is well organized.

Seems the Pro-voucher group is up and posting, demonizing the union and claiming Mitt as their Leader.

Which is the well organized group out their ready to take our tax dollars???

Seems like the rich just aren't happy until they get the poor to pay for their kids private school.

All I know is that Urquhart has to go, he has done NOTHING for St. George but done favors for the developers and contractors

Actually Clark is running against someone, great reporting...

Do some reading on Jefferson before you start using his name.

He would never have supported using Tax Dollars to fund public schools.

Your're right. Socialized public education is against everything Thomas stood for. He would have said no to the entire concept. No public ed period. Let parents send and spend on whatever educational experience they deem best for their kids.

As a UEA member, I'm upset that John is trying to expose our hidden agenda! We certainly don't want the public to know what we think is best for the kids! They would never tolerate the concept of updated textbooks, smaller class sizes, equal opportunity for all, improved literacy, improved math skills, . . . the list just goes on! Why we might even ask for fair compensation for teachers. We certainly don't want to let that get out. So everyone, try to forget what you just heard. Let's keep it our little secret.

Republicans won't run on a pro-voucher platform. They will hide from it like they did in 2006. They will pretend to be pro-education, but when elected will try again to force vouchers down our throats.

The truth about GOP lawmakers is they believe money is God. Being pro-business is one thing. Putting profit above people is another. We are now feeling the effects of the GOP economy throughout the US.

One thing I do agree with is that the UEA Democrats running as Republicans should't get out of convention. Why vote for someone who isn't truthful about who they are? 20 Democrats voted against vouchers. 14 republicans did too. What I want to know is why the UEA only recruited people to run as Republicans? At least PCE was loyal to those who stood by them.

Nice article! The stste web site on elections shows that Kay Garske has filed to run against Rep. Biskupski again this election. Thanks.

Vouchers do not violate "self-sufficiency" anymore than socialized, taxpayer-funded public schools do. In fact, since most voucher amounts are less than what taxpayers spend per public school student, vouchers are actually a smaller subsidy.

The Republican Party plaform has included the statements on vouchers for several years. The issue has been before the legislature for several years also. It finally had enough votes to pass and be signed. Another round will be coming. and it will take the same path, slowly and steadily educating those that misunderstand the basic issue - it it the parents that are responsible for their children, and who should retain the choice. Government has never been a good substitute or steward when assuming responsibilities from the family. Government get's its authority from the people and the people will win over the union eventually. Deceipt will be exposed and truth will prevail.

If vouchers ever passed, every good private school would increase their tuition so the "riff raff" wouldn't be able to attend. Do you really think wearing uniforms and paying tuition makes your kid more intelligent?? IQ is genetic; a private school isn't going to get a mediocre kid into top universities no matter how much voucher money is given. The real truth behind vouchers is that its promoters want their kids to go to a religious-based school so they can isolate them from the rest of society. The last thing Utah needs is more religious kooks!!

So what's the big fuss coming from the opponents of vouchers? If parents want to send their children to a private school instead the monopolistic schools run by the powerful UEA and NEW lobby, why should they be forced to pay twice for this opportunity? They already pay for the education of their children through property taxes and state income taxes. Why cannot some of this tax burden be used to offset the cost of the private school?

Parents - Utah taxpayers with school age children - get so many tax breaks that their contribution to the educational costs of a typical child is about $37 per year. Grandparents pay, people without children pay, businesses pay, but people who have children in the home make virtually no contribution in the taxes collected to run schools.

Vouchers would be fine, but it's the people who DON'T have school age children in the home who deserve the rebate. Pay your own way!