Weasel words leading the voucher charge

In most surveys, majorities of citizens don't like the idea of public funds being used to pay for tuition at private and religious schools.

Most people understand that vouchers strip funds from public education. They know that those schools are able to pick and choose their students, and that most public schools must accept all who appear at the door.

They know that private and religious schools are not accountable to the public, do not release test scores, and are not carefully monitored by state agencies.

So how does a governor who wants the state to pay for private or religious schooling for hundreds of thousands of children go about changing the public attitude about vouchers?

The first step is to change the name. It's no longer a voucher. Now it's an "opportunity scholarship."

Associated Press reporter Kevin McGill talks about the "weasel words" that cynical politicians use to distort the meaning of things in this column.