What happens when students choose?

It's a funny thing about liberal politicians: They go wild insisting upon "a woman's right to choose" -- to kill her baby through abortion -- but are just as adamantly opposed to letting parents "choose" the schools that their surviving children attend.

There is widespread dissatisfaction with the results of education. There is equal agreement that educational achievement is the key to upward mobility. But though kids fail and schools fail, some people still don't want to try anything different. That assures the failing results will continue.

There was a recent story in the New York Times, a newspaper with a decidedly liberal view, that seemed to show surprise -- Hey, its news! -- because school choice in Milwaukee had produced beneficial results, and in a"religious" school at that!

According to the report, Messmer High School is in an old building in a poor neighborhood. It is run by Roman Catholics. It does not have an "elite" clientele: About 90 percent of the children who attend can't afford to pay thetuition of $3,100 a year. And about 60 percent of the students aren't Catholics.

Here's the key information, something that many professional justifiers of educational failure hate to hear: Many of the kids get "vouchers" to cover their tuition. Many of the others are able to attend through private donations, scholarships and fund-raisers.

What's the result? Here's what the newspaper story said: "Messmer does not cherrypick the best students, as do some Catholic high schools; there is no admission test for entry. It has been, by nearly all accounts, a big success, with 85 percent of the graduates going on to college -- three times the rate of neighboring public high schools."

So why are some people against vouchers? Shouldn't more students be offered voucher opportunities?

With there being general dissatisfaction with education, what do you think would happen if every child had a voucher for his choice of opportunity? You say there wouldn't be enough schools for them to choose? Ever hear of "supply and demand"? If vouchers were supplied -- even in amounts smaller than average spending per pupil now -- we believe the supply of schools that parents would want their children to attend would quickly appear.

Isn't it odd that some remain opposed to voucher choice in schools? Vice President Al Gore Jr. opposes voucher choice. Sen. Joseph Lieberman was for voucher choice -- until Mr. Gore picked him for his ticket. Gov. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are for vouchers and choice, as most blacks, Hispanics and other Americans seem to be.

Why? They see vouchers as "opportunity."

What do you think about all this? Are vouchers an idea whose time has come?