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Correction, apology and clarification: Partially inaccurate analysis of SB 233 – “school choice”

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Re; SB 233 as passed the senate (SB233/CFSA)

Correction: The conclusion I came to and posted here regarding eligibility of students for the proposed new state grant known as the “Promise Scholarship” in SB 233 was inaccurate. I wrote that aliens illegally paroled for admission into the United States by the Biden administration would be eligible for the proposed new benefit. That conclusion is wrong. In fact, eligibility for the benefit requires that a student be a United States citizen or a “permanent resident alien” (green card holder) who meets the definition of an eligible noncitizen under federal Title IV requirements.”

That restriction does not include recipients of Biden’s illegal parole as I wrote. I deeply regret the obvious error.

As Georgia’s only full time pro-enforcement voice on immigration, we strive for accuracy and have promised swift correction on any inaccurate information. I have proven that no matter how many times one checks his work, if the same glaring error is repeated in the analysis process the conclusion will be flawed.

One of the first things I was taught as a seventeen-year-old recruit was that “Marines do not make excuses.” That said, I wish I had paid much closer attention in grade school class on Roman numerals.

Including state Rep Will Wade, and Senator Colton Moore’s Chief of Staff Michael Gargiulo, many thanks to the various people who politely convinced me to check my work yet again. I am profoundly sorry for my mistake and grateful for the confidence so many people show for our credibility.

Clarification: As the state-funded private school tuition scholarship proposed in SB 233 would benefit entire families, we have been consistent in our opinion that students and “parents” (applicants) be U.S. citizens or green card holders (“LPRs” – Lawful Permanent Residents).

I have repeatedly pointed out that we see no provision that “parents” are required to have that status  – or have any lawful immigration status. Due to the involvement of “parents” in the application process, oversight authority and apparent ability to access payments for “certain qualified education expenses,” we believe the absence of that language is crucial in any judgment of the pro-enforcement fairness and viability of the measure. Please see more on parents here.

We are of the opinion that any new “Promise Scholarship” would be a state grant public benefit under OCGA 50-36-1 and that applicants (“parents”) would be required to complete the verification of “lawful presence” in that code section. Assuming this is the case, it would not alone limit the participation of “parents” to U.S. citizens or LPRs. It would allow “parents” with non-immigrant visas and Biden’s illegal parole to apply and participate. We respectfully recommend that legislators educate themselves on this matter.

In the interest of “a belt and suspenders” clarity, the bill should contain language on this point. We also note that similar previous legislation did not require students to be U.S. citizens or LPRs, only cited 50-36-1 as an eligibility and verification reference and was murky in it’s language and wrong in its presentation.

dak

 

Republican Senate ‘school choice’ bill: ‘A Mackerel in the Sun’ #SB233

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Only U.S. citizens and green card holders should benefit from or participate in any new state grant for K-12 private school tuition

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School choice is an idea worthy of serious consideration. Including illegal aliens in any part of a new state grant isn’t.

The GOP-controlled state senate recently passed SB 233, a deeply flawed bill titled “The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act” – otherwise known as “school choice” and “educational freedom.” See also “putting parents in charge.”

Watching the rush to passage and the obfuscation of the senate Republicans to push the odiferous measure through reminded this writer of the scenario surrounding immigration legislation in Washington D.C. a decade ago.

During the successful struggle in 2013 to stop that year’s attempt at amnesty for illegal aliens, then Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions described the “immigration reform” legislation as “a mackerel in the sun.” He pointed out that the bill was meant to be passed into law before too many people had read it and before too many facts were provided to the American public.

Sessions advised inspection and comprehension of the contents of the most horrible measure. He knew that the light of day would expose the truth about the “Gang of Eight” amnesty.

“The longer it lays in the sun, the more it smells, as they say about the mackerel” is how Sessions described his reason for the roadblocks he put in front of passage to the New York Times. The amnesty bill failed in the U.S. House because of too much information. Former U.S. Attorney General Sessions is a personal hero here.

The “school choice” bill that the senate passed was dropped into the senate hopper on February 22 and passed just five legislative days later on the senate floor. That unfamiliar odor you may be smelling could well be coming from Atlanta and the stench of this Republican-concocted “school choice” legislation after only a week of being out in the open.

  • Related: We warned and informed GOP senators on the immigration-related problems in the bill well before they voted

The contents of SB 233 create a new state grant for families of K-12 students to use to pay for private school education and other expenses as an alternative to public school education.

The bill contains language that allows students attending private school at taxpayer expense to be formerly “inadmissible aliens” who have been illegally granted mass “parole” by the Biden administration. That scam was found to be unlawful last week by a federal court in Florida.

Parole, even when it is done legally, does not confer lawful border entry status. Legal immigrants do not need parole.

Related: A retired INS agent on SB 233 in the Brunswick News

Amazing, but true: the “school choice” bill (SB233) does not exclude illegal alien parents from the administration process. Processing of state benefits to eligible families begins only when “parents” file an application to begin the $6000 annual proposed new grant payments for K-12 students to attend private school.

GA state Senator Greg Dolezal, lead sponsor of SB 233 – “school choice” 2023 edition.

“Parents” includes a “legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of the student.” The bill authorizes “parents” to be part of an oversight committee that has authority to decide on eligible expenses in the use of state funds. “Parents” can be paid for unforeseen out-of-pocket expenses.

Again: There is nothing in the bill that says “parents” must be in the U.S. lawfully.

Lead sponsor on SB 233 is Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming). Dolezal did not mention anything regarding illegal immigration when he presented the bill. Floor debate did not include any discussion of the state’s illegal immigration crisis.

The bill was intentionally rushed through the committee process while this writer was refused an opportunity to speak during the much-abbreviated public comment period. Because I was the first person to sign up to speak on the bill, the committee chairman of the senate Education and Youth committee, Republican Sen. Clint Dixon (Buford), began selection of speakers from the bottom of the list. He ended the comment period when he worked back up the list to my name. That cheap and cowardly abuse of power is on official archived video record.

As if to prove they have forgotten that real conservatives don’t do anything that rewards or encourages illegal immigration into Georgia, every Republican senator voted in favor of final passage.

With the troubling bill now in the House, conservative Representatives should withhold action until next year so there is time to understand it and make an educated decision on their own vote. Idea: Only U.S. citizens and green card holders should be eligible for the proposed “Promise Scholarship.”

Pro-borders voters should step in and do for the Georgia senate’s “school choice” bill what Jeff Sessions did to the failed 2013 amnesty try. Contact your state Rep and tell them to ask the Speaker to wait until next year to consider “school choice.’

Let this anti-enforcement mackerel sit in the sun over the summer.

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A version of this essay is publish in the March 12 edition of  The Islander newspaper in Glynn County. GA. and on the subscription website Insider Advantage Georgia on March 15, 2023.

Another immigration expert on SB 233, “school choice” & illegal aliens – Robert Trent in the Brunswick News #GregDolezal

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Note: Letter writer Bob Trent is a retired Senior Special Agent of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (USINS). He served on metropolitan area drug, and organized crime task forces for many years and supervised special agents assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In addition, he spent ten years as a uniformed border patrol agent assigned to both the northern and southern borders. Bob’s final assignment was as the Assistant Director, Enforcement Training, U.S. Immigration Officer Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, GA. Bob is an old friend here. And, as we repeatedly predicted, a federal judge has launched a blistering attack on the Biden administration’s outrageous border parole scam while finding it unlawful.
 * What is the role of “parents” in SB 223? See here.
* See the list of bill sponsors below the letter published today.
dak.
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Brunswick News

Letters to the editor

Saturday, March 11, 2023

“Pro-borders, conservative voters should watch state Sen. Mike Hodges regarding illegal immigration. Georgia is already home to more illegals than Arizona.

Hodges doesn’t seem to understand that rewarding illegals with new state benefits isn’t an effective method of deterring the illegal migration into our state. “Exhibit A” for that case is Hodges’ March 6 vote under the Gold Dome for passage of SB 233, billed as “school choice” legislation that will provide a new annual state grant of $6,000 per year to Georgia families for private school tuition.

Amazing but true: the bill does not exclude illegal alien parents from the administration process that begins only when parents file an application with the state for the payments.

“Parents” include a “legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of the student.” The bill also authorizes “parents” to be part of an oversight committee that has authority to decide on eligible expenses in the use of state funds.

Repeat: There is no requirement that the “parents” be in the U.S. lawfully.

The bill also includes language saying the students attending private school at taxpayer expense can be formerly “inadmissible aliens” who were illegally granted “parole” by the Biden administration.

Parole does not confer lawful immigration status. Twenty states are suing the Biden administration to overturn this violation of our immigration laws.

Hodges went along with the herd. All senate Republicans voted to pass the bill. We should watch the GOP House members.”

Robert Trent

St. Marys (here)

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SB 233 sponsors

No.Number in list Name District
1. Dolezal, Greg 27th
2. Brass, Matt 28th
3. Still, Shawn 48th
4. Moore, Colton 53rd
5. Setzler, Ed 37th
6. Gooch, Steve 51st
7. Kennedy, John 18th
8. Watson, Ben 1st

“School choice” and illegal immigration in Georgia: A pro-enforcement look at SB 233

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Education for state legislators 

  • Update, 8:15PM: After posting this today and sending it to the Republican members of the Senate and House, I learned there was a (surprise!) 2:30 PM hearing on the below bill. I hurried to Downtown Atlanta and made it to the hearing room before the Senate Education and Youth committee meeting began. I was the first person to sign up to speak on the bill. The chairman of the committee is Senator Clint Dixon, Republican, Buford. Knowing that I would spill the beans on the bill, Dixon began calling names to speak from the bottom of the list.

    Sen Clint Dixon
  • When he got to number two on the list, Dixon told the room “the audience isn’t going to like this, but comments are over” “I know the audience is not going to like this. We are under extreme time constraints and we are going to end the public comment now.”
  • I was prevented from speaking and offering an experienced and educated analysis of the phony immigration part of the legislation. I was cancelled by the Chamber of Commerce Republicans.  The Republicans passed out the bill. Senator Ed Setzler made the motion “do pass.” It should be noted that Dolezal was careful to avoid any mention of illegal immigration in his presentation.

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We judge the bill to be un-American in its current iteration.

Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (2023 version) Senator Greg Dolezal, lead sponsor. See cosponsors here.

SB 233         LC 49 1349

Note: All of the obvious problems outlined below can easily be resolved by using already offered language that clearly and openly limits benefits for, access to and authority over the use of state funds for K-12 scholarships to U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders) who have submitted documents proving that status. I was asked for this draft language in 2022 and sent it to senior House members then. I received no reply. I have since traded emails with Sen. Greg Dolezal on that draft language and know that he has read it and finds “language like this “appropriate.” He has declined to respond to two requests for a meeting. Coming soon: Sen. Dolezal and his campaign promises on “sanctuary cities.” dak

  • Related: New “school choice” bill in GA Senate would provide state benefit to Biden’s illegally paroled, inadmissible “migrants” – formerly known as “illegal aliens” SB 233

State funds are deposited into a consumer directed account on behalf of a participating student to be used for qualified expenses and distribution is ordered by “parents.”

“Parents”

Parents of the participating K-12 student submit the application (line 84) for the state to send funds to an account set up for the student and ‘promise’ (line 77) to only use the state funds for qualified services – which are basic education of the student.

“Parents” include legal guardians, custodian or “other person” (line 30) with legal authority to act on behalf of the student of the student living in Georgia.

The above definition of “parent” does not exclude illegal aliens.

Georgia media does not usually report that the Biden administration has been shipping “UACs” into the interior of the United States and puts them into the custody of illegal aliens – including in Georgia.

  • Related: Fake Families: “Overrun, How Joe Biden Unleashed the Greatest Border Crisis in U.S. History

According to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, only six states have a larger population of illegal aliens than Georgia (table 3, page 5). The anti-enforcement GBPI has passed on stats that show we have more illegal aliens than green card holders (pie chart).

The above fact should point out the very real likelihood that if this all becomes law, we will watch as authority to request $6000.00 per year in taxpayer dollars is turned over to illegal alien ‘parents’ who have been awarded the power to order up dispersal of those funds with the ‘promise’ it will be done within the guidelines of the Act.

This brings up another “Act.” The federal Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that illegal aliens defy. Here we also mention a long list of state and federal laws that illegal aliens violate literally every day – including employment laws and use of false or stolen ID and Social Security numbers. There is no reason to believe the illegal aliens won’t happily take advantage of the lack of security in the current version of SB 233.

Oversight

“Parents” also make up a review committee (line 193) that would have authority to determine the validity of expenses paid for by the “parents” on behalf of the student.  Again, we see the likelihood that illegal aliens could easily be deciding what constitutes an eligible expense and how state funds are used.

“Students”

A “student” is eligible if his “parents” reside in Georgia (line 73).

Considering illegal immigration, when we drill down through the bill’s references to various code sections students  are ineligible (lines 74-76) for the new state benefit under the same guidelines created for Title IX circa 1972 when the world, the U.S. and Georgia were very different places. Title IV noncitizen eligibility here.

The fact that the Biden administration has compromised the integrity of the Title IX eligibility guidelines should not be a reason for Georgia legislators to do join in and do the same in the name of “school choice.”

  • Fact on parole: “While individuals who receive a grant of parole are allowed to enter the United States, they are not provided with an immigration status nor are they formally “admitted” into the country for purposes of immigration law.” 

These parameters make hundreds of thousands of inadmissible aliens from all over the planet who have been illegally granted blanket “parole” by the Biden administration and herded into the U.S. eligible for the proposed “Promise Scholarship” benefits provided by Georgia taxpayers in this version of “school choice” in SB 233. The Biden “parole” scam is ongoing.

As is, SB 233 creates the scenario in which illegal alien/paroled parents can be in charge of dispersing state funds and determination of the eligible use of those funds for payment of private school tuition for paroled (otherwise illegal alien students) eligible.

Statistics taken from official Border patrol reports show that in the period Oct 2021 – Sept 2022 (FY 2022) about 380,000 otherwise illegal aliens were released into the nation under Biden’s (illegal) parole program. Immigration watchdogs are asking “How Long Does Biden’s DHS Wait to Put Paroled Border Migrants into Removal Proceedings?” (see Parole `+ATD in table).

I am working on cobbling numbers together to reflect the number of “parolees” created by Biden from what were previously known as “illegal aliens” in the first five months of FY 2023, but we anticipate those numbers will be similar to FY 2022. Georgia is already a very popular state for illegal “migration.” Offering private school tuition to paroled parents and students will only increase that attractiveness.

Twenty GOP states are challenging Biden’s illegal border parole hustle in a Texas federal court – GA is not one of them.

Appropriations (?)

 Unless I have overlooked it, there is no mention of any caps, limits or “subject to appropriations” disclaimer in the bill. This was not the case in some previous measures aimed at “school choice.” It can be assumed that the intent and expectation is that the state budget will always include provisions to accommodate funding for all eligible students.

At least one previous bill included a lottery system to determine winners and losers in the event there was not sufficient funding to benefit all eligible applicants.  We hope this possibility is made clear to legislators and voters as that scenario creates a possibility of illegal alien ‘parents’ and or paroled students winning that lottery while American students and parents watch them access state benefits that are unavailable to the citizen families.

Please see also: “New “school choice” bill in GA Senate would provide state benefit to Biden’s illegally paroled, inadmissible “migrants” – formerly known as “illegal aliens” SB 233.

Updated, March 2, 2023, 5:45 PM. Removed my personal opinion of Senators Dixon and Dolezal. Added copy on top that SB 233 did not come out of Rules committee. 

 

 

New “school choice” bill in GA Senate would provide state benefit to Biden’s illegally paroled, inadmissible “migrants” – formerly known as “illegal aliens” SB 233

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GA state Senator Greg Dolezal, lead sponsor of SB 233 – “school choice” 2023 edition.

 

 

 

 

Senator Greg Dolezal (R- Alpharetta) joins Sen. Jason Anavitarte in adding to his week’s Georgia Senate effort to provide non-mandated, discretionary state benefits to illegal aliens.

Illegal aliens renamed as “parolees” by Biden would qualify to collect and administer state funds in proposed new state benefit

Senator Greg Dolezal’s just-dropped SB 233 would allow illegal aliens who have been illegally relabeled as “parolees” under Biden’s illegal border parole scam to participate in “school choice” as both parents/guardians who oversee compliance and students who benefit from the new state benefit. This was intentionally camouflaged in the bill by referencing a code section that refers to Title 9 that includes parolees. Really.

  • Related: Twenty GOP states are challenging Biden’s illegal border parole hustle in a Texas federal court – GA is not one of them

We have repeatedly pointed to and sent easy, workable draft language that explicitly limits “school choice” state benefit and payments to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders). In an attempt to educate and assist, we originally pointed to Georgia law OCGA 20-3-519.1 that included Title 9 guidelines as an example of the ability of legislators to exclude illegal aliens and made it clear it was an example only and would not work in K-12 “school choice” legislation.

I was consulted two days ago and I warned of this fact. You can see Title 9 eligibility guidelines and inclusions here.

  • Related: Only U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders) should be allowed to apply for state benefits on “school choice”

All concerned should ask the official author about appropriations. Is the assumption that the budget will provide unlimited funding…or is it subject to appropriations. I think the latter.  Who gets left out when the funding runs out? Americans? Legal immigrants? Illegally designated “parolees?” Or is there a lottery to create random priorities?

“CBP statistics reveal that in FY 2022, Border Patrol released just fewer than 311,000 migrants it apprehended at the Southwest border on their own recognizance (“OR” without bond or other conditions) with a Notice to Appear (NTA), and released just over 338,000 others on “Parole+ATD”…”

Andrew Arthur, retired immigration judge and Resident Fellow inLaw and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, Washington, D.C. “How Long Does Biden’s DHS Wait to Put Paroled Border Migrants into Removal Proceedings?” – Feb 11, 2023.

It looks like Biden illegal parolees (formerly known as illegal aliens) numbered about 380,000 since October 2021 to September, 2022. I’ll try to cobble together numbers soon for the first 5 months of FY 2023.

Many of the paroled illegal aliens are here in Gov Brian Kemp’s Georgia.

I estimate it will take about two days for the various and numerous corporate-funded open borders groups that enable these happy “new Georgians” to pass along the good news of coming private school education for their children and the children that have been sent to them by the Biden administration.

I repeat: I made this all clear to a silent designer of this bill Wednesday. The reply was that they wanted to hide the effort to (partially) exclude illegal aliens so as to preserve “the coalition.” That reaction is quite similar to what we were told last year when a rushed and poorly written senate “school choice” bill (SB 601) went through and was eventually voted down on the floor.

The last senate attempt at school choice included a refusal to allow public comment in the last-minute single “hearing.” Seems suspect that this gem is let out a week before Crossover Day (March 6).

Let’s not hear much more about “Republican conservatives.”

See also: “School choice” and illegal immigration in Georgia: A pro-enforcement look at SB 233

Updated Feb 23, 2:15 PM to change stat range on USBP figures above. Updated Feb 28, corrected estimate on number of parolees released.

I am blocked at the call-in number of the Erick Erickson national radio show – Erick Erickson to GOP: ‘Do school choice as an entitlement!’ – No mention of excluding illegal aliens – transcript & audio

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“The party you are trying to reach is not accepting calls at this time.”

My cell phone number may be is apparently blocked from calling the Erick Erickson radio show 

 

UPDATE: Feb. 9, 2023: Still blocked as per attempt to call in today.

UPDATE: Feb. 23, 2023: Still blocked and I can’t stop laughing.

 

 

The below is related to the Erick Erickson radio show from WSB-radio in Atlanta, *Jan 24, 2023. Podcast here – S12 Episode 16, Hour 2.  Transcript on the bottom. Audio below. Below that, audio of the results of me trying to go on the air to ask Erickson about illegal aliens and state-funded private school tuition. I had a statewide column posted that day.

 

 

The below is most of an Erickson segment on “entitlements” and school choice. It’s Erickson’s advice to Republicans – focused further down on Republican state legislators in Georgia. I listen to the show only sporadically but have heard this same idea presented three or four times since last January (our legislature starts up in January) when I called in to suggest Erickson qualify that Georgia taxpayers should not be paying for private school tuition for illegal alien students or families. At the time he was selling the ridiculous HB 999 in the Georgia state House.

Using my iPhone, as I did last year, I tried to call in for this January segment too – I got a recording saying that “the party you are trying to reach is not accepting calls at this time.” I tried it several times. Same recording. You can hear it in the below 10 second audio recording. Here is a photo of my iPhone screen after several tries.

Then I tried my land line. It went right through to Erickson’s call screener who asked me what I wanted to say and then my name, then told me to hang on for Erick. That was a little before 2:00 PM.

  • Related: Not accepting calls at this time – Recipient is blocking the caller
  • Update: 12:25, Jan 25: With a guest host on Erickson’s show today I used my iPhone to call Erickson’s call in number again. I got the same recording as yesterday. Then I tried using two land lines and my wife’s cellphone. Our calls rang through on all of them except my iPhone. My apologies to the call screener – yep, that was me.

I put the call on speaker and listened as Erickson took four or five calls, including two on school choice. He didn’t put me on the air. The show was over at 3:00 pm. I tried to get on again about three months ago using my iPhone, but stayed on hold for about forty-five minutes before the show was over without being “picked.”

I may have been blocked by Erick Erickson on his show call-in number    877-973-7425.

I can get to the call screener with a land line on a number I have never used to call in, but not on the iPhone number I usually use. I am wondering if Erick Erickson, Republican, conservative, national radio show host has blocked me. Could be…he is also a shameless Brian Kemp protector. I am not. I don’t think either one of them like my determination to expose Kemp, who is also shielded by the Georgia media – including the liberal AJC newspaper. There is no doubt that I am blocked at the AJC.

I follow Erickson on Twitter I’m not blocked there yet:

  • Erickson file here.
  • (Part of) AJC file here.

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Transcript by Rev.com. My cost $20.00 and about 4 hours.

Erick Erickson radio host:

“…Actually did show up in the election and vote. The- the people who voted early, the people who voted on election day, they’re surveyed; we have lists of those people. Media agencies go out and find those people. And what we’re finding is that, uh, the cultural conservative values of the GOP, and particularly as the Democratic Party becomes Whiter and Whiter, the culturally conservative values of the GOP are resonating more and more with Black voters.

But, to Michelle’s point, it doesn’t seem like it’s significant because when you’re… when you go from 90% voting Democrat to 85% voting Democrat, you still got 85% voting Democrat. But to put this in further perspective, Brian Kemp got almost half of the Hispanic vote. In 2018, he only got 38% of it. That was a pretty significant shift. He also did better with Black… among Black men in 2022, than 2018.

Put it to you this way, if Republicans continue to improve with the Hispanic vote, Brian Kemp is term-limited, but if the next Republican governor in Georgia does the same in the Hispanic community and the same in the… in the White vote, he’s still gonna win. Republicans in Georgia are shifting the state and I firmly believe, those of you listening in Atlanta, in the state legislature right now, if you would pursue school choice, that issue resonates in the Black and the Hispanic community. You give an entitlement, these voters aren’t gonna walk back that entitlement. This is something you need to pursue.

Time for me to get on my soapbox. Let’s take a Republican and Democratic theory at face value. When you give an entitlement, that entitlement will not go away. Democrats have given Medicare and Medicaid, and Social Security, and healthcare, and you name it, and Republicans had never got rid of them. So, Republicans, here is an entitlement to give voters, give families, give citizens, and that is: The opportunity to pick the school of their choice for their children.

You give school choice to the kids; That’s an entitlement. And it is the one entitlement the Democrats hate. So, you will see Democrats campaign on getting rid of it and fighting it. We see this with Katie Hobbs in Arizona; The Republicans gave school choice to parents, Katie Hobbs has come in, she beat Kari Lake, she’s now the governor, and she wants to defund it. There’s already a voter backlash in the Hispanic community against Katie Hobbs for taking away their new entitlement.

You do this in a place like Georgia where Republicans are beginning to make ground with Hispanic voters and Black voters, you’re gonna lock Republicans in for the next several decades because no Democrat running in 2026 is going to campaign on school choice; They’re gonna campaign on getting rid of it. They’re gonna claim, “It killed the public schools.” And you know what? All those parents, whose kids are suddenly getting a good education, they’re gonna vote Republican. This is how Ron DeSantis won in Florida; Andrew Gillum, his opponent, campaigned on finally getting rid of Jeb Bush’s school choice reforms. And Ron DeSantis won enough Black women and Hispanic women, that he barely won the governorship, but he did. And look what happened four years later? He improved school choice, he bolstered it, he strengthened it, he funded those schools.

You all focused on the culture war stuff. The people in Florida, they’re focusing on who we navigated COVID, how we navigated the economy and what he did for school choice. And they all voted for him. That Republicans nationwide are not rushing to school choice is… just shows you how stupid so many people in the party are. Democrats have, for years, given everything to voters and dared Republicans to take it all back. And when Republicans campaign on taking it all back, they lose. That’s why Donald Trump is out right now telling Republicans, “Don’t campaign on cutting Social Security. Don’t campaign on cutting and reforming Medicare and Medicaid. Don’t you dare do it, you’ll lose.” And Republicans are listening to him.

So, give parents hope for their kid’s future. Give parents the opportunity to get their kids out of failing public schools; Where the schools are now more interested in- in turning your kids woke, than helping your kids not be broke. They want your kids to be indoctrinated, not educated. They want your kids to be down with left-wing groupthink. They don’t want your kids to be on entrepreneurial. They don’t want your kids to learn individual responsibility. They don’t want your kids to learn the basics skills to get a job as an entrepreneur and compete against the big business, no, they want your child enslaved to big business. Teaching them Common Core maths, so they can’t get out on their own. Binding them to the administrative governmental state.

You give parents school choice and watch the GOP become the dominant party, and watch the kids thrive. This is the civil right issue of the day, and I cannot believe Republicans aren’t with the program. I can’t believe Republicans nationwide aren’t pushing this. In my state of Georgia, there’s a headline in the newspaper today, that there’s a renewed push to expand Georgia’s private school tuition subsidies. They want a hundred million dollar increase to Georgia’s Student Scholarship Program. So far, they only secured 20 million dollars. The chief architect of the scale back legislation, John Carson of Marietta, is proposing to expand the cap on the Tax Credit Program from a 120 million to 200 million dollars.

The American Federation of Teachers and The, uh, National Education Association are opposed, but the American Federation for Children supports it. Y’all, I- I can’t emphasize this enough: You’ve got to give school choice. You’ve got to allow parents to get their kids out of these public schools. Do you know where I am in Georgia? On Valentine’s Day last year, an elementary school gym teacher decided, on Valentine’s Day, to bring his first grade students into the gym and show them a video on same-sex love. I’m not making that up.

Parents, many of them didn’t know about it until I talked about it on this program. They found out from their first graders, that’s what happened at that elementary school. And the superintendent of the county education system sent me a very indignant letter.

Erick Erickson radio host:

Upset that I exposed what happened. There are a lot of private schools in that county. There are a lot of private schools that would love to take in Black and Hispanic students who are in those failing public schools, but it’s the Republicans who are blocking them. The Democrats don’t have the votes to stop it. The Republicans could embrace full school choice, and these private schools would bring these kids in, allow them in. Don’t- don’t punish the private schools that are Christian and run according to Christian guidelines, you don’t have to do that. Let ’em in and grow. Let ’em in and grow. Support them. You gotta do that.

This is the civil rights issue of our time. Republicans are failing on this. Don’t heap poor kids in failing public schools, when you have the opportunity to give them access to a private school where they can get a great education and become tomorrow’s entrepreneur. You support your job force, your workforce, your future by giving these kids school choice. Whenever you are nationwide, if you’ve got a Republican legislature and a Republican governor, and that’s the majority of the nation, you should be doing this. So, support tomorrow, today.

Now, you should go to edenpuredeals.com and get an EdenPURE Thunderstorm. You can get three of them for less than $200. You’re saving $200, and you get free shipping at edenpuredeals.com. You’ll be greeted with a discount code box. You can put in Erick…

 

Independent black voter to Georgia lawmakers: “Exclude illegal aliens from ‘school choice’ benefit”

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Photo: Ga. Health News

“If somehow the Republicans running the state government decide that we have a budget big enough to encourage and reward illegal aliens who migrate here with a private school education, we should all start a “what about” list that includes detailed inquiries about the allocation for our own homeless, our veterans and the pay we give our law enforcement officers.”

The below essay was sent here by our friend Ev Robinson and also ran on the subscription outlet Insider Advantage, January 12, 2023 in response to a column there from Jake Evans.

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Many thanks to InsiderAdvantage for posting Jake Evans’ recent column in support of “school choice” legislation passing in the 2023 General Assembly. Kudos to Evans for including the commonsense caveat that the state benefit should be limited in its scope of recipients.

I write to offer a few observations and suggestions on the important matter. Evans wrote that “last legislative session, the General Assembly considered a bill embodying the concepts of school choice. The Georgia Educational Freedom Act provided for a $6,000 scholarship to nearly all of Georgia’s 1.7 million public school students, from kindergarten through 12th grade.”

It is vital to a fair discussion on this matter that all concerned are careful with the accuracy of the information they present.

Lines 3 & 4 in the Georgia Educational Freedom Act make it clear that any taxpayer benefits for “school choice” would have been completely dependent on appropriations put in place by the legislature. Any appropriation – or lack thereof – would determine the number (if any) of K-12 students who would be able to access taxpayer dollars to attend private schools in Georgia.

On eligibility for any proposed school choice benefit, Evans seems to be inclined to limit eligibility to “taxpayers.” We should ask if he means federal and or state income taxes, sales taxes or property taxes. Here, it is important to note the raging illegal immigration crisis in the U.S. and in Georgia and remind everyone favoring “school choice” that Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than green card holders, with estimates of that illegal population going up to 400,000-ish foreigners here in violation of our immigration laws.

None of these “undocumented workers” can escape paying some sort of tax in Georgia even if their income level would exclude them from paying state income taxes – were they to be inclined to obey our tax laws.

I submit that paying taxes alone is not a qualification for inclusion in a state program that would provide taxpayer-funded private school tuition to any, some or all K-12 students in our state.

I am a retired, black conservative American who has raised two wonderful kids in Georgia. As an independent voter who takes an unapologetic pro-enforcement position on U.S. borders, I have watched as the plight of poor Americans is often ignored when the politics of illegal immigration and “migrants” is discussed. If somehow the Republicans running the state government decide that we have a budget big enough to encourage and reward illegal aliens who migrate here with a private school education, we should all start a “what about” list that includes detailed inquiries about the allocation for our own homeless, our veterans and the pay we give our law enforcement officers.

Any and all legislation considered under the Gold Dome should include the consideration that we should do everything possible to discourage illegal immigration in Georgia. Limiting school choice benefits to U.S. citizens and green card holders is the answer to the question that too few legislators are asking on school choice eligibility.

Whatever the percentage of students that are funded, including illegal aliens in the “educational freedom” funding concept should instantly end the discussion on school choice.

Everett Robinson of Canton is a founding member of the board of the Dustin Inman Society.

 

Only U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders) should be allowed to apply for state benefits on “school choice”

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Only U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders) should be considered for state benefits on “educational freedom” and “putting the parents in charge…”

 

  • Georgia Republicans who call themselves conservatives should reconsider the goal of using tax dollars to provide private school tuition money to illegal alien students and families. Rewarding and encouraging illegal immigration into Georgia is not a conservative ideal.
  • A 1982 SCOTUS decision (Plyler v Doe) only mandates that states must provide public K-12 school education to all student regardless of immigration status.
  • We don’t allow illegal aliens to access the Hope Scholarship or the Zell Miller Scholarship or instate tuition in our taxpayer-funded public colleges. Why do some Republicans want to welcome illegal alien families with discretionary  taxpayer-funded K-12 private school benefits?
  • Georgia already has the seventh largest population of illegal aliens in the nation. We are home to more illegal aliens than Arizona. Legislators and lobbyists who are pushing unrestricted “school choice” seem determined to make our state even more attractive to illegal immigration and the additional crime it creates.
  • Using basic eligibility requirements and adjusting language already in state law, it is easy to create a measure that only allows verified U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents to even apply for any state school choice benefits. Nobody needs to ask applicants about immigration status.
  • Although unworkable, there were various versions of poorly written language purporting to exclude illegal aliens from the proposed “school choice” legislation offered in three separate bills in 2021-2022 General Assembly. So we know members of the legislature are aware of this concern. –>As requested, we have draft language to remedy the problem with “school choice” legislation that grows illegal immigration in Georgia. 
  • Related (example): OCGA 20-3-519.1  “2 (b): A student is ineligible for any scholarship or grant described in this part if the student: (1) Is not a United States citizen or a permanent resident alien who meets the definition of an eligible noncitizen…”

 

Erick Erickson on “school choice” – no mention of the illegal immigration invasion and excluding illegals this time, Nov. 18, 2022

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Erick Erickson. Photo: Wikipedia.

We have noticed that most of the people pushing “school choice” are careful not to acknowledge the ongoing invasion at the southern border.

We remember a different quote from EWE on the same topic.

Related: Here is what a pro-enforcement conservative voter wrote to his local newspaper in Georgia on that lunacy.

The below was transcribed by Rev.com from the Erick Erickson radio show on WSB radio in Atlanta on Nov 18, 2022.

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Erick Erickson (host):

“Erick Erickson here. Uh, there is some news Republicans nationwide should pay attention to. School choice motivated midterm voters in school superintendent races around the country. Even USA Today is noticing this. Americans are divided on school choice, that was reflected in their votes last week. Seven states chose state school superintendents, schools with robust school choice programs like Arizona voted in candidates who support it. Uh, Oklahoma ushered in new leaders who believe they could give school voucher options for the first time. Oklahoma’s incoming state school superintendent is Ryan Walters, a Republican.

He campaigned on giving parents the option of school vouchers to decide where their kids to go to school and to take public money along with them to a private school, religious school, or homeschool program if that’s their choice. He was one of a small number of state superintendents elected last week who’s an advocate of school choice and whose backing of powerful groups of politicians, uh, are calling it a school choice wave. Uh, unfortunately in Georgia it was the Democrat who’s the school choice advocate. And she lost to the Republican, all the Republicans in Georgia won. Um, but there is a pattern shaping up that you really need to pay attention to.

Republicans around the country are starting to realize they can win longterm if they embrace school choice. And it is my hope that in my state of Georgia and others, Republicans will realize this is really a winning issue for you. Not only is it a winning issue, but over time, uh, you as a Republican, uh, will see your share of the vote grow. Look at what happened in, um, Florida. There was a conversion of African American and Hispanic voters towards the GOP. And a lot of that had to do with Black and Hispanic parents not wanting their children to have to go back into public schools after being given options for private schools. And you had Charlie Crist of the Democrats campaigning on shutting down school choice in Florida.

Once you give this entitlement to parents, they’re not gonna vote Democrat if the Democrats try to reverse it. And even in Arizona where they went with a Democrat over Kari Lake, they went with Katie Hobbs, they elected a Republican school, uh, superintendent for the state to make sure school choice happens. Republicans, I’m telling you, you’re crazy if you don’t push school choice in your state. Georgia Republicans need to pay attention.

Now, before I get out of here, I need to tell you…

(end of “school choice” topic and show).

Photo: New York Times