It Takes a Family, by Rick Santorum: on Education
Bill Clinton:
1990s: Campaign for school uniforms
More gifted liberal politicians, rather than dismissing moral concerns, go out of their way to make political gestures shrewdly designed to try to convince the electorate that they SHARE a concern for eroding American values. But these political efforts,
despite megaphone publicity, touch only on small matters. Remember Pres. Clinton's campaign" for school uniforms? Then, their "image" properly "managed" so as to appear "moderate," these politicians proceed with their real agenda, an agenda utterly
hostile to traditional morals.School uniforms. They happen to be a good idea, but they're not the responsibility of the president. Yet as a politician I have to shake my head in wonderment at the sheer political artistry of such a move. It cost Bill
Clinton nothing; there was no changes that this "campaign" would go anywhere. Yet by loudly trumpeting his interest in school uniforms, Pres. Clinton was able to portray himself as someone who got it when it came to questions of America's moral health.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.209
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Comprehensive sex ed has no impact on pregnancy or STD rates
The field of abstinence education has not been studied as intensively as has the "regular" sex ed--so-called comprehensive sex ed. (And comprehensive sex ed, by the way, has not been shown to have ANY impact on pregnancy or STD rates. The ONLY liberal
program ever shown to lower pregnancy rates involved injecting inner-city teenage girls with DepoProvera, which, while preventing pregnancy, did nothing to protect them from becoming infected with STDs). But studies show that we can help young people
make the healthy choice to delay sexual activity--preferably until marriage, but at least until adulthood. An analysis revealed that adolescent girls who signed a virginity pledge were 40% less likely to have child out of wedlock than girls who did not
sign a pledge.
Yet in this country, we continue to pour millions more dollars into comprehensive sex ed, which "protects" against the "effects" of UNHEALTHY behavior, rather than promoting virtue, which will lead to HEALTHY behavior.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 87-90
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
One-time $500 contribution to every low-income child
I have been working with Democratic Senator Jon Corzine on an idea titled the America Saving for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education Act (the "ASPIRE" Act). It creates savings account called a Kids Investment and Development Savings
(KIDS) account for every child born in America. Under this plan, the federal government would endow each account with a one-time $500 contribution. Every child living in households earning below the national median income would be eligible for an
additional contribution of up to $500. These accounts would encourage savings and promote financial literacy for all children, and they would give low-income children in particular a sense of ownership, a stake in the
American economy, and a source of wealth to help them through life in a manner similar to a federal employee's Thrift Savings Account. All earnings in the account would be tax-free until withdrawn.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.152-153
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
1990s: School uniforms happen to be a good idea
More gifted liberal politicians, rather than dismissing moral concerns, go out of their way to make political gestures shrewdly designed to try to convince the electorate that they SHARE a concern for eroding American values. But these political efforts,
despite megaphone publicity, touch only on small matters. Remember Pres. Clinton's campaign" for school uniforms? Then, their "image" properly "managed" so as to appear "moderate," these politicians proceed with their real agenda, an agenda utterly
hostile to traditional morals.School uniforms. They happen to be a good idea, but they're not the responsibility of the president. Yet as a politician I have to shake my head in wonderment at the sheer political artistry of such a move. It cost Bill
Clinton nothing; there was no changes that this "campaign" would go anywhere. Yet by loudly trumpeting his interest in school uniforms, Pres. Clinton was able to portray himself as someone who got it when it came to questions of America's moral health.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.209
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Family, religion, and schools: most fundamental institutions
Schools [are one of] the most fundamental institution of society for three reasons.- Like the family, schools are directly involved in the raising of children, which is always the central task of any society.
- Because it is impossible to raise a
child in a genuinely value-neutral way, schools are--like churches--value-transmitting institutions.
- Schools are enormous generators of social capital, bringing parents, families, and whole communities together in a common endeavor.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.351
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Rich people already have school choice; give it to the poor
We already have school choice in this country. The problem is that we've only got school choice for people who can afford it.School choice today takes two forms. The most obvious form is the choice exercised by those who can afford to pay the cost of
private school.
Second, there's an affordable from of school choice, which happens every day in every community in America. It's called MOVING.
So we've got residential school choice already. And you know what? The same hysterical criticisms made by
those against making school choice viable for low-income families already apply to residential school choice. It creams off the best students! More resources go to school that are already better!
So we have plenty of school choice today already.
But it's inefficient and unfair. It's disruptive and costly to move. And it's inequitable. Low-income families can't move, so they are stuck; their children are stuck. We must empower ALL our children with scholarships if we are to achieve common good.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.365-366
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Home-schooled six children with wife Karen
My wife and I [decided that our] six children should be home-schooled. My wife Karen is trained as a nurse and a lawyer, and our kids are lucky to have such a talented person as their primary educator. (Yes, I help out too, but for most families it makes
sense for one parent to take on the primary educational role.) However, research suggests that there is no correlation between educational level of parents and the educational success of their homeschooled children.We didn't set out with any grand
plan for homeschooling. It just happened rather naturally, when we couldn't find a kindergarten for our oldest child that we were happy with. Eventually, we took the same approach with all our children. But we did it one year at a time, each year making
a decision as to what was the best course for each child.
The greatest thing about homeschooling is that, though it's hard and stressful at times, you develop this amazingly close relationship with your kids.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.384
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Multiculturalism insists we teach about comic books
Sometime in the 1980s, universities began to champion the importance of "diversity" as a central educational value. Now, it may well be true that the traditional curriculum, the traditional "canon" of great books, did not do full justice to great
works outside the Western tradition. On the other hand, America is part of Western Civilization.Multiculturalism would not be so destructive if it limited itself to opening up the canon of great books to Eastern masterpieces. However, its relativist
premise also rejected the distinction between high culture and low culture. According to the postmodern theory that underwrote multiculturalism, the difference between a great book and an ordinary book is merely the result of an exercise of power by the
establishment culture. The canon of great books was rejected as an ideological prop for "dead white European males," as the saying went. The latest mystery novels and even comic books were just as worthy of study as Tolstoy or Shakespeare.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.406-407
Apr 30, 2006
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