Nimbys as the British Call Them

The conservatarian (no, that is not a Bush-ism, but I do think it is a rather clever way of joining the two) blogosphere has played host to the debate surrounding Obama's stance on the issue of school choice today. For those who missed out on the exchange, in short it seems that Obama, who himself sends his daughters to an upscale private school, does not believe that the same opportunities should be afforded to low income families unable to pursue such a choice with their own finances.

The arguments both for and against school choice are numerous and readily available, but one of the more interesting explanations for why school choice legislation is routinely shot down reminds me of the name given to such nay-sayers by the British, Nimby. Nimby, standing for "not in my backyard," or as today's Wall Street Journal columnist so aptly changed it to "not in my schoolyard," represents one of the major issues we face today in the realm of public policy. Those individuals who are currently paying for their children to attend selective schools are not exactly jumping at the opportunity to open the doors to anyone wishing to pursue a private education, and there is not much that supporters of school choice can do to change this.

Just as in the case of nuclear energy, it seems that the issue of school choice may be poised to fade away as an example of a change with both practical and idealistic merits that was simply pushed from one yard to the next until it ultimately hit a dead end. This is not to say that supporters of school choice, myself included, should give up the case, but unfortunately, like many public choice issues, this analysis does little more than present and clarify the roadblock to change without providing a mechanism for overcoming it.

Suggestions, however, are certainly welcome.