http://members.aol.com/porchnus/memorial/voucher1.htm

  his observer is convinced that the main honchos of the Republican Party's religious
  right wing have been secretly studying the writings of the late George Orwell. That
  author was amazingly prescient when, in his classic book, 1984, he described the
  future appearance of "double-speak" as a powerful tool for political control.

      An intriguing modern example of this technique concerns the inventive usage of two simple, seemingly innocuous words -- "private schools." Between now and Election Day in November, we can expect to hear this slick euphemism repeatedly.

      In response to court-ordered desegregation of public schools in the 1950s, some Southern states, like Alabama, reacted with schemes to legally abolish public education. When this proved too difficult to accomplish, local churches were prevailed upon to set up their own schools.

      These schools would be outside the public school system and the new desegregation laws. They could select their students by any criteria they chose, and parents could be assured that children would not have to mingle with non-whites or, hopefully, non-Christians.

      And, as an additional incentive, their children would receive a religious education tantamount to Sunday school five days a week. Textbooks that mentioned Darwinian evolution would be eliminated from class discussion and there would be no nonsense about restricting school prayer.

  onsequently, sectarian church schools proliferated mostly throughout the South and
  then into other regions on a smaller scale. Fast-forward some 40 years into the
  present and one finds those church schools experiencing financial troubles.
  Enrollment is down because many public schools offer decent education already
  paid for by taxes. Also, the fear-mongers' dire racial predictions have virtually evaporated throughout much of American society.

      Then, some brilliant religious schemers came up with the school voucher plan. It would simultaneously accomplish two important goals. First, the church schools would be funded by public tax money, and at the same time the public schools would be deprived of same and be put on the road to oblivion.

      In their writings, the Revs. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson freely admit that they perceive public schools as enemy No. 1 of their brand of Christianity. Think of the blessings that would accrue by pre-empting public school tax dollars and using them to bail out the financially-ailing church schools. Furthermore, think of the blessings that would accrue from proselytizing among captive new pupils. It was a "win-win" scheme.

      There was only one problem. It was recognized that there would be much difficulty in selling a church school subsidizing plan to the general public and ultimately to the U.S. Supreme Court.

      With another stroke of genius, the proponents came up with a marvelous double-speak euphemism for church schools. Henceforth, the phrase "private schools" would be used to describe the voucher plan beneficiaries. There was no blatant lying involved. After all, they were not public schools, and that ipso facto made them private schools.

  ere in Nashville, the phrase "private schools" conjures up visions of one's children
  attending schools of the caliber of Ensworth, Harpeth Hall, Montgomery Bell
  Academy and University School. The general public identified the designation
  "private schools" with the best available educations for children of the affluent. With
  vouchers, they were promised by prominent Republicans like former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander and presidential candidate Bob Dole, they could choose the best private schools for their children -- just like President Clinton did with Chelsea.

      None of the voucher enthusiasts took the time to explain that the best private schools pick their students carefully, not the other way around. Nor do they mention that for every non-sectarian private school available in this area, there are something like 60 sectarian schools. Most of the latter, however, would be delighted to accept any prospective believer bearing a cashable voucher.

      One merely hopes that the vast majority of us, who are products of the public schools, learned enough to recognize a super scam double-speak euphemism when confronted with one of such enormous audacity.

      Aaron Hiller is a retired corporate sales manager.