Duck hunting is big in Arkansas.
The State of Arkansas owns, manages and funds a number of wildlife management areas where public lands are managed and flooded for public use during the duck season. Arkansas is famous for these public areas, such as Bayou Meto, Hurricane Lake, Dagmar, Black Swamp and Black River.
There are also a large number of private duck clubs in Arkansas that are owned by their members. These members spend quite a bit of money to buy the hunting grounds, maintain their lodges, construct water control structures, pump water in dry years and set up sanctuary areas with food plots.
Many of the public land hunters would like to be members of private clubs, but that can be expensive. They may prefer the state to give them a voucher for a private duck club rather than spend state money on public hunting grounds, which can be overcrowded and sometimes overhunted.
Some people who are already members of private clubs may feel that it is unfair for the state to spend public money on public hunting grounds while the private club members are required to use their own money to maintain their private clubs.
I think choice is good and everyone should have the choice whether to hunt on public lands or private lands.
That’s 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 Arkansas’ state education commissioner in Arkansas Money and Politics. The interviewer asked Jacob Oliva about how the state wants to provide families with high-quality opportunities and choices for education. Much like my desire to provide public land duck hunters with high quality private opportunities for their waterfowl efforts.
I quote from the article:
AMP: When you use the term “government grant”, are you using it interchangeably with the term “voucher”?
Oliva: We don’t really use the term “voucher”. It is a savings account for educational freedom.
I’m glad he fixed it, although I’m still not sure what is actually being saved to the account or if freedom has anything to do with it.
As I understand it, the state puts money up for an intermediary. The intermediary takes a cut, and then the rest of the money is paid to a private school designated by the parent, so that the parent does not have to pay out of pocket.
Sounds a lot like a voucher.
It would be simpler and cheaper to just give the money to the parent, but then the middleman wouldn’t get his cut. The parents whose children use vouchers do not have to spend their own money, so they get a nice subsidy.
I have not been able to understand how a private school student’s test scores will improve if the state pays his or her tuition. A former superintendent I know said his research showed that changing schools, known to educators as “mobility,” tended 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 when 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 at considerable cost. I assume that the state spends state money on golf because it wants to promote golf and increase the collective frustration of those who play. I’m not a golfer, but I think it would be nice if the state would give golfers who use the state’s public courses some private options. And private country club members should have their golf membership fees subsidized since the state uses their state tax dollars so that public golfers can have a state course where they can swear and throw their clubs.
So give golf savings accounts to everyone, including those who are already members of a private golf club.
And what about camping? Campers at state campgrounds really should have the option of choosing a private campground. I find the acronym “CSA” (Camp Savings Account) inappropriate, so let’s go with McSAC’s (Mosquito-Chigger Savings Account for Camping). If the name “Education Savings Account” is a good marketing angle, imagine how catchy a McSAC could be!
The choice is good. Let’s go all in.
I sure hope Oliva stays in Arkansas after the presidential election, because he and I think a lot alike.
But seriously, guys. Do not use the “V” word. That offends Oliva. And the duck coupon, er, Duck Savings Account, is really important to me.