There is a disturbing entry on Alternet that describes actions taken by former Governor Jeb Bush and his cronies to get government funds used for religious schools. According to the entry, this current scheme “has provoked a church-state showdown with national ramifications.” The worst possible consequence of the actions being undertaken is the possibility of removing separation of church and state from the Florida Constitution.
The current method being used to accomplish these ends is ballot initiatives. Specifically, amendments 7 & 9 will appear on Florida’s November ballot. I said current method, because other methods have been tried previously, with Jeb Bush’s involvement.
The two ballot initiatives are:
Amendment 7 would strike current constitutional language that forbids the use of any public funds “directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.” In place of those words, Article I, Section 3 would assert, “An individual or entity may not be barred from participating in any public program because of religion.”
Amendment 9 would eviscerate the constitution’s strong language requiring, as a “paramount duty of the state,” the provision of a “uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools.” The amendment revises Article IX, Section 1 to state that “this duty shall be fulfilled, at a minimum and not exclusively” through public schools.
In a state that has nearly 200 religious schools in one county alone, Dade County, the possibility of government financing of religious schools looms as a huge problem for Florida. According to Wikipedia, Dade is the “most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States”.
This is not only a problem for Florida, but could have national ramifications as well. In fact, it appears that there will be organizations, and Bush’s wealthy “friends”, from all over the country that will be putting resources toward passage.
Of course, the religious leaders, specifically Religious Right leaders would welcome these changes. However, there is some balance, as the state’s newspapers have weighed in on the subject, with negative articles and opinions. These newspapers have “spoken up” partially, if not completely to oppose the two ballot initiatives. The newspapers specifically quoted in the entry at Alternet include: Miami Herald, Bradenton Herald, St. Petersburg Times, Sun-Sentinel, Tampa Tribune, and Palm Beach Post.
Previously, they (Jeb Bush’s and/or his allies) have tried other methods to accomplish their ends. There was a different approach used earlier, back in l999. (I’m not sure if this is the first time for Jeb’s involvement, but it is the earliest one mentioned in the Alternet entry.)
In 1999, Bush pushed through the legislature an “Opportunity Scholarship Program” that gave students in “failing” public schools state funding for tuition at religious and other private academies. Americans United for Separation of Church and State and allied groups immediately challenged the voucher scheme in state court.
It took until 2006, but the Florida Supreme Court did strike down the “Opportunity Scholarship Program” program. There have been other schemes since then, but with less success.
There is more history in the article on Jeb Bush’s involvement and also some possible repercussions nationally if these initiatives are passed. The Alternet article can be found here: http://www.alternet.org/...