Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusetts, eloquently describes what the nation needs now. She says that people are discouraged by the power of big corporations, big oil, and their lobbyists. There is a palpable sense that government works best to protect the interests of the privileged, not the average family or individuals, and certainly not those who have fallen out of the middle class.
She writes:
“It’s not about big government or small government. It’s not the size of government that worries people; rather it’s deep-down concern over who government works for. People are ready to work, ready to do their part, ready to fight for their futures and their kids’ futures, but they see a government that bows and scrapes for big corporations, big banks, big oil companies and big political donors — and they know this government does not work for them.
“The American people want a fighting chance to build better lives for their families. They want a government that will stand up to the big banks when they break the law. A government that helps out students who are getting crushed by debt. A government that will protect and expand Social Security for our seniors and raise the minimum wage.
“Americans understand that building a prosperous future isn’t free. They want us to invest carefully and prudently, sharply aware that Congress spends the people’s money. They want us to make investments that will pay off in their lives, investments in the roads and power grids that make it easier for businesses to create good jobs here in America, investments in medical and scientific research that spur new discoveries and economic growth, and investments in educating our children so they can build a future for themselves and their children.”
The important thing is not to pass new laws and programs, but to ask whom they benefit.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Clear and refreshing talk, vague enough to leave much in the wind but this is dead on: (There is) a deep-down concern over who government works for.
Warren is so amazing, I’d almost hate to waste her on a presidency.
I think what so many of us want is a functional, compete tent that does what needs to be done without us having to think a lot about it, except every few years.
As in, if education were competently governed at the local, state, even national levels, we would have a lot less to talk about here. That would be a good thing.
Is it me, or are citizens’ approval ratings of government actually positively correlated with voter participation?
Nice message, but until there’s term limits for Congress we’re still screwed.
If there were term limits, Bernie Sanders would be gone.
I’d make an exception for Bernie. He’s about the only honest politician out there.
I worship Bernie. There are a few others like him.
Term limits are a terrible idea. It’s like TFA for government!
OK Ponderosa, riddle me this- How else are you going to get rid of the mold in Washington? Look at Congress and tell me 80% of them shouldn’t be out. 12 years would be plenty. Give them six 2 year terms or three 4 year terms, then bye bye.
No, until there are more than two political parties to represent one of the most ethnically and ideologically diverse nations on earth we are screwed.
I’d agree with that, along with term limits.
Elizabeth Warren is cut from the same cloth as Obama…the guy that brought us Common Core!! She has the same liberal, radical core believing that Gov’t knows whats best for us..because we are too stupid to make our own choices! She’s against big business and big oil but has no problem with big unions! No thanks!!
What’s the matter with unions?
I love unions. . . .. that is, when unions behave like unions.
I cannot speak for all unions at all, but education unions in general, especially at state and national levels are corrupt, neo-liberal, and have not intention of populist interests. And whether or not there is teacher turnover, the union still gets its dues no matter who fills ths job.
European unions: THAT’S a different and better, happier story, contrary to those in the USA, which, since 1979, have shrunk thanks to the plutocracy and the stupidity of most people . . . .
What’s liberal, let alone radical, about Obama?
Although I suspect that you are right that Warren is much like him.
Got it Margaret, you are against Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA and the FDIC. You are against regulations and building codes because they limit our freedoms. All righty then. What could possibly go wrong when you deregulate the banking industry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ha, ha, ha. 1929……2008
TAGO.
If only Obama was in favor of unions. It is no coincidence that all the countries with good educational systems have big unions, as do the all states in the USA with high performing schools. No unions = poverty and poor education for all.
When anti-union voices espouse the return to values as one that excludes protection for those who can’t buy it on their own to win cases against discrimination, abuse, and underpay in a court of law, they dream of a world we saw in the antebellum South and in Manhattan slums of the early 1900s. Research Triangle Factory disaster. Consider then if worker/stakeholder protection is the same as corporate/shareholder profit as you assume it to be and attribute to Warren’s populist values.
Of course, in fairness to your views, the majority of goods we consume and labor we depend on are a result of discrimination, abuse, and underpay in countries where non-whites toil away in indentured servitude, largely hidden away throughout southeast Asia. From our perch, it is even harder to see the abuses in UAE or Quatar. You actually have to choose to want to see it for what it really is and not take the worker protections US citizens have for granted.
If it doesn’t ruin the rush of watching an NBA game consider that, according to the National Labor Committee, women sewing NBA jerseys make 24 cents per garment that will eventually sell for $140.
Margaret,
Worker associations are made up of hundreds of thousands of
middle-income people, living in our communities, who raise children, pay local taxes and support local business and cultural events.
God bless them for spending money, from their declining salaries, to prop up a two-party political system. Without them, America would be run by oligarchs. Wait……..
Can someone enlighten me on Warren’s positions re the Ed. Reform issues that are harming students and teachers and destroying public schools?
I like Warren, I first encountered her when she was a professor and she wrote on the bankruptcy reform act,. That law was completely drafted by lobbyists. One can identify the lobbying group attached to most clauses once you realize that, but I think Bernie Sanders is a better advocate right now because he goes to the corruption piece of why we are where we are and she tends to gloss over that part.
It’s an important piece, corruption. Not “actionable” corruption, as in violating a statute, but the influence of powerful people on government. A lot of our lawmakers and regulators are captured. That’s why it seems to us they aren’t doing their jobs. That’s my opinion anyway.
Teachout did a real public service by taking that mainstream. In my opinion, people know it. They just don’t (yet) have the language and arena for debate in which to identify it.
I hope and pray she turns out to be what her rhetoric claims she is. She has tried to go after big banks.
I hope she does not Jekyll and Hyde her way into a higher seat or do a bait and switch. So far, Bernie seems to like her. And I REALLY trust Bernie.
A people centered government – somewhat better in Germany with their “sozialwirtschaft” or social economy.
Life is much better in Germany. Where do I start? Higher minimum wage, maternity leave of 8 months +, health care, heavily unionized workforce, a true social safety net. Beautiful, perfect infrastructure, (combination of old and new) concrete highways two meters thick with no potholes. Everything produced is manufactured with care by expert tradesmen. Go travel to any German city. Any German city makes our cities look like dumps. The best life in the world is in northern Europe.
They also lead Europe in the amount of energy produced by wind turbines.
Yes, Germans are ever so efficient.
And their pretzels are HUGE!
Nothing like ‘good Germans’. Quite the exemplars.
Google Elizabeth Warren’s claims to be of Native American ancestry. Whether Warren falsely claimed to be a minority in order to game the system and advance her career is a question that goes to the heart of her honesty and integrity. It’s also a question that will confront her if she ever seeks higher office.
Really Janer? Gee this is really a vital bit of breaking news. Thanks a bunch.
Yeah, right. Jannerteacher must be from one of those ignorant, impoverished non-union states.
Janner,
Romney placed his dog in a crate on top of his car, and drove hundreds of miles, over hours. The example he provided for his sons,
is beyond anything I can imagine any Republican tea partier, Republican, neoliberal or progressive would do.
One law that does need to be passed however is a law against major education overhauls which are not subjected to democratic process of checks and balances. This should never have happened the way that it did. Too few education experts were consulted in the construction of Common Core. I am ASTOUNDED that the only K-12 teaching experience of the lead architect was substitute teaching. COME ON! I am a parent of a fourth grader and I am only knee deep in the program. However from what I have experienced while doing homework with my son I can testify to the developmentally inappropriate content. The math is laborious and offers four to five different ways to arrive at an answer. While we together are able to tackle the problems, because it is developmentally inappropriate it takes at least two hours plus out of our day. And my son’s school day is extended into the evening. This matter of TIME is what I’m most angry about. You see, as any parent who has raised children and who has tearfully said good bye to them when they turned 18 knows,” time with our children is a priceless commodity”, especially when they are young enough to want us around. The “laborious” nature of the Common Core homework and assignments robs us of this time which is so essential for healthy bonding and psychological and socialization of our children. At nine my child would be better served by an hour of homework and an hour to play ball with his father. My child will learn rigor in Jr High and High School and College. He does not need RIGOR in elementary for God’s sake! Let us come together parents, teachers and activist who care about children to reverse the CC or at least work to revise it Dramatically!!
Don’t forget that the interest rates for houses are lower than for student loans.
So VERY many people wish that she would run for the presidency.
Too
The Chicago Tribune printed a larger version of the above very recently, a day or two ago. Too bad that there are not more Elizabeth Warrens in our government.
I hope she doesn’t get indoctrinated into the dysfunction of DC…..how can anyone stay there very long and maintain sanity?
I like Warren’s thinking… put “we the people” not “we big business back into our nations’ philosophy. But all the great thinking will go nowhere until we rid government elections of unfettered PAC money. As a result of “the PAC money wild west” we continue to have politics “to the highest bidder”. This can only put business ahead of We the People!
Yes, she is audacious to believe that corporations aren’t people and that money isn’t free speech, isn’t she! At the least, she is ahead of her time.
For those who have asked for more details of Warren’s positions on education: she supports charter schools and test-based reform (so long as teachers are involved with crafting the tests), and she has proposed a universal public school choice/voucher plan very similar to the one put forth by the Romney-Ryan campaign: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/04/21/the-warren-brief.
Yup. Thought so.
Let’s not get all weak at the knees over Elizabeth Warren, regardless of her otherwise progressive positions.
Thanks for your response. The follow up question is to the progressive educators on this forum: is Warren’s position on public education one that you can support? I would be most interested in reading your opinions. I want to be transparent. If Tim’s ‘take’ on Warren’s on the key issues that inform our struggle are accurate and to be taken at face value, then are her opinions attempt to reconcile two opposing views on ‘Reform’ ? Are her opinions the educational analog of the Clinton and Blair ‘Third Way? Are they essentially tweaked neo-liberal ideology? Looking forward to hearing from the progressive educators.
Note that her plan is for public school vouchers. That would exclude vouchers from being used for private or religious schools. The basic idea is that public schools would simply become open enrollment schools.
Of course, this would be problematic in some sense. For example, how would schools decide who gets to attend? Lottery? Admissions?
The devil is in the details.
(Note: I teach in an area that has no magnet schools and “informally” open enrollment schools. I say informally because no one is checking residences. It’s pretty much public knowledge that we’re taking kids from more impoverished areas. And guess what our zip code residents are increasingly doing? Sending their kids to suburban charters to get away from the enrollment kids! Yup.)
These solutions are incredibly complex and unleash consequences that are unintended. School choice is more about who goes to the school than the quality of the education at the given school. Better student bodies generate better results. Self-selection can most definitely distort performance metrics.
I was pretty careful to point out that her proposal, like Romney-Ryan’s, involves only public schools.
I disagree that schools are only as good as the students who attend them, but I do agree that a primary goal of American education reform should be to minimize or eliminate the number of schools that are educating far more than their fair share of at-risk learners (in most of the country, the authorities are asking to see the students’ papers).
There would be a lot of headaches and kinks to work out with vouchers–in many states, funding comes mainly from local property taxes, e.g. But it is at least an attempt to address the imbalance.
No disagreement on much of your post but I take issue with this phrase: “I disagree that schools are only as good as the students who attend them.”
Student bodies aren’t the sole determinant of academic success but they play a major role. And I’m talking test scores here. Schools are not purely the function of their tests scores but schools that have self-selected student populations have big advantages there.
Tim… what depressing news! Is there hope of educating Warren on the realities of education??? I had no idea of her stance. Is it possible she has been “snow-jobbed” and actually believes public education under charters and vouchers is not big business and is really about choice?????? Ughh.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
I really doubt any Obama-clone could win the election. The economy on paper may be better, but ask thousands upon thousands of college grads if they have found good employment. Ask those that were laid off if they got their jobs back. Obama used the health-care system as his “in” for fixing the economy. Then he went after Education using it as another excuse to help the economy. RTTT did help. I am sure more charters schools are offering employment along with job offerings at Pearson since that’s where the bulk of the RTTT funds go–to the Reformers. TFA got a good piece of the action. Along with Federal funds, that got more from states too. And bundles from the billionaires as well.
While I don’t think Warren is a Neo-liberal like most Democrats in office, she shares the same Reform views for Education. We will once again be forced to vote for the lesser of 2 evils. And don’t get me started on Hillary either!! All I can say is for the last 8 years, the DNC has been shooting itself in the foot. Putting up weak or just bad candidates in the state and local levels like Wisconsin, Florida, etc. I know I wouldn’t want Charlie Crist as governor nor would I want Scott. But just because one is labeled a Democrat, doesn’t mean he/she truly is. And I have no idea what real label Cuomo should have. He will say anything to anyone and make promises he has no intention of keeping. Weeks before the election, he went around saying, “SUCKERS!!!!”
How much civic literacy, or political objectivity, can grow from the
obvious falsehoods of fairy-tale history lessons ?