Oh, I just love it here in Indiana. What a bunch of nincompoops we have running our government. Wisconsin is getting all the press, but we have Democrats "escaping" to Illinois also. And today, there is to be a mass "union" rally at the Capitol Building. (It ought to be a zoo, what with the Big Ten basketball tourney held there, too.)

But that's not the topic of this post.

The governor and state legislature (Republicans, of course) are pushing for a bill that would allow parents to use public dollars to send their children to private schools. First of all, that irritates the hell out of me (not only because I was a public school teacher, but it's just plain wrong).

The question is: Is this school voucher plan constitutional? Republicans say yes, based on a Cleveland, Ohio decision. In that case, financial aid can go to the student(parents), not directly to religious schools. So the backers of the bill say a precedent has occurred, making it perfectly legal to help "needy" families. And they have a right to choose the school they wish to attend.

But not so fast, say the Democrats and some legal scholars. The Indiana Constitution goes beyond the U.S. Constitution on language on the separation of church and state. Indiana's constitution includes a direct prohibition on state aid to religious institutions: "No money shall be drawn from the state treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution."

Since most private schools are religious-affiliated, in effect, it would be a government subsidy for religious schools. Already in Arizona (2009), courts struck down voucher programs.

We now await a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on a case heard in November regarding voucher-like tax credits for organizations that fund scholarships for children to attend private schools. If that one is upheld, voucher opponents will be doomed. In this day and age, I'm pessimistic of the outcomes of both the state (bill) and Supreme Court (decision). Why do I always feel like I'm on the losing side?