Andrew Sullivan links to discussion about Barack Obama floating the idea of merit pay for teachers. I wonder if the idea has any staying power. In the system we have, it’s necessary and there should be no resistance to such common sense. Of course, debating this distracts from the need to get government out of the provision of education, but we may need to try smaller market-based reforms first. So be it.
It won’t make me vote for Sen. Obama, though. I have a hard time getting excited about a politician wanting to give some people a pay raise when all he intends to do with that raise is tax it more than it’s already being taxed. That’s nothing more than a shell game. I’m not interested.
I’m all for it. But first? Get vouchers in place.