Count on Mercedes Schneider to review Trump’s budget proposal.
It is as bad as you heard.
She says, “At least he doesn’t call himself an ‘education president.'”
True, he is the anti-education president.
He is the first who wants to tear down public education, not improve it.
He does not want to invest in our children or our future.
He is an enemy of the people.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Anti-education president? He’s the stinking anti-Christ!
Right, Priscilla! He is EVIL incarnated.
The altogether Anti-President: Outside of a huge top-heavy military…what is he actually FOR?
The first? Eight years of Bush and NCLB, eight years of Obama, Duncan, King and “Race to the Top” (sic) and Trump is the first anti-education president??? Just because other presidents have claimed to be “the education president” doesn’t make it true. The previous two have been disastrous for education and, worse, have set the stage for what Trump is doing.
“School Improvement”
If Bush and Barack
Were out to “improve”
Then opposite talk
Is now in the groove
Who knows what’s going on in Trump’s mind, such as it is. But I had a thought about it–since he doesn’t read or like to do the kind of work that requires it, I am wondering if he really understands what’s actually in his budget–especially since it goes so TOTALLY against all of his recent campaign promises, and since its aimed influence in directly at his base. Perhaps the Republican Congress is scamming the scammer?–it has Paul Ryan’s “pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps” mentality about it. The Republicans really do hate to feed hungry old people and children or provide good schooling for the next generation. That’s THEIR money after all.
The only question that matters to Republicans is whats in it for them . been that way since Reagan, period!
Time to pick up the pitch forks and demand change .
The system has collapsed when we have to fear a lying , authoritarian ,buffoon has been elected by a minority of voters, in collusion with a foreign entity and is acting like he has a mandate for change .
We do not have to fear that demonstrations will lead to a constitutional crisis. We are in a constitutional crisis already and have been for several years . Since the Republicans started breaking all the rules, with voter suppression and congressional obstruction. Five years of Benghazi hearings.
Let North Carolina be the guide to what republicans think about Democracy.
If their were any of integrity ,we would already be on our way to impeachment.
Joel Herman: What you said. But hopefully, we ARE already on the way to impeachment. Even the major press are saying it might be “time to be nice to Pence.” I think the crisis is (as you say) already here; but that the manifestation of it can go several ways–either quickly as impeachment or, when Bannon and all feel themselves truly cornered: violence. (I don’t even like to think that, much less write it.) There ARE historical differences, but history does have a way of repeating itself in its general form and dynamism. And I cannot help but think of what Hilary must be thinking about the whole Russian thing–apparently (according to Maddow’s show last night and again tonight) at the time, they knew more about it than they revealed.
I hope there is an enormous backlash in the midterm elections to take the wind out of the Republican sails, but Democrats would need to show up in the midterm. The problem is historically they don’t show up.
Joel and CBK: Don’t think we are anywhere near impeachment, that’s years away if ever. Less certain about an explosion of violence some where soon. Will be in NC next week and will report from behind the lines. Getting my Depends ready so I won’t be confused by the public bathrooms.
The depths of Trump’s awfulness I would argue have not been fully articulated or measured….mostly due
to the fact that this level of awful is, well, beyond our ability to actually measure.
However, any contention that with Trump we have now encountered our first “anti-education President” is absurd on its face. We are emerging from an Obama presidency, those of us in education, where every foundation of the idea of public education was brought into question and every organized teacher demeaned and disrupted to the core. Privatizers were allowed to sit at the head of the table. Snake-oil salesman were given the reigns of the national educational dialog. Unions were likely dealt their death blows. And all of that happened before Trump won in November.
Inevitably we will have to realize that Trump is going to be an education-reform president, as his predecessor was. He will be more frank about it. More crass. More openly hostile. He will simply be an aggressive, not -watching-his-words advocate of ed reform. From an end-result point of view though, there is no daylight between Trump/DeVos and Obama/Duncan/King or for that matter a formerly possible Clinton/whoeverthehell.
Now, I am in no way broadly stating that Obama and Trump are equivalents. Obama was perhaps the last legitimate, intelligent, civil president we may have. On education though we have to be clear. Trump is not normal historically. Our broadest fight is to make sure he is not the new normal. On education though, he is both.
Don’t just lay it on the President. The President’s budget is just a proposal.
Congress controls the money.
If public schools get screwed in the Trump/DeVos budget you can thank each and every member of Congress. Doesn’t matter if they’re R or D or in Alabama or California-each and every one of them has public schools in their state and district.
Be sure and let them know when they show up at your public school looking to get re-elected that you’re a public education voter and if they don’t support public education they don’t get your vote.
They know they have public schools that 90% of their constituents rely upon.
They take public school supporters for granted- our schools are the disfavored, unfashionable “default” system that they can safely ignore.
Don’t let them get away with it. When they come around selling vouchers ask them what SPECIFICALLY they have done this session for PUBLIC schools. They’ll try to weasel out of it with blather about “great schools”. Nail them down.
If we don’t have advocates in DC (and we don’t) we’ll have to do it ourselves.
Chiara is quite correct. The president’s plan is only a plan. When it gets shucked down to the cob, it is congress who controls the spending and the taxes.
Over 90% of USA School children (K-12) attend public schools. Over 90% of the funding for public schools is state/municipal. Control over K-12 rests (properly) with states and municipalities.
If you are unhappy with the public schools in your community, you should be making your wants and wishes known to you local school board and/or your state capital. You will find these entities much more responsive to your complaints, than some faceless bureaucrat in WashDC.
Many of Pres. Trump’s plans are either dead on arrival, or will be radically changed by congress. Pres. Trump promised to bring congressional term limits up for a vote. Senator McConnell had a meeting with the Pres. and explained the facts of life to him. No Term Limits.
“If you want to make God laugh, Tell him your plans” – Phyllis Diller (1917-2012) , Actress, Comedienne, Philosopher.
I believe you are right…and unlike the all holy Bill Gates, there is no way to disguise what DeVos is. The press is not going to help much, and the centrist democrats are scared to stand for anything other than we a not as crappy as the republicans…..but people in communities are capable of recognizing the points that you make….keep making them, and maybe here and there those in power might be forced to say “huh”? or “what”?
The malignant narcssist is more than the enemy of the people.
He is the enemy of the world.
He is the enemy of the justice system.
He is the enemy of the U.S. Constitution.
He is the enemy of democracy.
He is a supporter of insanity and chaos.
From the article “Overall, education is a low priority for Trump, with school choice a worn-out buzzword and Betsy DeVos an established, willing cheerleader.”
Using again my microscopic satellite system, this time on the last picture of the article, I determined that Miss Devotion is not a cheerleader but a brownnoser. Here is the proof.
Our research also quite clearly reveals that her boss brownnosed and brownkissed himself, as we’d expect from somebody carrying the Narcismus Maximus virus on the so called retarded gene.
We should have expected this. He did say, during the campaign, “I love stupid people,”
He said, “I love the uneducated.”
Clearly. His budget will guarantee more of them