NJ Common Sense

By Lon (Alonzo) Hosford

Tea Party activism echoes past the 912 DC event with The Morristown Tea Party hosted movement program on School Choice.

9/29/09 School Choice Program

Offered as an informational discussion series topic on September 29, 2009, the program featured a video from John Stossel along with presentations from local school choice proponents. The program identified the failures in public schools, the school choice solution and the issue in the 2009 NJ Assembly elections.

The main principle behind school choice is about moving the control over education from government to parents through a variety of financial techniques such as vouchers and charter school alternatives.

School Failures Are Not A Local Issue

School choice activist Dan Haggerty points out that everyone needs to look beyond their own local school system for a measurement of school success such as in New Jersey. He argues American schools produce citizens unable to understand issues that impact society.

Dan alludes to the problem in 2008 elections. “You saw during the recent election where some of the people answered questions about politics, about local governance, about the world; they had no idea what the answers were. This is tragic. This effects our whole society.”

Newark Schools Highest Cost In World Producing Students Unprepared

In the State of New Jersey Dan looks at the Newark school system in this light and at the impact on the individual’s life success.

“The schools in Newark take in more money than any education system in the world. $28,000 per student to educate a student in Newark. And they don’t get educated. They get social promotion.”

Dan Haggerty School Choice Activist Expresses Dangers of Failed Schools

For those making it through the system, Dan describes the disastrous consequences.

“And these kids are put out after high school with a substandard education. They think they think they’ve been educated to operate in the real world.”

“The first encounter they have with a job interview; what a shock. They can barely write English, they can barely read English even though its their native language. They’re not going to either get that job or if they do get the job they are not going to function in it. So can you imagine why kids in this area develop a sense of rage about that?”

How to Make Changes To Move to School Choice?

Israel Teitelbaum, co-founded Parents for Free Choice in Education and activist in New Jersey education, provided a positive view of progress in school choice for New Jersey and how audience members can help.

“One way to begin is to point ourselves to the new media. We can all reach out through email, Facebook, Twitter, blogosphere, talk radio. We can get the message out to the world and our friends will pass it on and on and on and it goes at lightening speed today …”

Israel Teitelbaum Outlines Individuals and Political Candidates Actions

Israel points to the opportunity for school choice in the 2009 New Jersey elections. Over 40 NJ Assembly candidates have joined together on bringing school choice to New Jersey. He introduced Barry Funt, the main organizer of the candidates, who later gave an unscheduled talk on the effort. [See related article "NJ Citizens For Assembly Unite To Take Back NJ With Common Sense Pledge"]

Stupid In America

The meeting featured John Stossel’s landmark 20/20 television documentation “Stupid in America”. The documentary opens the hidden issues of parents losing control over education and the damage government run education causes for young lives. It shows how teacher union leadership opposes choices for parents.

John Stossel 20/20 Stupid In America Presentation

The Morristown Tea Party event was recorded on video to include the full length of the presenters’ talks and the audience questions.

The Morristown Tea Party Complete School Choice Event Videos