Bob Barr Comments on California Home Schooling Case

The right of parents to home school their children is under attack in California, warns Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president. A state appellate court is preparing to hear oral arguments in a case in which the trial judge ruled that parents had no constitutional right to home school their children.

Education is a state and local issue, notes Barr, but “even more so it is a parental responsibility.” For good reason, he explains,“more than 80 years ago the Supreme Court upheld the right of parents to determine their children’s schooling, calling it an essential liberty under the 14th Amendment.”

He urged the California courts to look to that case, Pierce v. Society of Sisters, in which the Court stated that “the child is not the mere creature of the state.” If the courts fail in their duty to protect the parents’ constitutional right to educate their children, he adds, then the California legislature and governor have a responsibility to act.

Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, where he served as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, as Vice-Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Financial Services. Prior to his congressional career, Barr was appointed by President Reagan to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, and also served as an official with the CIA.

Since leaving Congress, Barr has been practicing law and actively advocating American citizens’ right to privacy and other civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Along with this, Bob is committed to helping elect leaders who will strive for smaller government, lower taxes and abundant individual freedom.

Senator Clinton Heralds Fix To Student Crisis

It's a good day for American students and their families, who will no longer have to worry that they won't be able to finance their college education. I'm pleased that the House and Senate passed legislation similar to a proposal I made on the campaign trail, to address the student loan crisis, and that the Bush Administration implemented the measure in a timely fashion. This measure improves access to student loans by allowing the Department of Education to purchase loans from lenders. This legislation will help ensure that America's economic crisis does not stand in the way of students seeking a college education.

Since early last year, I have been calling for action to address the subprime mortgage crisis. Instead of listening, President Bush stood by as the subprime crisis spiraled into a larger housing and credit crisis that is driving our economy downward. This year, the economic crisis threatened to claim another victim: student loans. I'm very pleased that instead of ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away, this time, the President listened, and is now implementing a commonsense solution, passed by Congress.

I'm also pleased that the Direct Student Loan program has doubled in size since last year, and that the Department of Education is taking action to ensure that it has the capacity to administer those loans effectively. I called for the Department of Education to enact a temporary, fast-track alternative to expedite new applications to the Direct Loan program. The Direct Loan program is a cost effective, simple alternative to private loans that has proven to be a real lifesaver during this time of turmoil in the financial markets.

As thousands of students prepare to start their college education for the next school year, Wednesday's announcement by the Department of Education sends a strong message that the students loans they need will be there when they need them. Congress sent that message with the passage of the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008, and I am pleased that the President signed the bill into law and that the Administration acted on the authority it was given.