This week’s emotional public hearings about closing one of the state’s three residential schools for deaf and blind students has exposed more than just the hypocrisy of the Republicans now complaining about the schools in their own districts being closed by a budget they supported.

It is the latest example of the discomfort many Republicans seem to have with the reality of their own political philosophy.

The Republican budget ordered the Department of Public Instruction to decide which of the schools for deaf and blind students to close. House Appropriations Chair Harold Brubaker said that lawmakers had to close one because there wasn’t money to fund all three. Of course that is true only because Brubaker and his colleagues decided that cutting taxes was more important.

For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Daily Reflector. Current home delivery and electronic edition subscribers may log in to access this article at no charge. To become a subscriber, please click here or contact Customer Service at (252) 329-9505.