It is understandable that multibillionaire Betsy DeVos needs round-the-clock protection. She makes a lot of people angry.
But why does her security detail cost $7.7 million?
Her brother owns a private military. Maybe he could protect her.
Maybe she could use some of the money she saves not paying taxes by registering her ten yachts in the Cayman Islands to pay for her own security.
Maybe she should dip into her $5 billion fortune and pay for it herself.
Politico reports:
DEVOS’ SECURITY COSTS RUN HIGH: The tab for DeVos’ security detail is projected to cost up to $7.7 million in the 2019 budget year, which started Monday, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service told POLITICO on Tuesday night.
— The Marshals Service said the final cost of protecting DeVos in fiscal 2018 was $6.8 million. That’s more than the $6.5 million officials estimated last year as the maximum for fiscal 2018, which the Education Department deemed a “high water mark” the agency didn’t plan to exceed. The department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
— DeVos’ round-the-clock detail is provided by the Marshals Service, which is highly unusual — the past four Education secretaries have been protected by the agency’s own small security force. Her security detail, ordered by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, began in February 2017. The cost of DeVos’ protective detail between February 2017 and September 2017 was $5.3 million — about $2.5 million less than what was projected.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
That’s more than the $6.5 million officials estimated last year as the maximum for fiscal 2018, which the Education Department deemed a “high water mark” the agency didn’t plan to exceed.
Can’t or will not do what the Department set as a limit. This is Trumps idea of picking the best person for every Cabinet Post. The Betsy should pay for her own security… because she can. Departmental money should go for education, not her security detail. Or let Eric take over the job, pro bono.
Or, tell Bitsy to stop being the kind of person that people make threats against.
Bitsy made her bed, let her lie in it without security.
As it is ol Betsy lies without scrutiny.
A shout out to the Center for American Progress. Without its leadership, including Podesta, steering Hillary’s campaign a Democrat might have won the presidency and without CAP steering education policy, the 1000 legislative seats lost during Obama’s 8 years might have been won..
Just think what that much money could do if used in the public schools across America. DeVos should be totally ashamed for this wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. Teachers and Administrators across the country are receiving less and less funding for the schools yet DeVos needs to have $7.7M worth of babysitters. Unbelievable.
It may be time to replace the Secretary of Education with a computer simulation.
A Maxine Headroom, eh!
She needs this elaborate, ludicrous “security detail” because she believes public schools are full of dangerous thugs and low performing students.
She cites examples of this in nearly every speech, when she’s promoting and marketing private schools and charter schools, on the public dime:
“And we’re talking about kids like Orlando, from the Florida town whose name he shares. Orlando was born with an innate passion for aviation, and from age 6 knew he wanted to be a pilot. However, his life’s circumstances started stacking up against him.
Shortly after he was born, Orlando’s mother suffered a stroke that left her totally disabled, and as a young grade-schooler, Orlando’s father went to prison. In addition to the challenges at home, Orlando eventually struggled at school, too.
He fell in with a group known as “the little hoodlums.” His grades slipped and he nearly failed his junior year. Looking back, he saw himself headed down the same path as his father.”
She tells story after story like this- the public school is always the “bad” school and the private school or charter school is always the shining beacon on the hill.
I wish the Georgetown Prep crowd would just stay in DC. Save us all a lot of money.
I just feel bad for the kids who happen to be in the schools she parachutes into- go read her speeches- it’s a scolding litany based on her ideological opposition to public schools.
Why do public school kids have to be subjected to that? Take a hard pass on a visit. Your kids would literally get more out of 20 minutes of recess. And it’s far cheaper.
Has she even visited a community public school?
It’s not just Destroy Public Education, it’s Destroy Public Everything. They do it by draining funds, eating the elephant one bite at a time. Austin Beutner, multimillionaire superintendent of LAUSD takes a third of a million dollars a year in salary. Superintendent Deasy took a cheuffered limo and tried to take air fare to Korea while he was finally being fired. DeVos takes armed guards. They are funding drains in every way they can find, big or small.
Consumer Reports is touting legislation called the CAMRA Act (Children and Media Research Advancement). It purports to be research into the question, does technology harm kids.
It appears Common Sense, is involved (backed by the Zuckerberg Chan Initiative and MacArthur Foundation). Therefore, skepticism about CAMRA’s work product is warranted.
Is this like tobacco research paid for by cigarette industry?
With a layer added, glomming on to reputable organizations which provides perceived legitimacy.
I’m guessing the reasons for her security detail being so costly have a whole lot more to do with who her brother is and what his mercenary activities are than any threat to the Sec. of Ed. as such, in spite of how reviled she is. Then again, it could simply be her ego and sense of entitlement feeding her fears of the unwashed masses.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education and commented:
Wow…
Education’s intellectual prostitutes churning out papers for the richest 0.1% should explain Doucouliagos’ findings reported in the Economic Journal. One-half of 6700 papers in economics couldn’t show the effect they said they did. Of the remaining 1/2, most overestimated the size of effect they purported to show. Over estimates were typically by a factor of two. 33% were by a factor of 4 or more.
Here’s the funny part. Arnold provided funding for the report, the same Arnold who is pouring millions into universities for “evidence based” projects.
In terms of the actual tactics and size of their constituencies, these folks are directly linked with the “academic” climate change deniers, the NRA, the anti-Medicare/Soc. Sec. crowd, and opponents of comprehensive health care coverage for all.
Selling their writings so that they don’t have to work a real job where they would contribute to GDP.
The person flipping hamburgers deserves respect. The think tank employees and university faculty receiving grants from the richest 0.1% deserve condemnation. They pontificate in service to their johns while their betters advance kids, overcoming the roadblocks built by the traitor sell-outs.
Speaking of security details, has anyone heard/read anything about her whirlwind “Rethink Schools” tour of the South? On Tues, the day before the start of the tour the US Dept of Ed website stated “Most stops on the tour are open press with the opportunity for several interviews with Secretary DeVos. Additional details on stops in each state will be forthcoming over the next few days.”
Well the next two days have come and gone and nothing about her vaunted tour has been forthcoming. Wonder how much the security detail costs for these three days?