Harold Meyerson, editor of The American Prospect, raised a question that I have heard dozens of times: Why do billionaires care so much about charter schools? Why have so many of the 1% decided that charter schools will provide a better education than public schools?
Are we to believe that the Walton Family, Eli Broad, Michael Dell, Doris Fischer, Reed Hastings, and many lesser-known billionaires are consumed by a passion for equity?
Inevitably, one must also wonder why billionaires are indifferent to evidence that charter schools are typically no better, and often much worse, than public schools?
Why are they so intent on weakening America’s public schools, a bedrock of our democracy?
Meyerson writes:
“Living in separate eras when the middle class was—and is—embattled and the gap between rich and poor was—and is—immense, billionaires have largely shunned the fights that might truly narrow that gap: raising the minimum wage, making public colleges and universities free, funding sufficient public investment to create genuine full employment, reviving collective bargaining, and raising progressive taxes to pay for all of that.”
To put it bluntly, the great crusade for charters is a diversion from the true economic issues of our day.
We can only dream about a government willing to tax the billionaires, intent on raising the minimum wage, and determined to provide economic security for all. That would address the sources of inequality.
But Billionaire would rather talk about charter schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Well, Duh … for the same reasons Moneytheists care about anything else.
LikeLike
Well, traditionally they have been for them because of their desire to send their children to good schools, defined as: lily white, prestigious, and tax exempt. They decried having to “pay for” public education when they were partaking only of private education. Hence the desire to extract profits from publication education coffers, while keeping “brown people” off in their own “separate and we don’t care if they are equal” system.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well said.
LikeLike
Why do billionaires want more? Greed is good?How many yacht club memberships does one need? Isn’t having a global, monopolistic empire enough?
LikeLike
The DeVos’ family belongs to 7 golf and yacht clubs. The clubs consumed the time Betsy could have spent, if she was intellectually curious, to prepare for the job that Narcissist Trump gave her.
LikeLike
She is prepared in one sense. Sh knows how to answer questions with coherent babble. Do you believe in accountability for religious schools? “I believe in accountability.” Do you believe in climate change? “I believe the climate is always changing.”
LikeLike
“Coherent” is a stretch (although she does beat the low standard set by Trump). Her sentences top out at 7 words. What is the equivalency in grade level?
The word “believe”, instead of “think” reflects an analytical deficit.
LikeLike
Here’s the thing, though, was I talking about Betsy DeVos or about Reed Hastings? Koch brothers or Gates spouses? I do not know. It does not matter. They are all the same.
LikeLike
Betsy is like ELIZA, an early version of computer programs written to try to fool questioners into thinking it was a person ( a task called the Turing Test).
Like ELIZA, Betsy usually gives canned responses (eg, “School choice is a very good thing”) but sometimes gets off track and starts talking about grizzly bears in response to questions about guns in schools.
“The Accidental Turist”
Betsy failed the Turing Test
When asked ’bout guns in school
She tried to do her very best
But made herself a fool
By mentioning the threat of bears
Who wander all about
She got a lot of puzzled stares
From Senators, no doubt
LikeLike
Harold Meyerson contributed a crucial article to the debate about billionaire involvement in public education policy and its important that it came in the LA TIMES.
While that newspaper proudly and self-congratulatory accepted money from Eli Broad for its education coverage, could anyone imagine the LA TIMES accepting Union-backed money for the same purpose?
Can you imagine the claims of unfairness and journalistic partisan opportunism that would be (correctly) leveled at the editorial board?
The reality is that LA TIMES editorial board has backed almost every single position and advocacy of Eli Broad.
His money has been well spent.
The results of this insanely financed school board election represents a brutal take-over of by the corporate Democrats of California–who share many of the same goals as Wall Street Republicans.
The alignment of their interests is in areas such as Education.
Two days ago, Thomas Edsall wrote a very powerful Op-Ed for the NY TIMES entitled, ”
Op-Ed contributors help you see the world from different points of view. We value a diversity of voices from outside The Times with provocative and well-reasoned ideas.
Was this informative?
Close this modal window
Has the Democratic Party Gotten Too Rich for Its Own Good?”
Edsall sees the same split where Democrats will almost always agree on basic social policy civil rights/immigration/women’s rights agenda, there is a marked split with the areas of ECONOMICS and EDUCATION where much of their supporters actually support REPUBLICAN policies.
Our hurdle is debating and fighting privileged Democrats on issues like Education. Their interests here are more aligned with Republicans. This is a very hard hurdle to overcome–and its where the power structure of the Democratic Party lies. These parents who support corporate Democratic education agenda particular in the area of Charters have become the party’s base.
The White Rich Privilege charge should be made front and center. The national charter lobbies are dominated by well-to-do, powerfully connected white people who want an education system that favors their needs (and economics). This is the true intersection between Education and Economics that the corporate Democrats and almost all Republicans enjoin. People like Broad, Hastings, Riordan, Silicon Valley, the Waltons all have benefited enormously from conservative Republican economic policies and they are all anti-union.
The Left needs to shout this from the rooftops of Broad and Walton enterprises everywhere. In terms of Education, the LA TIMES puts the finger on the scale of these powerful, white corporate interests.
The dominoes will fall from Los Angeles across the nation unless we learn how to make our case despite the vast sums of money used to obfuscate the dark underbelly of the Charter Movement and the harm they have done to progressive social justice values.
The Democratic Party is in horrible shape and there will be an inevitable split between the Rich Democrats and the Working Class ones.
We should all get out in front of this issue now.
LikeLike
The activist group, Credo, has a petition posted that asks Corey Booker to return $23,400, received from the Kushner family. (Booker was unwilling to join fellow Democrats in requesting a revocation of Kushner’s security clearance.)
Booker never saw a hedge fund he didn’t want to serve, at the expense of Americans.
LikeLike
Well we live in a meritocracy and those who merit wealth will rise to the top . The only thing holding you back is your education. Those lazy union child molesting teachers are responsible for your failure . So put your pitchforks away and sign your child up at a charter.
LikeLike
If I were a rich man, I would be more than a little concerned about all those closets full of pitchforks adding up. If I were a rich man, for my own sake I would want to treat more fairly the young person, the butcher, the tailor, and the fiddler on the roof.
LikeLike
If I may correct your first sentences, Joel:
“Well we live in a PSEUDO-meritocracy and those who COVET wealth will rise to the top . The only thing holding you back is TO WHOM YOU WERE BORN.”
LikeLike
I do like your facetiousness in this post, Joel!!
LikeLike
Why do these billionaires hate public schools, their unions, public employee pensions and Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid? As the others have said, it’s greed and also the need to control, i.e., megalomania on steroids.
I apologize for the side note: there is a single payer health bill passing through the NY state legislature. Cuomo has been silent about this bill. I can only hope that NYers will band together and agitate for the passage of this bill which could be a model for the nation. It’s not repackaged Romneycare or Obamacare, it’s the real deal.
LikeLike
Don’t forget the quick return on their investment allure
LikeLike
Wall Street takes 10-18% on charter school debt.
LikeLike
Most billionaires become wealthy by diverting public funds into business ventures. Some billionaires like Simons, Mercer, Zuckerberg, Gates, Theil, Broad, Waltons and so on do it “legally” while other gain wealth via fraud like Kushner’s and trump’s fathers.
LikeLike
to add to your thought:
“via fraud like Kushner’s and trumpls fathers or through dealing with the enemy like the Jebster’s and Georgie the Least’s grandfather.
LikeLike
These billionaires have no morals and conscious. They are so insular it makes me ill.
Bildeberg Society is meeting. SAVE US!
LikeLike
Where’s that suitcase nuclear weapon when one needs it, eh!
LikeLike
For the same reason they have bought up the debt in Puerto Rico and now Venezuela…so they can control the countries via their indebtedness for pennies on the dollar and close schools and other government services and …..well, let the natives eat cake. Greed. Period.
LikeLike
Add Greece to your list.
At least Iceland told em to f#$k off!
LikeLike
They believe in a free market for schools. They think it’s good business.
LikeLike
Why do billionaires care so much about charter schools?
Simply because charters– which are quasi-public/private– provide an opening into tapping into the spigot of public school-taxes. What’s not to like? Longterm revenue guaranteed, obtained simply by meeting very-low-bar [in most states, courtesy of ALEC-nodeled charter law] stds, w/ minimal monitoring.
Next question?
LikeLike