Reason TV’s Nanny of the Month is …

It’s an all-pot edition of Reason TV’s Nanny of the Month for March 2011, which isn’t exactly a surprise, given Reason’s efforts to end criminalization of marijuana.  During the presidential campaign, they thought Barack Obama had a similar take on the issue, at least as it related to federal enforcement in states where voters approved legalization or decriminalization (although they didn’t support Obama as a candidate).  Despite promises to stop marijuana raids in such states, the DEA conducted raids in California and Montana in this month alone, which makes Obama the Nanny-in-Chief:

This time top dishonors go to the Drug Warrior-in-Chief Barack Obama, whose DEA banned fake pot, thwarted a scientist’s decade-long campaign to study marijuana, and raided dispensaries in Montanaand California—all in one month!

(Seems like only yesterday when Obama promised he wouldn’t waste Justice Department resourcesraiding medical marijuana dispensaries.)

Presenting the Nanny of the Month for March 2011: President Barack Obama (with DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart grabbing a dishonorable mention)!

I don’t necessarily disagree with the decision, especially given Obama’s pandering to the youth vote on this issue during the 2008 campaign.  Those expecting a hope-and-change contact high with President Obama have instead gotten a buzzkill with a bitter aftertaste.  Whether or not one supports legalization, the dishonesty — especially given the lack of any explanation from the White House on the position change — certainly should get noses out of, er, joint.

But if we’re talking nanny-state awards for Obama, I’d prefer to talk about issues of wider import, such as the White House’s opposition to restarting the DC voucher program, announced yesterday by the administration:

While the Administration appreciates that H.R. 471 would provide Federal support for improving public schools in the District of Columbia (D.C.), including expanding and improving high-quality D.C. public charter schools, the Administration opposes the creation or expansion of private school voucher programs that are authorized by this bill.  The Federal Government should focus its attention and available resources on improving the quality of public schools for all students.  Private school vouchers are not an effective way to improve student achievement. The Administration strongly opposes expanding the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program and opening it to new students.  Rigorous evaluation over several years demonstrates that the D.C. program has not yielded improved student achievement by its scholarship recipients compared to other students in D.C.  While the President’s FY 2012 Budget requests funding to improve D.C. public schools and expand high-quality public charter schools, the Administration opposes targeting resources to help a small number of individuals attend private schools rather than creating access to great public schools for every child.

In other words, don’t let low- and middle-income parents have the choice that the Obamas themselves exercised in selecting a private school for their children.  No, let’s force parents to keep from using their tax dollars to choose how their children get educated and keep them trapped in the public-school system.  Even for those who oppose federal involvement in education, the DC system falls within the jurisdiction of the federal government.  By opposing this bill, Obama has set himself up as the real Nanny-in-Chief — and consigned thousands of children in the nation’s capital to failing schools and a lifetime competitive handicap.

Update: Guy Benson followed the House debate today on the voucher bill and, well …

Discounting better classroom results, higher graduation rates, sky-high parental satisfaction, and glittering cost-effectiveness, “private school vouchers are not an effective way to improve student achievement.”  Tell that to Virginia Walden Ford.

Be sure to read it all.

• Bobby Jindal: Paternalistic, big-government liberalism is the biggest loser here
• Chris Christie: “I’ll be here to welcome” Obama when he comes to tour the NJ coast again next week
• MSNBC consensus: Obama’s speech was historic, amazing, “one of the best of his presidency”

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