Oliva’s “Education Freedom Account” sounds like a great idea for duck hunting

Duck hunting is a big deal in Arkansas.

The state of Arkansas owns, manages and funds a number of wildlife refuges where public lands are managed and flooded for the public during duck hunting season. Arkansas is famous for these public lands such as Bayou Meto, Hurricane Lake, Dagmar, Black Swamp and Black River.

There are also a large number of private duck clubs in Arkansas owned by their members. These members spend quite a bit of money to purchase hunting lands, maintain their lodges, build water control structures, pump water in dry years, and establish refuges with feeding areas.

Many public land hunters like to be part of private clubs, but it can be expensive. They may prefer to get a voucher from the state for a private duck club rather than spend state money on public hunting lands that can be crowded and sometimes overhunted.

Some people who are already members of a private club may find it unfair that the government spends public money on public hunting areas while the members of the private club have to pay out of their own pockets for the upkeep of their private club.

I think choice is good and everyone should have the choice whether they want to hunt on public or private land.

That is why I suggest the “Duck Savings Account” or DSA. I was tempted to call a DSA a voucher, but I just read an interview with the Arkansas State Education Commissioner in Arkansas Money & PoliticsThe interviewer asked Jacob Oliva about how the state wants to provide families with quality options and choices for education. Similar to my desire to provide duck hunting personnel on public lands with quality private options for their waterfowl hunting.

I quote from the article:

AMP: When you use the term “government scholarship,” is it synonymous with the term “voucher”?

Oliva: We don't actually use the term “voucher”. It's an educational freedom savings account.

I'm glad he clarified that, although I'm still not sure what is actually stored in the account and whether freedom has anything to do with it.

As I understand it, the government provides money to an intermediary who receives a share and the rest of the money is transferred to a private school chosen by the parents so that they do not have to pay out of their own pocket.

Sounds very much like a voucher.

It would be easier and less expensive to just give the money to the parents, but then the agent would not get his share. The parents whose children use vouchers do not have to spend any of their own money and therefore receive a nice subsidy.

I couldn't understand how a private school student's test scores would improve if the government paid for their tuition. A former school principal I know said his research showed that changing schools, which educators call “mobility,” tends to have a negative impact on student achievement.

I love choice and I love freedom.

I just never expected the state to pay for my choices if I went to a private school or a private club. If the governor and Oliva want to go in that direction, let's do it.

I think my Duck Savings Account idea and Oliva's Educational Freedom Savings Account could be used in many different contexts.

The state operates some golf courses, which is a significant expense. I assume the state spends state money on golf because it wants to promote golf and increase the collective frustration of players. I'm not a golfer, but I think it would be nice if the state offered some private options to golfers who use the state's public courses. And members of private country clubs should get a subsidy on their golf membership fees, since the state spends its state tax dollars so public golfers can have a state course to curse and throw their clubs at.

Therefore, give everyone a golf savings account, even those who are already members of a private golf club.

And what about camping? Campers at state campgrounds should really have the option of choosing a private campground. I find the acronym “CSA” (Camp Savings Account) inappropriate, so we'll stick with McSACs (Mosquito-Chigger Savings Account for Camping). If the name “Education Savings Account” is a good marketing approach, imagine how catchy a McSAC could be!

Choice is good. Let's go all out.

I really hope Oliva stays in Arkansas after the presidential election because he and I think very similarly.

But seriously, guys. Don't use the word with a “V”. It offends Oliva. And the Duck voucher, er, the Duck savings account, is really important to me.