Betsy DeVos is a huge reformer. She has used her gold to clear the way for hundreds of charters in Michigan, 80% of them for-profit, and she has opposed any regulation or supervision of them.
So, why, wonders Peter Greene, are some charter cheerleaders expressing doubts about the heiress as Secretary of Education?
For one thing, they worry that letting anyone open a charter school might tarnish the brand. But there is a deeper concern: they don’t want to compete with voucher schools. They are content to be the only sector sucking money out of public schools. Why encourage yet a third sector? With all their praise of competition, they would prefer to limit the field.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane: the covert “the rules are for others, but not for me” head-banger ideology is the same ideology that enshrouds the oligarchs and their corporations among us. That is, RA RA! for capitalism and its competition!!!–except where MY or my corporation’s interests are concerned–then I want total control and no competition.
In other words all capitalists tend towards being monopolists.
Duane E Swacker: says: “In other words all capitalists tend towards being monopolists.” Yes and No–but I do think human development and it’s foibles make it a people thing–which is why we all need a socio-political and cultural structure that can deal with the tension between (a) our essential freedoms and (b) the intellectual, moral, and spiritual responsibility that is potential to develop and stand behind our capacity to manifest that freedom rightly in our lives. So that yes, the “tendency” is there, but not the necessity, in the same way maturity in any of us is a potential but not necessary. Briefly, those jerks who have contempt for democracy don’t need to be self-absorbed, arrogant, and biased hoarders–but they are.
Charter operators are like thieves that bump off the competition so they don’t have to share the loot with others. Vouchers would cut into the profit charters can extract from public funds. DeVos represents someone that would reduce their share of the public school shakedown funds.
I would pay for a boxing match between Betsy Devos and Eva Moskowitz as this would be a bonanza of a pay per view event. I mean both woman are money hungry dogs who just love to suck the money away from hard working people and especially sucking away money from our public schools and the children who attend them. Give them the boxing gloves and let them fight over who gets the money its either the charter or the voucher private but never the public.
Charter crooks versus voucher crooks: hopefully their greed will overwhelm them, they won’t be able to work out a mutually acceptable way to divide their ill-gotten gains, and will commence destroying each other. That’s a reality show I’d love to watch.
“Charter crooks versus voucher crooks”—
Well put!
Couldn’t they come to an amicable agreement on how to divide up the $tudent $ucce$$ loot?
Since all the heavyweights and chief beneficiaries and head enforcers of corporate education reform look at life as win-lose, giving up some of their ill-gotten gain to others (even, perhaps especially, their peers and counterparts and brothers/sisters of another mother) goes against their very nature.
The type was known long ago to a very old and very dead and very Roman guy:
“For greed all nature is too little.” [Lucius Annaeus Seneca]
😎
I actually believe this is why one of the ed reform political factions expanded vouchers in Ohio- Catholic schools were losing market share.
You see the struggle in action with state lawmakers They expand charters and then vouchers have to follow because their religious constituency insists on it.
The same dynamic plays out in states like Wisconsin.
As usual with ed reform, there’s absolutely no consideration or thought given to existing public schools. It’s an inter-movement battle.
The most damning part of Betsy DeVos’ activism is not Michigan charters or even vouchers. The most damning part of her record is what happened to Michigan public schools while the entire state apparatus was focused on charters and vouchers.
But that is never explored, because they don’t value existing public schools.
“while the entire state apparatus was focused on charters and vouchers.”: I’ve known about this intuitively, but never was able to articulate it as you state it as you do so clearly here. Another simple, direct talking point for our discussions with neighbors, friends and family.
Wish I could state my thoughts clearly.
The public schools are only viewed as the host to the parasites. As the number of parasites increases, the health of the host declines until it dies. If people don’t stand up for public schools, this could happen.
It is already happening.
Anthony Scaramucci (Wall Street) is set to be named a top advisor to Trump’s W.H. To “Resuscitate the Am. Dream”, Scaramuuci recommended, on FOX, that companies get a tax incentive to sponsor a charter school. The richest 0.1% won’t stop until they’ve robbed communities blind. Wall Street thieves, while it drags down GDP by an estimated 2%.