Politics and Culture

The first issue involves the decision to take away school choice in Washington D.C. If there's one policy change that would solve hundreds of problems with almost no negative effects, it's school choice. Don't like your kids singing Christmas songs? No problem. Send them to an atheist school. States want to save money? Private schools are cheaper than public schools. But, we wouldn't want people to think that they can improve their lives without government, would we? Let's spend billions on a study and its implementation; then, billions more on something else when it fails.

Virginia Walden Ford, the executive director of DC Parents for School Choice (DCPS), says DC-area parents were devastated to learn that they could lose the DC Opportunity Scholarship program. Currently about 1,700 children participate in the program, with two of the children attending the same school that President Obama's daughters attend. Ford says the program has been a great help to parents and students.

"Just going back to five years ago when it was implemented, kids were coming from DCPS two or three grades behind and went to private schools that their parents chose based on their needs, and we see them flourishing," she explains.

According to Ford, academic gains have occurred and parents believe that their kids are safer, but that could all be lost if Congress passes the Omnibus spending bill that ends funding of the program.

Virginia Walden Ford"We are empowering parents to tell their stories to Congress in order to save the program. We are writing letters to the editor...parents are calling the congressmen's offices, they're emailing, we are preparing parents to go up and speak with Congress members," she adds. "We're going to do whatever we can to make sure that the stories get out."

The next is Obama's position of the Freedom of Conscious Act or FOCA.

“To see where they are trying to take us, look no further than the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists so-called Ethics Opinion that says all ob-gyns should make referrals for abortion, and those who won’t do abortions should relocate in close proximity to an abortionist. The nation is under siege by pro-abortion radicals who are attacking the fundamental right of conscience, and are attempting to impose their will through the Obama administration. It is ironic that they like to be called pro-choice, instead of pro-abortion, but that their preference for ‘choice’ refers only to people who support the killing of unborn children,” Smith remarked.

A company can't fire a man for dressing like a woman, but it can if he doesn't want to kill unborn babies. Here's a good plan for Obama. Get the government to subsidize all or part of every health care decision in the country. Then, tell people that if they don't do what the government wants, the government will pull funding.