Texas AFL-CIO E-Mail News Jan. 15, 2015 It Is to Laffer: Economist Criticized for Pro-Voucher Research Houston Chronicle columnist Lisa Falkenberg dissects right-wing research brought forward in support of vouchers that would steer your tax dollars from neighborhood schools to private schools that are not remotely as accountable. The scholarship was by none other than Arthur Laffer, famous for the discredited trickle-down economic theory that suggested lower taxes would produce higher revenues. The United Labor Legislative Committee (ULLCO) has strongly opposed privatization of our public schools: Laffers unbridled optimism is peculiar for an economist. In my experience, economists temper forecasts with reality, steer clear of bandwagons, and retain a bit of healthy skepticism. Yet, the Texas Observer quoted Laffer as saying theres not one thing that isnt improved by charters and choice. He said he found a huge volume of evidence, all supporting school choice. Maybe he needs to dig a little deeper. In her 2013 book, Reign of Error, education historian Diane Ravitch reveals enough voucher failures for a whole chapter titled The Failure of Vouchers. She explains how theres no conclusive evidence that voucher students in Milwaukee, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and other locales did better than their public school peers. She explains how voucher programs in Florida and Louisiana were struck down as unconstitutional. She says plainly of the pioneering Milwaukee program: After twenty-two years of vouchers, there was no evidence that vouchers were a panacea, nor that they were saving poor children who had been in public schools. Or maybe Laffer should consult with another economist about his conclusions, someone who has retained his healthy skepticism. Someone like Barton Smith, University of Houston professor emeritus, who for decades provided sound economic forecasts for the Houston area. Savings just not true Smith reviewed Laffers report for me. And although Smith supports some aspects of school choice, especially in the public sector for stimulating innovation and reducing regulation, he was not impressed with Laffers analysis, which he called sloppy and far-fetched and full of blind extrapolations. Smith said theres no way Texas can get such dramatic results by spending less on education than we do now, as Laffer suggests. To delude the taxpayer that somehow were going to save billions of dollars, to me, is a terrible statement. Its just not true, Smith declared. Among other problems, Smith pointed out that Laffers assumptions about vouchers causing a real estate boom are flawed, causing many of his other conclusions about rising incomes and job growth to collapse. I do not like propaganda disguised as academic research, Smith concluded in an email. Nor do I. But it seems there are plenty of folks who cant tell the difference these days. Read more: houstonchronicle/news/columnists/falkenberg/article/Economist-touts-private-school-vouchers-as-6015999.php?t=34a60a539c&cmpid=twitter-premium
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 23:32:30 +0000
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