Governor Rick Snyder’s administration is closing down public schools in two districts in Michigan and turning the schools over to charter operators.
Michigan has a draconian law that permits the governor to appoint an emergency manager whenever a municipality or school district or other governmental entity is in financial distress. All democratically elected officials are superseded by the emergency manager. Democracy comes to an end. The emergency manager has a free hand to do as he or she wishes. Decisions are made by diktat, with no need to consult with the community whose children are involved. So much for choice.
As context, bear in mind that the governor cut the budget for public schools while giving big tax breaks to corporations. Under its present leadership, Michigan lacks the political will to support public education in every school district. As Erik Kain of Forbes pointed out last year, Governor Snyder cut support for public schools as the same time that he cut business taxes–costing the state nearly $2 billion–by 86 percent.
In Muskegon Heights and in Highland Park, the emergency managers decided that the best way to pay down the debt in the school district was to hand the public schools off to charter companies. The district remains as a shell whose only purpose is to use property taxes to pay off the debt.
That’s how public education will die in two districts. There will surely be more. Fifty school districts in the state are running deficits, and emergency managers have been appointed in three of them–these two and in Detroit.
Meanwhile, two for-profit charter companies have applied to run the schools in Muskegon Heights. According to a local article, they don’t have a very impressive record in Michigan:
Only two charter school operators have applied to take over the schools — the Leona Group, which operates 19 schools in Michigan, and Mosaica Education, which operates six schools in Michigan.
That has some educators concerned.
Only one school among the two charter operators is ranked above the 50th percentile on the state’s top-to-bottom list, which is based primarily on state test scores. Nineteen of the schools are ranked below the 30th percentile, and 14 are ranked below the 20th percentile.
No worry, the state says the goal here is educational excellence and eliminating the debt.
“This is about providing an excellent educational opportunity for students in Muskegon Heights. That’s what the parents are looking for. This allows that to continue while at the same time addressing the crippling financial situation,” said Terry Stanton, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Treasury.
The emergency manager in Muskegon Heights laid off every employee, and the union was dissolved. Teachers in the district had an average annual salary of almost $50,000. They can reapply for their jobs with the charter operators, but may not have the same salary or benefits.
The Detroit Free Press saw this maneuver for what it is: a gamble with the future of 2,000 children and a clever way to suspend democracy and privatize the schools.
A recent study found that Highland Park, Michigan, is one of least fairly funded districts in the United States. The emergency manager plans to select a charter operator by September. No private operator has been named yet.
As I write this story together, I have this unpleasant sensation. I think my blood is boiling.
Diane
This sounds like an even more robust version of Connecticut’s “Commissioner’s Network,” in which schools designated as “failing” are treated the same way.
Michiganders: When your democratically elected officials are removed by emergency managers, you no longer live in a democracy.
MIchiganders collected enough signatures to put the EFM law on the November ballot for repeal, however the signatures were not certified by the Republican members of the board of elections because the font was the wrong size. It will be up to the Michigan Supreme Court to determine whether or not the signatures are valid BUT the Republican crazies have the majority there too.
Actually. the petitions “substantially comply” with the guidelines and rules but the Republican-slanted judges dug up their own “experts” to spit hairs (literally 2/75 of an inch) over a definition of “font size” and “type size” which are the same height but some letters may be a hair thinner. As I understand it from printer’s comments, the definition used back when the guidelines were written comes from an archaic system when they did typesetting.
Photocopies can vary more than this. All that is needed is “substantial compliance” and they had to agree based on a prior ruling. Then they tried to get a 7-jugde panel to revisit the prior ruling. Seems like this is about more than justice when they work so hard just to keep it off the ballot. As soon as they certify these petitions the Emergency Manager law is suspended until the people can vote on it. Feel the fear?
Ironically, charter schools here in Florida are released from “restrictions” placed on public schools. On the other hand, they are allowed to cherry pick their student population and reject students who are not “right” for their schools (=special needs). Why cannot public schools be allowed to do the same?
Because it’s illegal?
I have to admit, I thought Naomi Klein was writing about the past (in other countries) and it couldn’t happen here. But her book ” Shock Doctrine” was a blueprint for the good old USA.
Klein’s shock doctrine is in effect — a corporate coup d’etat to undermine democratic institutions. Katrina was a start: just an excuse to privatize the entire system. The results have been terrible, but that isn’t the point, is it? It’s all an excuse, and our kids will pay.
By definition by the one who coined the phrase, “a corporate coup d’etat” = fascism
When I was trying to figure out who is in charge of charter school/charter system approval at the state level here in Georgia, I found that the chair of our state charter commission had most recently held a high position(CFO, if I recall) for Mosaica before taking a posh government job. Google revealed legal proceedings between Mosaica and a charter school down in Louisiana. My attorney friend and I were flabbergasted to read about the charges that Mosaica failed to meet the terms of their contract but got a nice chunk of change regardless because that sweetheart deal was written into the contract. One of the failures that stood out to us was complaints that the school became to reek of urine and such because Mosaica, or the cleaning company they subbed to, did not fulfill their custodial duties. It was a mess! But the charter group still made their buck.
From above post…Began, not became.
A grassroots effort gathered enough signatures to put a referendum to repeal the Emergency Manger Law (PA4) on the November ballot, but a GOP-dominated Board of Canvassers and Court of Appeals high-jacked the process with a panoply of shameless monkey-business designed to prevent what even the CoA had to admit was a valid petition.
Here is some information on the current state of PA4 and a couple of good sources for keeping up with developments in Michigan —
• http://standup4democracy.com/
• http://www.freep.com/article/20120609/OPINION01/206090328/Editorial-Stall-tactics-bring-shame-on-court
• http://eclectablog.com/
• http://www.democracy-tree.com/
The economy tanked a few years ago and many companies reformed things like pensions and salaries. This allowed them to stay afloat and not fall victim to the harsh realities of an economic collapse.
The public sector seems to think they are immune from these harsh realities. Years later we finally see some reform efforts in the public sector. This is a few years after many in the private sector watched their employers eliminate pension plans and move to 401k’s.
This may be a tough pill to swallow, in the public sector, but many of us have already swallowed our pill a few years ago. Welcome to the real world.
One of the advantages of living in a democracy, and controlling the public sector, is that the people can choose how to treat their employees. It is true that private sector companies have been running away from pensions, sometimes simply walking away from them and allowing the Federal pension insurance agency to pick up the pieces. It’s also true that 401k-type plans are now ubiquitous in the private sector. But who says that these are *desirable* outcomes? A private business’ first duty is to their shareholders, not their employees or customers. By most reports, corporate profits are doing quite well. Was abandoning pensions really the only choice? Or just the best choice for the shareholders?
I’ve also read a study on pension restructuring from the pro-reform Education Sector which pointed out that 401k plans haven’t been around all that long and we don’t really know how they will hold up when large numbers of people start depending on them for retirement income.
(It should be pointed out that the crisis faced by the state teacher pension system in Michigan has been caused almost entirely by investment losses, from the market crash, and the breathtaking rise in health care costs. Benefits have not been increased, with the exception of a couple of modest early-retirement incentives over the past few years. Instead, school employees have been contributing more to their pension plan over the last five years.)
The point is that, in the field of public education, the goal is not to make it as cheap as possible. What we want is for an excellent education to be available for our children and all the children of our communities. Does reducing the retirement benefits and security for our teachers and other school employees get us closer to that goal? I think not. In difficult times, we must be modest, but we are foolish if we grasp as short term economies that will have profoundly negative long-term consequences
Does
No one gets a free ride, and teachers are already paying 9% off of the top for their pensions. The problem is that Gov. Engler started spending our, yes our money it did not belong to him, in 1991 to give tax breaks to others. Thus, for the past 20 years the state has been robbing my pension plan. Embezzlement is the word that comes to mind, the states fault not mine.
Coincidentally, Gov Snyder just approved a full pension, at 100% salary and no co pay health care for all senate and house members after just 6 years of service, this will include himself if he is re-elected.
The people whining about my pension have not had their paycheck
robbed at 9% off the top and taken 5% pay cuts each of the past 3 years. Lastly, for the record we do not get free health care we pay 4000.00 per year for our health care and have annual deductibles of 750.00 per person. I am tired of hearing about the “real world” from all the losers without a pension. I choose to take my engineering degree and teach mathematics and physics so I do have one, if the state changes to rules before I retire I will sue for breech of contract!
rs.
Oh, ever hear of the Social Security “TRUST FUND”?? LOLOLOLOL. That’s how the Govt. works people. Keep giving them the power and watch them abuse it.
Excellently put Steven. Point well made.
I don’t know where you get your information from, but as a recently hired teacher, I can tell you it is all incorrect. I pay a huge portion of my own benefits, meaning that a certain amount of my paycheck pays for me to have medical, dental and vision insurance. Just like I did as a non-union factory worker. I only get a limited amount of short term, and long term disability benefits, anything extra I pay for. I have a very small amount of life insurance (one year’s salary, just like at my factory job) anything over that I pay for. While we do not qualify for 401Ks we do have and pay into 403Bs in order to insure we will have some sort of pension when we retire. I will not be able to retire until I am 71 in order to get full benefits from my retirement because I have to put in a minimum of 20 years first. Speaking of which, I also pay into a retirement health care benefits account, so when we retire we do have health insurance, that we paid for while we were working. We also pay into Social Security and Medicare, just like everyone else.
so a large portion of my paycheck goes into the state’s health insurance, retirement health insurance and medicare; the state’s retirement account, my personal (403B) retirement account and social security as well as union dues, state and local taxes. We pay far more for our benefits than the private sector does.Because we pay what we do, our benefits are better than most, but we pay for what we get. You name a single private sector company that requires their employees to pay into 3 different health care, retirement benefit and retirement pension accounts like we do.
May I ask what your job is and how much college education you have?
“Better we ALL be miserable and ripped off by the Ruling Elite than just some of us!”
Is that your “logic”? Or are you just resentful of the dwindling number of people who are permitted to be treated decently after years of hard work and service?
The Ruling Elite loves to see “the little people” squabbling like this, over the scraps from their table.
What kind of person blames the teacher at $50K annually over the hedge fund guy making $50K Per Hour?
Americans: Teachers aren’t our enemies. Get real. Let’s blamil
Ruling elite?? Sounds like a Paulo Frier quote.
Who is the ruling elite??
Companies have to adjust to the economic conditions. How else do they stay in business?
Why is the public sector immune to the realities we all have to face.
Sorry that the Govt. liberals thought they could micromanage the economy into a 16 TRILLION dollar debt (and yes i consider Bush part of that equation)
Sorry that they thought they could offer loans to people who could never pay their mortgage until the bubble burst.
Sorry that our govt. no longer sees themselves as LIMITED but now in the position of granting us their tyrannical “rights” as they see fit.
Sorry that the govt no longer honors the LIMITS of the Constitution and sees it as an antique document to ignore.
When you give govt. this much power, what do you expect them to do with it?
Workers need to unite and stand together against corporate greed. Corporations are making record profits and they are pitting worker against worker. They want workers to attack other workers and say, “Hey, I lost my benefits and retirement, so should you!” Instead workers should be saying, “You deserve a pension and benefits and so do I.” The American dream is being lost and the power grab by Republicans is undermining our democracy. It’s all about greed people.
It is absolutely outrageous what the Governor has been able to get away wih. That said, I am a little curious what kind of MEAP scores Muskegon Heights schools had and where did they rank? If this move is about a better education wouldn’t one expect those who take over have a better track record than being ranked lower than the 30th percentile?
Well, to be fair, some charters focus on at-risk students in high-poverty communities, so it would be more useful to look at the specifics of the other charters run by each company.
Nevertheless, this step is not being taken because of a mandate to improve educational outcomes. They are doing this because of the *financial* pressures on the two districts. And, in fact, an EM’s legal charge is to solve the financial problem, not to improve or even guarantee the same level of public services.
I embrace charters that focus on at-risk students in high-poverty communities. I do not embrace those who skim from those communities and then celebrate their success while leaving the at-risk kids behind.
Diane
I don’t think community-governed public education is on its deathbed in Michigan, mainly because I believe that this crisis may help my fellow citizens wake up. We can watch and decry the situation as much as we want, but to make change we must take action.
Many of my allies in the pro-public education camp seem to feel that this assault is the brainchild of corporate interests and well-funded national interest groups. While they play a role, we must also realize that they have found enthusiastic allies among lawmakers who were elected on platforms of “downsizing government.” So-called “government schools” are at the top of their agenda.
These folks were *elected* by voters, voters who believed the rhetoric. I think the lawmakers believe it too, even if it is also in the financial interest of their allies.
To make change, we can’t stand by and wring our hands. We must organize, and not just among the choir. We must reach out to those same voters who sent the anti-government lawmakers to our state capitols and work to remind them of the value of education to our communities and the reasons why we have community-governed public education. Some will never listen, but others will remember, and think twice.
We can choose anger and blame, as the other side has done. Or we can reach out and rebuild the bonds of community, even with those who often disagree with us. Then, and only then, will we build lasting change.
Ok, so you give power to the govt. then you have a problem with the abuse/corruption and power they use?
I truly do not get it when people continually look to the govt. for solutions then seem shocked by the abuse and corruption that follows.
If you don’t want the govt. to micromanage public education, stop handing them the power.
Who’s talking about abuse and corruption? These districts are collapsing under the weight of the failure of our state to commit adequate resources to public education. We *are* the government. We have the power. How will we use it?
What are adequate resources?? I see schools using funding and end up buying lousy text books, fuzzy math programs and wasting money on professional development that has nothing to do with improving education and everything to do with social engineering. (e.g. teachers who were recently sent to professional development to learn about the problems in Darfur)
My best friend worked as a teacher in Mass. and in Long Island, NY. She’s never supported a tax increase in any district she’s lived in because of the amount of waste in the public school system.
The blog did not say that all of public education in Michigan is on a death watch, but it certainly is in those two districts. With the emergency manager law in place, the same actions may be taken elsewhere. Your analysis is correct. People who don’t want to lose public schools must build alliances with parents, teachers, civic leaders, local businesses and others who value the public education they received and want to maintain local control, not lose it to a corporation.
I didn’t mean to imply you were describing all public districts, but it’s already clear that a much larger number of districts is considering this path as a way out of their short-term financial crises. We may alleviate one symptom in that way, but at what cost? That’s the decision my fellow citizens must make in the coming months.
I can’t do “trackbacks,” but for anyone who is interested: http://www.miparentsforschools.org/node/173
One of the interesting things about the curse of Michigan’s interesting times is the chance we have to observe how that triple threat — the War on Democracy, the War on Education, and the War on Science — work hand in hand in hand to wreak havoc on every core value of American society our parents and teachers impressed on us in what now seems like ancient days.
Wow, it made me so tired to write that, I’ll have to break now and continue later …
The inseparable bond between democratic government and public education is no doubt obvious to anyone whose mind and character have been nurtured by the lessons of progressive education — perhaps too obvious to understand how anyone could fail to see how each will die without the other.
At any rate, most of us here can probably see how the war on democracy and the war on education are just two fronts in a larger campaign to nullify the core values that our Founders labored to give birth on this Continent.
But the war on science? Or inquiry, knowledge, research, truth — however you want to put it? What is that about? Where does that come into the fray?
For one thing, think of the armory of double-think-tanks that constantly bombard the public with barrage on barrage of agenda-driven reports, the host of which tanks operate in exact opposition to the way genuine researchers are trained to conduct historical and scientific research.
For another thing, the public is now so inundated by the rain of abuse on our university-educated teachers that — unlike every other civilized country in the world &mdash: they forget the role that academic freedom plays in conveying the truth about realities not-to-be-denied to the generations that will have to face these realities squarely and without the escape of wishful illusion.
So you can’t have a really good war on democratic education without a multi-pronged assault on academic freedom, communication, information, inquiry, journalism, knowledge, research, science, and truth. Now can you?
Michigan Education is in danger of not educating it’s children. The MEA needs to know that there was a time for benefits to be paid for life. Now as all tax payers are paying for their own expensive health benefits and retirement, we as tax payers are paying for teachers awesome benefits, pensions and a life time of guarentee’s for these benefits. No other citizen is granted these benefits. It’s time we pay teachers a salary they deserve and have them pay for their own benefits and their retirement. The pensions and benefits we as tax payers are paying for our own benefits as well as theirs is no longer affordable. Let’s educate our children, pay salaries for the job, and allow everyone to pay for their own health coverage and retirement.
Go get Congress to put themselves on 401k’s ,,, and get back to us.
I absolutely agree, congress should also pay their fair share into social security and medicare (they don’t, you know) However as a Michigan teacher. I can tell you we do not get “benefits for life” Our benefits are quite nearly the same as Illinois. A huge chunk of my paycheck goes toward my health care benefits, my retirement health care benefits, my retirement account with the state and my 403B (very similar to a 401K, which teachers are not allowed to have) Those people who are ignorant enough to decry the benefits teachers supposedly get, need to do some research, or better yet, ask a teacher. We start at $28,000-$32,000 per year and pay out a huge portion of that just for our supposedly cushy benefits and union dues, leaving us about $14,000 per year to pay our bills and live off of. Many of us have large student loans to pay off as well. I challenge all of you and our government officials to try living off that and raise a family on what we take home along with our spouses income. Better yet, try being the sole bread winner raising children on that.
I don’t know about Michigan, but here in Illinois we’re fighting to keep our pensions. “Benefits for life?” I, for one, would like to disabuse the public that teachers (at least in IL, but I’m sure it’s the same in numerous, other states) receive “free” health insurance–we have to pay for it, too, & it has been that way for quite some time. Now the G.A. here is trying to make current retirees choose between health insurance (which, as I mentioned before, we DO pay for, & it’s not cheap) or a Cost of Living Increase (C.O.L.A.). As I had some idea this might happen, I opted to keep the umbrella coverage as offered
by my school district-I am paying ONE THIRD of my pension for this MONTHLY! As health insurance premiums increase (make no mistake about that–they will), my pension will decrease, as I’m certain that the rise in health care is going to be greater than any COLA %age (&–because the legislature is doing this now–& has a
referendum for November–the COLA availability may be abolished).
Sp those of you who are NOT teachers, please be careful about making assumptions. Oh–& did you know that we cannot collect social security? (Even though many of us worked other jobs/during summers to make ends meet &–like you–paid into that system, as well.) If you’re thinking about big benefits–sorry–those go to superintendents & upper echelon administrators. (And don’t tell me that’s not the reason many WANT to become superintendents! Did you know that superintendents can go state-skipping–time in one state, retire, get a pension from that state, then go on to a neighboring state, stay for a # of years, then collect a pension from that state, too. They also have moved on to the private sector, usually in an executive position, making MORE big $$$.)
The majority of teachers make 5-figure salaries; the majority of superintendents & other administrators make 6-figures,
STOP THE TEACHER BASHING!!!
Fred Klonksy shares a detailed rebuttal from Glen Brown to many myths about the pension situation in Illinois. I’m guessing it’s pretty good odds his points can be generalized.
What kind of salary do you think teachers deserve? Keep in mind the need to pay for benefits and retirement, continuing education (required by the state) and the thousands of dollars needed to buy materials for classsrooms and supplies for children. (districts seldom provide anything besides paper and maybe books)
I think this topic, and the conversation around it, are an excellent example of how all politics are local. The collapse of Michigan’s manufacturing economy, and the fact that many people put the blame solely on the UAW despite all evidence, has given a particular edge to the debate over public education here. The focus is often on the role of the teachers’ unions, rather than anything else about education. Any faults of local school districts are likewise laid at the feet of the teachers’ unions.
(I’ve even seen public school teachers described, in newspaper comment sections, as “union thugs.” I can’t quite see how that describes my kids’ kindergarten teacher. In any case, anti-tax and anti-government folks have managed to cast unions as the enemy – and the scapegoat. In terms that are most meaningful in this part of the US, the image of Walter Reuther has been replaced with the caricature of Jimmy Hoffa.)
The assault on community-governed public education around the US does have some basic common threads. But it plays out differently in each state and community. We need to have ideas and language that counter the common attack, but we need to make it real and salient in each community. In other words, we need a really strong “ground campaign,” and it needs to be prepared to work for the long haul.
Yes, politics are local, and the public must understand that events affect them and their children and their community. But at some point, it is important to recognize that what is happening in Michigan is happening in Connecticut and in Wisconsin and Illinois and in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and that amazingly enough, many of the same organizations, the same funders, and the same people are pushing the same agenda of privatization.
Quite so. But, thanks to the strong tradition of states’ rights, the endgame will be played out in one legislature after another. If we are wise, supporters of public education will work from the ground up and be a local voice (rather than an outside entity which can easily be painted as an interfering special interest). Less Pennsylvania Ave and more Main St.
The reasons why corporate powers pretend to be in favor of “States’ Rights” are as follows:
(1) They know they already have more power than any individual State of the Union.
(2) They have a long history of successfully playing the States off each other, employing the tactic of “whipsawing” to create a “race to the bottom”.
Diane doesn’t acknowledge what’s really happening here, which is that Gov. Snyder and the EM’s are ensuring a free, PUBLIC education for these children. The adults that drove these districts into academic & financial bankruptcy have forfeited the right to educate kids.
Who gets to decide when others should forfeit their rights in a democracy?
Don’t you have to be convicted of a crime and be a felon?
Is everyone in those two districts a criminal?
Mr. Naeyaert, your argument rests on the foundation that it was the teachers, administrators and school board in Muskegon Heights and Highland Park who are solely responsible for these districts’ financial troubles. What about the adults in the state Legislature, which has sole and total control of the operating revenues for Michigan schools? Per-pupil operating funding has not even kept up with inflation since 1994. Or how about the growing burden of payments to the state school employee pension system, which is also under the sole control of the state Legislature and is currently sucking up 24% of every local district’s payroll? Or the fact that Michigan’s per-pupil funding formula makes no allowance for fixed costs, so that districts which have lost population (as most have in Michigan) are at a double disadvantage?
Is it more democratic and just for an emergency manager, accountable to no one other than the Governor (or, in extremis, the state legislature) to take these steps rather than a locally elected school board? (School districts in Michigan are independent units of local government.)
Charter schools are defined as “public,” but it’s a pretty thin thread. The charter boards are “public” entities, but are often nominated by the management companies. The boards in turn are responsible to their authorizers, such as yours at Central Michigan Univ. The authorizer, typically a charter school office at a state university, is answerable to the university president and thus to the university’s board of trustees. All state universities which currently authorize charters have their boards appointed by the Governor, who is an elected official. So charters are “public” because they are ultimately responsible to the Governor. Or, in these cases, they are responsible to the local school district, currently under emergency management by the governor’s appointee.
Finally, the management companies who have so far “bid” on these schools, and in fact the vast majority of charter management companies in Michigan, are all private, for-profit, companies. In many cases, every person in the school other than the board is in fact an employee of the management company. They are able to pay their teachers and other staff less, and avoid contributions to the state pension fund. All that, and they get to keep an unspecified amount of profit, too.
How does all this really help the children of Muskegon Heights or Highland Park? And how does this help us address the artificial crisis that faces local public education in Michigan?
OK, do you want the state involved in education or not? If you DO then you have to answer to your masters. If you do not, then you should work to get the STATE out of the classroom. Leave it up to the local districts to fund and make the decisions. Otherwise you will be nothing but a slave to the masters at your state office building.
Sorry, but I’m not overly concerned about public employees losing a pension system since so many in the private sector lost theirs.
We are broke due to the over-spending by bureaucrats and the sooner everyone realize’s that harsh reality the better.
In my opinion, the local community should decide what their teachers are worth. They should decide if they want to fund a pension, 401K or nothing at all.
You can’t ask the State to get involved then whine when they don’t do things your way.
The further away you give govt. and bureaucrats control, the less of a voice you will have.
When the parents in your community value your work ethic, they will reward that. If they are struggling financially, then that may reflect in how they vote. However they will know you personally. They will know how well you do your job and they will vote accordingly.
The legislators and bureaucrats at the State and Federal level have NO idea who you are. They are going to look at the bottom line, just as you look at what you believe you are worth.
Keep giving these guys all of the power and then sit around and complain about it.
Sorry…that just doesn’t make sense to me at all.
Work to get the FEDS and the STATE out of public education and return these decisions to the local community.
This blog made the newspaper today.
http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/06/diane_ravitch_muskegon_heights.html#incart_river_default
And they say pres. Obama is a dictator!! This Gov. is got him beat!!! If only we had some way to get him out of office before he ruins MIchigan altogether. While Pres. Obama is trying to create jobs, This guy is causing people to lose them faster than Pres. Obama can create them. He is dangerous to our State. People won’t stand for too much more of his ruling.
Dear MOMwithAbrain,
In a democracy the government is an instrument of the People’s will.
In a democracy the People entrust the government with sufficient power to protect the People from threats to their well-being and to effect the People’s will.
If the People come to feel that their government is something alien to the their will and welfare, then that is a measure of how far the government has strayed from the path of democracy.
The answer is not to Kill the Beast, as would have us do, but to bring it to heel for remedial obedience training, so it can return to its proper duties.
Above all, we should be extremely wary of those who would have us Kill the Beast, our own Watchdog, since they usually have a Pet Beast all their own, just waiting at the Gates.
First of all we live in a Republic, not a Democracy. Second our Govt. is to be LIMITED which is exactly what the Constitution specifies.
The govt. to protect us? From what? Ourselves?
The power is to be among the people.
If you think the govt. is going to protect you, good luck with that. The local police wont even commit to protecting you.
While you sit there waiting for your govt. to fix your problems and take care of you, they continue to claim more of the power you hand them and then end up ignoring your voice.
Our foundation was built upon limiting govt. and keeping the power among the people. Without that focus, you have a bloated govt. that will seek additional power. When you hand them more power why do you complain when they abuse it?
Just look at how they abuse their power. They ignore the limits that have been placed on them and the people allow it. You sit here hoping that the Govt. will pass you a crumb.
They’ve become your master where you have to beg and plead for what you want. We have to hire lobbyists to plead our case.
Why? Because the legislators do not understand the meaning of LIMITED.
That’s okay, the international finance industry and the transnational corporations understand the meaning of Ltd,, and that is exactly what they are selling the suckers who are dumb enough to buy it — Government, LLC., their wholly owned subsidiary.
Unfortunately the rest of us have to live on the TEA plantation they bought.
But hey, who need protection from that?
You are absolutely right. However when you give the Govt. power and they think they can shift it internationally, should you be surprised?
It’s bad enough that you have the feds as your master, now think about global governance. How much of a voice will we all have then?
Think about all of those kids getting a nice indoctrination into “global” ccitizenship.
We all understand about bad cops and the criminal forces that corrupt them.
But the answer is never getting rid of public-accountable police forces.
The answer is prosecuting both the bad cops and the criminals that corrupt them.
If you catch my drift …