Charter Schools

Federal Involvement In Education Since 1953 Under Threat Of Termination!

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The United States federal government never came around to realizing the significance of a federal engagement in promotion of education to all of our children and adults alike, until the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961).

The creation of the Department and cabinet post of Health, Education, and Welfare took place in the first year of the Eisenhower Presidency, even with a Republican controlled Congress.

Long overdue in all three areas of the cabinet position, after 26 years, it was recognized that the HEW Department was much too massive, so in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, the HEW Department was divided into Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education.

Almost from that event, many Republicans and conservatives declared war on the Education Department, arguing for a return to state control of all Education initiatives, despite the reality that many states, particularly in the South and Great Plains were clearly inferior in their commitment to education.

Unable to bring about the demise of the Education Department, even with Republican contenders for the Republican Presidential nomination over many election cycles advocating its destruction, the new gambit was to promote “”Charter Schools” and “Home Schooling’.

This was designed to take away funding from public schools, and then along came Donald Trump, and his “war’ on public education, starting in his first term, and now actively working with Elon Musk and Project 2025 activists to destroy completely the Department of Education by closing down its offices, and limiting its funding, deapite it being funded by Congress.

So now there is a full scale destruction in process, but to get rid of the Department of Education, a cabinet agency, would require action of Congress, not the outrageous, and unconstitutional removal of funds and staff by Trump, Musk, and other right wing extremists who wish to destroy an essential agency.

So the question is whether the survival of the Department of Education can be accomplished in the present disastrous situation!

Cabinet Of “Deplorables” Marches Forward Toward Confirmation

Ronald 7 Comments

The effects of election results are demonstrated once again as the Cabinet of “Deplorables” marches forward toward confirmation.

The last 24 hours have been particularly gloomy as Betsy DeVos was confirmed as Secretary of Education, and Jeff Sessions was confirmed as Attorney General.

Having a person who has never in any way been involved in public education and believes in charter schools and Christianized education is outrageous and demoralizing. America’s children will suffer as she takes over with the intention of ignoring the issues of disabled students, racial and ethnic minorities, and the protection of women and girls, and the problem of guns in schools.

Jeff Sessions reminds us too much of George Wallace, and the old saying applies–Once a bigot, always a bigot–ant to believe that he will dispense equal justice, and enforce civil rights and civil liberties, and protect women’s rights and immigrants rights, is to believe the tooth fairy.

We will soon see Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services, with an intention to destroy Medicare, Medicaid, and ObamaCare as we know it; and Scott Pruit head the Environmental Protection Agency which he has sued 14 times and would like to destroy the agency if he could; and Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Interior, but not dedicated to preservation of the National Parks and protection of native American rights.

And other horrors in the cabinet are also in line for a vote, one that the Democrats and Progressives are unable to stop, a very depressing time.

The Likely “Best” Choice For The Republican Ticket In 2016: John Kasich And Marco Rubio

Ronald 30 Comments

The first Republican debate is long over, and Donald Trump is monopolizing all of the oxygen in the room, but he is a calamity waiting to happen to the Republican Party.

It is clear already that the best ticket the GOP could offer the American people, in November 2016, would be to nominate Ohio Governor John Kasich for President and Florida Senator Marco Rubio for Vice President.

This would offer the American people a 64 year old Congressional veteran, with 18 years in the House of Representatives and 6 years as Ohio Governor—a man who is a clear cut conservative but centrist in nature, accepting Medicaid; accepting gay marriage as established and tolerant of gays and lesbians; having an element of compassion toward the poor working class, drug offenders, and mentally ill people; great experience in balancing budgets as head of the House Budget Committee; great communications ability, including six years as a talk show host on Fox News Channel; a very popular Governor of the crucial state for any Republican to win the White House; who has accepted that climate change exists; has supported gun regulation in the past; has supported criminal justice reform; is open minded on illegal immigration and eventual citizenship; and has an enlightened view of Christianity and its doctrines, so that recently he has been called a Pope Francis type personality.

However, others have said that Kasich has a “prickly” personality; that he has a “hair trigger” temper; that he is condescending, arrogant, and manipulative, which is, of course, quite disturbing. It also has been pointed out that he has weakened labor unions in Ohio, and has undermined public education in Ohio, in favor of charter schools. So, as with any candidate, he has definite shortcomings, but there is also the reality that, in comparison to his rivals, he stands out as having more potential as a candidate, and to have some, if not all, of the proper character traits, with no one having all, unfortunately.

So it is clear that Kasich is not preferable to a Democratic nominee, any of them in reality, but he comes across as the best person in the race on the Republican side at this writing.

At the same time, Marco Rubio, at age 45 in 2016, might be the best choice for Vice President. He has charisma; good looks; is Hispanic (Cuban American); represents another swing state like Ohio is, but Florida is the largest state to be a swing state; and while he is much more conservative than Kasich, he has potential for growth and maturity in his views over time. Rubio would not be thrilled to be Vice President, but it is a stepping stone to the Presidency when he is older and more seasoned. Besides, he has given up his chance to hold his Senate seat, so it would be more enticing for him to accept the Vice Presidency if he fails to win the Presidential nomination of his party.

This would be a team that would easily give the Republican Party their best shot at winning, but if they do not appeal to women, African Americans, Hispanics, the young, and to working class Americans, they have no chance of winning, so they need to moderate their image.

This team of Kasich and Rubio could accomplish what no other combination would be able to do–win the White House for the Republicans!  Having said that, the odds for the Democrats to keep the White House are excellent, and if Trump runs as an independent or third party candidate, it is guaranteed that the Democrats will win, and likely be certain to regain the Senate, and possibly,. even the House of Representative!

Bernie Sanders’ Promotion Of Free Undergraduate Tuition At All Public Universities And Colleges

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Let me begin this entry by pointing out that the author was the beneficiary of a free tuition undergraduate education for four years at Queens College of the City University of New York in the 1960s.

The entire City University of New York system, and the State University of New York System, had free undergraduate tuition a half century ago, until it disappeared in the crises over budgetary issues in the early 1970s.

Also, the entire California University System had free tuition for all undergraduates, until the Governorship of Ronald Reagan in the late 1960s and early 1970s, leading to anger over the Vietnam War, and the imposition of tuition after widespread student demonstrations on the campuses across California. Budgetary issues were used as the reason, but much of it was a conservative attack on higher education in the largest populated state.

Now, in the second decade of the 21st century, 50 years later, the average student must go into tremendous debt to gain a higher education, causing massive student loan payments that harm the economic future of those students and of their ability to buy homes, cars, have children, and live the “American Dream”.

In many states, the cost of a public higher education, including all expenses, is more than $20,000, forcing many to forgo education, and to undermine the concept of gaining an open mind and tolerance, which a college education provides, along with training for a specific career.

So we have seen a “war” on higher education, particularly in states governed by Republican Governors and legislatures, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, Texas and other states.

Education is not just for career training, but also for promoting ability to analyze, evaluate, interpret, and develop problem solving skills, and to make college more difficult is counter productive.

In the midst of this reality, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an announced Democratic Presidential candidate, has proposed providing taxpayer supported undergraduate education at all public universities and colleges, and while this would be expensive, it is worth considering.

Returning to the tradition in New York and California 50 years ago, and making it nationwide, would be a good move! Education should be considerd a right, not a privilege to be left only to those who can afford it, similar to the public school system. Of course, conservatives and Republicans are out to destroy the public school system as well, in favor of charter schools, which should not be allowed to harm the concept of public education begun in the 1820s in the New England states.

Privatization Of Education And Of Prisons Makes Profit More Important Than Anything Else!

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The privatization movement, popular among conservatives and the Republican Party, produces disasters!

It creates charter schools which, only in rare cases, is better than public education, and gives children educators who are less qualified and lower paid. The results of charter schools are not good, based on statistics!

Additionally, for profit education on the university and college level is a boondoggle, ripping off taxpayers, and cheating gullible students who think they can get a degree worth the paper of the diploma, when instead they get inferior or no education, and tremendous debts that impoverish them.

Also, privatization of prisons is a horrendous idea, as the goal is to cut costs, recruit more prisoners, and mistreat those inmates in ways that have been shown to be extremely abusive!

The privatization industry caters to politicians who are willing to promote their unethical, immoral businesses.

An example is the GEO group, one of the worst prison corporations of all, making massive profits, and for awhile, was winning the contract to name the stadium at my institution, Florida Atlantic University, until there were student and staff protests, leading to the removal of the university president, and the cancellation of the contract.

Florida Governor Rick Scott is being catered to by GEO, in order to promote further expansion of their profits in the Sunshine State, an absolutely despicable event, which should be used by Democrats against one of the worst Governors in America!

Education and law enforcement, including prisons, should NEVER be privatized, as it makes profit more important than anything else, and lacks any sense of propriety, ethics, and morals!

Zack Kopplin, The Hope For The Future Of Science In The Battle Against Creationism!

Ronald 1 Comment

Zack Kopplin is a 19 year old History major at Rice University in Houston, who has become famous in his fight against the state of Louisiana, which passed a law on science education in 2011, which promoted the religious “creationist” theory of man’s evolution and development. The fact that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal would sign such a law says legions about his potential candidacy for President in the future! What kind of intelligent political leader would have the gall to go along with such propaganda, which has no basis?

Kopplin has appeared on many shows, and challenged Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, proving that her statement that Nobel Prize scientists believed in creationism as legitimate, had no basis! He also challenged Rick Santorum on this controversy. His effect on this issue led to Jon Huntsman speaking up on the topic in support of what Kopplin has enunciated, during the Republican primary race for President in 2012.

Kopplin has won awards and endorsements for his fight to bring about the proper study of science in Louisiana and nationally, and has emphasized the importance of the separation of church and state. He has become a hero for those who believe in fighting the role of religion in educational policy, including the religiously based charter schools which have promoted creationism as science.

This is a young man who gives us hope that the ” Know Nothings” that permeate many state governments in many southern and Midwestern states will not be permitted to distort the field of science, and thus to put America behind in the international race for progress and forward thinking in the 21st century!