Gail Collins used to be the editorial page editor of the New York Times. Now she writes a regular column for the Times, which is usually hilarious.
Today, she names Betsy DeVos the winner of her informal reader poll as the Worst Member of Trump’s Cabinet.
This was no easy contest. Remember, she was up against Jeff Sessions, who has total amnesia, and Scott Pruitt, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency who fights to protect pollution.
DeVos really hates public schools — something you don’t find often in a secretary of education. Her goal seems to be replacing them with charter schools, none of which will need much oversight because, you know, the choice thing.
Many readers noted that our secretary of education does not seem to be … all that bright. (“DeVos is a solid choice based on irony alone.”)
Diane Ravitch's blog 
What a sad commentary on the head of the Education Dept. Teachers, Administrators, Parents and Students should be outraged!
LikeLike
The contest assumes that readers are paying attention to the incompetent cronies of Trump who have been given posts for which they are “perfectly unqualified.”
At least some readers were.
Members of Congress who approved these nominations should be in hiding, but of course they are not. There is no shame in anything. Ethics waivers abound. Incompetence is a virtue.
LikeLike
Where do I send flowers?
LikeLike
I’m sure its hard to pick the worst of a bad lot. Congratulations to Betsy for being at the bottom! I agree that that is where she resides.
How sad for education in this country when a totally ignorant, unfit person is in charge. (She’s just as qualified as our great leader!!)
LikeLike
I think Gail Collins is more skeptical of charter schools than the rest of them because she comes from Ohio and followed ed reform here.
You have to be a real True Believer to be familiar with Ohio ed reform and be a cheerleader. You have to really work at it.
The state superintendent doesn’t even cheerlead anymore. There’s been a notable shift towards reality in that state entity- quietly and without a lot of fanfare- they just started focusing less on charters and working more on the public schools. It was really heartening to see after 15 years of ed reform mantra-chanting.
The shift doesn’t have to be dramatic and it doesn’t even have to penetrate the DC bubble. It can happen wholly in-state. That’s why I think the President and Congress are really approaching irrelevancy for public schools. We don’t need them to support our schools, which is lucky, since they don’t. We do need state leaders and they don’t have to make big dramatic pronouncements re: a change of policy. They can just shift focus.
LikeLike
I have no use for the New York Times.
Here is an excellent article about education in New York:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/448850/liberal-elite-privilege-noblesse-oblige
LikeLike
I thought this quote from the comments section of the article you linked to was right on:
“liberals engage in hypocrisy. But the thought just occurred to me that hypocrisy does not mean that the ideal a person believes in is not worthy, just that is it very hard to live up to. Take religion. Some people pretend to live more holy lives than they do. But does that mean that the ideal Christian life is not something to strive for?”
Charles, since there are many hypocritical Christians who don’t live up to the values they profess for others (hopefully you don’t need me to name them but I will be happy to oblige, starting with Donald Trump and the myriad of other ten-commandment breaking conservative “Christians”) does that mean that Christian values are worthless?
In other words, are you a hypocrite?
LikeLike
I do not believe that I am a hypocrite. I do not believe that “Christian values” are worthless. Many people find genuine comfort and guidance in their religious beliefs.
I am not without sin.
LikeLike
Charles, you linked to an article that attacked “liberals” who believe that public money should go to public schools that serve ALL students instead of charter schools that suspend huge cohorts of 5 year olds and have atrociously high attrition rates. You linked to an article calling those parents “hypocrites” if those “liberals” fighting for more money for the public school that the most disadvantaged children attend don’t send their own kids there. You linked to an article that didn’t have a problem with “got to go” lists of charters and charter CEOs going on national tv to proclaim that 20% of the 5 and 6 year old children (who just happen to be mostly African-American and Latino) in some of her charter schools are violent and dangerous. But DID have a problem with liberals fighting for more money for the schools where their own children don’t attend.
Your refusal to recognize your own hypocrisy would be funny if it wasn’t so harmful to all the children who are labeled violent and nasty in the very charters you defend so strongly and refuse to criticize.
LikeLike
You have no use for the New York Times. I have no use for anything owned by Rupert Murdoch. We have something in common!
LikeLike
You have no use for the NYT (agreed, incidentally), but then you go on to cite the National Review. Irony much?
LikeLike
Obviously the readers of the NY Times need to be enlightened by Eva Moskowitz who has heartily endorsed Betsy DeVos as one of Trump’s best choices ever! According to Eva Moskowitz, Betsy DeVos is admirable and upright and terrific and has the talent and commitment to make all schools better if only we would all shut up and give DeVos carte blanche to enact her agenda which Ms. Moskowitz loves so much. I’m sure Ms. Moskowitz is outraged that NY Times readers aren’t embracing DeVos the way Moskowitz herself has embraced her.
After all, when it comes to judging Betsy DeVos performance, who should NY Times readers trust? The always honest Eva Moskowitz or their own lying eyes?
LikeLike
That “wins by Pinocchio” line kills me. Give that award to every “reformer”.
LikeLike
In education, democracy •is• the threat.
https://www.cato.org/blog/education-democracy-threat?utm_content=buffer0658f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
LikeLike
BT,
Don’t quote CATO polemics to make your point.
I thought we fought two world wars for democracy, and now you say that democracy is our enemy?
We are not in the same world.
LikeLike
Appreciate your tolerance of a gadfly and I’ll keep it limited to my own bombast from now on.
& agree that the two camps occupy different worlds — but only one of them seems to allow both to coexist.
Thanks for 10 years of NYRoB articles 🙂
LikeLike
Why are you so rough on Mr. Pruitt who is working so hard to protect us from the environment? 😉
LikeLike