Mitt & PEARL

by Edd Doerr

What is PEARL?  PEARL is the acronym for public education and religious liberty; the name of several state and national coalitions over the years in New York, Maryland and elsewhere  devoted to defending these two values, which are prized by humansts and most Americans.

Where does Mitt Romney stand on PEARL? In the recent debate he indicated that he favored tax aid for special interest sectarian private schools and has said he wants to cut back on federal aid to education.

Which three states is Romney most closely associated with? Massachusetts, Michigan and Utah.

What is one thing these three states have in common? Strong constitutional provisions that prohibit tax aid to religious private schools.

Anything else? Yes. These three states have had a total of seven -- SEVEN! --  referendum elections in which the voters defeated all attempts to authorize tax aid to sectarian schools by landslide margins. (For  details, see my article "The Great School Voucher Fraud" on my web sire -- arlinc,org)

What are we to make of the above? That Romney has only scorn for the relevant constitutional provisions in the states with which he is most closely associated. That he is contemptuous of the voters in these three states -- and in the other states that have also had referenda on this issue  (NY, MD, DC, MO, SD, CO, CA, OR, WA, AK); that he looks down on the liberals and Catholics of Massachusetts, the state of which he was once governor; that he looks down on the auto workers and farmers and miners of the state in which he was born; that he thumbs his nose at the conservatives and Mormons in the state where his faith is based.