Often in conservative political circles, there tends to be a focus on discussing only the negative side of government. It is important to remember that there are many important and necessary functions that government can serve, especially on the local and state level. This is not to say conservatives should abandon their preferences concerning limited government- cuts are sadly necessary due to ballooning federal and state debt. However, those on the right should also be able to point to areas where government can do some good.
A Kentucky statewide initiative known as the Governor’s Scholars Program is an excellent illustration of this point. The Governor’s Scholars Program (or GSP for short) gathers students from all 120 counties in the state, including Lexington. Founded in 1983, this five-week Kentucky state-funded program helps prepare senior high-school students for college and beyond.
Being selected for GSP is a highly competitive application-based process that operates on free-market principles. Scholars are nominated by their high schools and then selected based on comparison of their grades, class schedule, work/volunteer experience, references, and essay writing abilities.
Those chosen spend five weeks living in dorm rooms at one of three college campuses with other scholars. Isolated from their families, the students are able to get a taste of college life while learning from highly educated individuals within their “focus areas” and “general studies” classes which expose them to many new ideas.
It isn’t all about learning. Students are free to interact with each other while not in class, forming clubs, playing sports, and making lifelong friends. Also, many Kentucky universities (such as the University of Kentucky in Lexington) offer scholarships to those who participate in the program.
If you’re a parent or student interested in the program, more information can be found here. It has been said that people are usually in favor of cutting government spending until confronted with cuts to programs they depend on. That may be true, but conservatives should not hesitate to support funding to important programs like this; there are many other wasteful programs/services that can be targeted first.
Cutting spending can be a challenging tightrope to walk, especially locally when issues are personalized. In the city of Lexington, programs such as GSP have many faces associated with them, which can create challenging polarization. Nevertheless, neither side should be afraid to engage in civil debate, nor should either side should try to demagogue an issue.
Disclaimer: The author was a 2006 Kentucky Governor's Scholar
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