A few weeks ago, someone challenged Mercedes Schneider to come clean about who was paying her to write her blogs, and she did. No one.
Then a few days ago, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Arkansas said in a catty tone on a Facebook page that if anyone were to dig deep enough, they would see that Mercedes is funded by union money.
That got Mercedes ticked off, so she wrote a response.
The exchange was picked up by Max Brantley, the blogger in Little Rock who fearlessly challenges the Waltons’ financial purchase of almost everything in Arkansas except him. The comments on his post are very funny. The Waltons may be buying the state but they are purchasing a whole lot of unhappy folks.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Far be it from me to question the professor, but why AREN’T there more volunteer advocates for ed reform? I think people should get paid for the work that they do, and getting paid doesn’t mean they don’t passionately support ed reform, but it IS lop-sided.
I used to think maybe charter employees don’t weigh in because they’re at-will, private sector and I don’t care what anyone says about how much they value “teacher voice”- criticizing your employer publicly carries career risk.
I can’t help but notice that the vast majority of the pro ed reform that I read comes from politicians, paid promoters/backers or foundation hires. Again, that doesn’t mean they DON’T genuinely support it but one would think if this “movement” had the level of public support we’re constantly told it enjoys they wouldn’t be able to STOP volunteer advocates from promoting it.
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Chiara: you ask the right questions because you pick up on what is often so obvious that no one else feels the need to comment on it—thereby missing a chance to make a crucial point.
“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” [Ionesco]
Thank you!
😎
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There could be a lot of reasons- the Gates Foundation (and the 500 others) are ed reform advocates so there’s less need, so many politicians/business leaders promote this variety of ed reform that “grass roots” ed reform people are amply represented in the political arena, but is HAS occurred to me that it’s lop-sided.
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More odd to me is, economics faculty at Arkansas public universities who, within the past 10 years, publish papers with titles like, “Did Vietnam Era Draft Avoidance Reduce the Education of Avoiders’ Sisters”.
When, instead, public university economists could analyze the amount of net profit Walmart generates in Arkansas, for its shareholders, in comparison to the amount the corporation pays in taxes to the state. If the latter study, influenced policy, raising taxes, the university would be less vulnerable to oligarch funding and viewpoints and have greater credibility.
Greenpeace started the process of identifying a comprehensive list of failed universities/coopted departments in a recent article, “Koch Pollution on Campus.”
Just plain unexplainable ($) is the dominance of the unproductive financial sector on the boards of plutocratic-funded education reform organizations, with no interest in board members who have taught K-12 students.
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“I will bet that if you follow the money, you will see she is funded by a teachers union.” — Julie Stroud Trivitt
Mercedes Schneider should take her up on that bet, even if if was just for a penny. Then she could say she was funded by a Walton supporter.
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SomeDAM Poet:
TARGO!
😎
P.S. TARGO = That’sAReallyGreatOne! [Thank you, Duane Swacker!]
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Great response Mercedes. Too bad the corporate toady probably won’t be able to or care to follow your response or even apologize. Some people do things as a labor of love. Something the good Prof may not understand.
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Mark, economists don’t understand “labor of love”
How do you quantify it?
How do you quantify passion?
What is the metric?
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U of Arkansas is such a wonderful institution in education that it won the grand prize in the Bunkum awards for 2014: http://nepc.colorado.edu/think-tank/bunkum-awards/2014
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I get that Mercedes is not funded by any unions, but we need to get over the idea that union funding is the same as corporate funding and that union funding is necessarily a bad thing. Unions are collectives of people whereas corporations are controlled by very wealthy individuals or small groups. I also understand that union leadership can be corrupt and not necessarily reflective of the membership, but theoretically at least, if a union supports a particular person, policy, etc., that means that a large group of people feel that that person reflects their views or that that policy is good for a large group of people. That’s completely different than a small group of people spending a lot of money to promote people and policies that only benefit that small group of people.
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It’s also nonsense as a practical matter. Look at what comes out of DC and tell me with a straight face that “labor” has the clout that corporations do.
When’s the last time we saw a pro-labor piece of legislation out of DC? 1974 or thereabouts?
They’re getting ready to pass yet another crappy trade deal right now, despite the “mighty clout” of Big Labor. The President is only using pro-labor rhetoric because he’s getting ready to completely screw them on trade. NAFTA was and is enormously unpopular in this state. People are still bitter about it. Obama ran against it in the OH primary and so did Clinton. It doesn’t matter. They’re pushing thru a new NAFTA, and they’re doing it a year before a national election.
“As another labor official put it: “He’s our best friend when it doesn’t matter.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/obama-butters-up-labor-because-theyre-about-to-lose-on-trade-116121.html#ixzz3Uky37RSc
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People like John Arnold, Bill Gates, Eli Broad, Charles and David Koch,
the Waltons et. al. live in the enclaves of the 0.1%.
My neighbors are members of the Communications Workers of America, teachers’ unions, Teamsters, electrician and plumbers’ unions. They share my community’s tax burden and use the same municipal and village services that my family does. They attend the same schools my children do.
A failure to understand the difference between political donations from the paychecks of people, among whom one lives vs. political donations from the .1%, that were extracted from consumer profits, reflects inexcusable ignorance.
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Arkansas- Headquarters for the largest private U.S. employer, Walmart.
Arkansas- 2nd poorest state in the nation.
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Mercedes,
You are but one of the very few other Diane Ravitches.
I read your response and live for it.
This Trivitt has gotten burned with all the appropriate heat being placed upon her. She is a bought and paid for shill for the Waltons, but hell, at $77K a year, that’s a lot of money to earn in Arkansas.
Gotta love Arkansas (the good fightin’ people there are who I really love): Home to 5 people from ONE family who own 37% of the nation’s entire wealth combined, and the second poorest state in the Union.
Let’s see . . . How can I put this elegantly? Ah, yes: The 5 Walton family members each need to have their heads smacked. Maybe the motion will stimulate cerebral blood flow.
I wonder if this PhD Trivitt has tenure at her Walton controlled college?
The Waltons: Rich in cash and impoverished in morality.
G’night John boy. . . . . G’night grandpa . . . . . G’night Dr. Trivitt.
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