Sure, they claim they do when pollsters call, or at political rallies and such, but when push comes to shove people in our society don't really care whether poor kids are taught to read, write, do math, etc. They just don't. Courtland Milloy picks up on this topic in this morning's Washington Post.

Take a look at what the kids in D.C. are asking for. The fact that we aren't even coming close to jumping over such a low bar is all the proof you need.

We simply don't care about poor kids and their education. How else can you explain the fact that we put a cap on our ability to attempt to create new and better options for the kids who need them the most? Wouldn't it be easier to tackle the problem if we admitted that basic reality first?

Milloy writes:

The time for dithering and churning out studies that end up on warehouse shelves is over. Every parent, politician and school official needs to put up or shut up. And if, as many of the students who testified suspect, nothing will change, then at least do this: Give the kids their money back -- nearly $25,000 per student that the D.C. government claims it spends to educate them each year. They'd do better hiring a private tutor or enrolling in some boarding school far from here.

Absofreakinglutely. That would make public education more public than ever before.