4 Opinion Page 8 The Michigan Daily Vol. XCI, No. 34-S Ninety Years of Editorial Freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan .A-Supreme botch T HERE IS GREAT cause for concern following the recent Supreme Court ruling which upholds the all-male draft. We find the decision contemptible, and feel the campaign for women's equal rights has been damaged. The decision, articulated with artful am- biguity by Justice William Rehnquist, unfor- tunately concentrates not on the logic of the issue; but on the "broad constitutional power" of Congress in military matters. Since "the Constitution itself requires. such deference to Congressional choice," according to Rehnquist, the Supreme Court had better be darn careful about second-guessing Capitol Hill. Tough luck, rationality. With snowballing criticism of the all- volunteer service, it now appears likely that a peacetime draft is not far off, making the Court's decision even more pertinent. But the need for a draft, as argued by military leaders, is due to a lack of highly-skilled, educated per- sonnel to operate the increasingly complex tools of war. (The government itself acknowledges that just two-thirds of new recruits would be required for combat in the event of war. Others would serve "support" roles.) . Yet Rehnquist declares that since women are excluded from combat, Congress properly decided not to register them. Tough luck, statistics. Justice Thurgood Marshall, in the minority argument, rightly asserts that "Congress has repeatedly praised the performance of female members of the armed forces, and has ap- proved efforts by the armed services to expand their role." A concurring Justice Byron White writes: "I perceive little, if any, indication that Congress itself included that every position in the military, no matter how far removed from combat, must be filled with combat-ready men." Let's hope that there never will be another draft - that, of course, is the optimal solution - but if conscription returns, women should be included with men. Equal rights between sexes is a fundamental and imperative goal for our society, and with equal rights comes equal duties. The most vocal feminist groups, crushed by the Supreme Court's decision, have fervently expressed a desire to face the draft along with men, and their resentment is justified. The ruling impedes the campaign for sexual equality, and sets a disturbing precedent for the nonmilitary sector. Tough luck, women. Tuesday, July 7, 1981 The Michigan Daily Free enterprise can save U.S. education 4 By Doug Ne wman Eduation has always con- stituted part of the American dream. We have every right to be proud of the widespread. availability of schooling in our, country. In the minds of many, public schools are a fundamental part of the democracy in, America. In recent years, though, public schools have fallen on hard times. Test scores have fallen consistently. Parents are less and* less satisfied with the quality of education their children are receiving. Students and teachers: feel that the classroom environ- ment is not as conducive to lear- ning as it could be. They often fear for their physical safety. 'IN MANY AREAS, including affluent suburbs and small towns, public schools are generally in fine shape. In the in- ner cities, however, they are in hideous condition. The response of the American people has been a call for more and more government involven- ment with education. The tax- payers have been saddled with the multibillion-dollar Depar- tment of Education. No corresponding improvement in the quality of public schooling has resulted from this approach. All along, very few people have stopped to ask: "Who says that our children must attend public schools?" President Reagan and manyof his colleagues have, and are doing something about it. Senators Robert Packwood (R- Ore.) and Daniel Moynihan (D- NY) have drafted a proposal that would take $250 off the income tax bill ($500 in the second year of the program) of anyone with a child in private school. Jimmy, Carter helped defeat a similar proposal in 1978. THERE IS currently a movement in Washington to place a $1200 tuition tax credit proposal on the November ballot. Dr. Milton Friedman of Stan- ford University 'proposes a voucher plan. Under such a scheme the government would give , parents a certificate redeemable for the cost of a child's public school education which could only be "spent" at a private school or at another public school. THE ISSUE AT hand is freedom of choice, which is what this country was founded on. The way things currently stand, if you are unhappy with-your (or your child's) education, and you can-, not afford to pay private or parochial school tuition plus the cost of that empty seat you would be leaving behind at a public school, you are out of luck. Tuition tax credits and school vouchers constitute a step toward free choice in education for all people, regardless of income bracket. The _ public education establishment has looked with scorn at this encroachment on their virtual monopoly.They fear that tax credits and vouchers could spell the beginning of the end for public schools. Their fears are largely unfounded. In areas where public education is in good shape, most students will continue to attend the local public schools. In fact, the quality of education in these schools may well improve due to competition. Critics of this conservative, free-market approach to the problems of education fear that inner-city children would be left with nowhere to-turn. It does not take a great deal of imagination to envision the market for private schools that would open up in the ghettos. When private schools have been established in blighted areas, they have often outperformed the public schools. Studehts who were previously too disruptive and costly to teach in public schools are often more cooperative and academically inclinedat privateschools. STUDENTS AT PRIVATE schools are attending schools that they want to attend, not have to attend. Classes are smaller so thatstudents receive more in- dividual attention. Opportunities for participation in ex- tracurricular activities are much greater in a school of 400 students than in one of 3000. In short, learning is much more en- joyable when students come together of their own volition than out of statist compulsion. Children deemed to be "gif- ted" would no longer have to be bored in public schools. A market for schools to meet their needs could open up. "It is imperative that we destroy the myth that private schools are for the elite," says Senator Packwood. We must make free choices in education open to all Americans. The class issue would remain. But while a person's income might limit his options to only two or three schools, he will no longer be told by the government, by people who have no interest in is personal life, what school his child must attend, no matter how bad that school becomes. Doug Newman is a Univer- sity student. 4 4 4 4 AS CRITICISM GROWS about the deteriorating condition of American public schools, private alter- natives are gaining support.