Thursday, June 19, 2008

Working For the University of Chicago Has its Advantages

From the Wall Street Journal's, Best of the Web:

Our item yesterday on Barack Obama's opposition to educational vouchers prompted an email from a reader at the University of Chicago, who tells us that Obama's daughters attend the Lab School, a private elementary school run by the university.

Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times noted in July that Obama had acknowledged this during a Democratic debate. What he [Obama] does not mention, curiously, is that his wife, Michelle, works at the U. of C. Many people affiliated with the U. of C. are eligible for tuition breaks.

During a 2004 debate between Alan Keyes and Barack Obama for the US senate, Mr. Keyes [who supports school vouchers] told Obama, "I do not see the day when every American family is going to be employed by the University of Chicago so they, too, can have a choice (to send their children to private schools). I think we had better get there a little sooner than that."

Nevertheless, I would imagine the Obamas are paying, and have always payed full tuition for their daughters' education. It's simply inconceivable that Barack Obama would oppose school vouchers for Private education if he himself is getting a tuition break for his daughters' private education.

Nice try, anyway, Mr. Keyes.