Anderson Cooper on Betsy DeVos’ Inexplicable Effort to Defund the Special Olympics

April 1, 2019 //

This isn’t funny but it is classic Betsy DeVos. Either smirking or giving a cold shoulder to the media, surrounded by serveral of her bodyguards.

Look how many people protect her! And we pay for them.

Categories Betsy DeVos

36 Comments Post your own or leave a trackback: Trackback URL

Bill says:

April 1, 2019 at 11:12 am

This is going on in all of Trump’s Departments. They are “raping” America and it’s citizens. It will take years to right all the wrongs they are doing!

Reply
- Yvonne says:
  
  April 1, 2019 at 11:16 am
  
  45 is bankrupting this country:
  https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/01/trump-is-turning-america-into-another-bankrupt-casino
  
  Putin is laughing.
  
  Reply
- ciedie aech says:
  
  April 1, 2019 at 2:08 pm
  
  Likely for many of us the most shocking thing is how, in just over two years, Trump has gathered up and now controls so many supporters happy to turn a blind eye — that the ENTIRE Repub. legislature cowers and fawns while rally attendees scream and yell in a frantic reaction to anything Trump says. While I knew that the nation was being terribly hurt by corporate greed and neoliberal complicity, I would never have predicted this.
  
  Reply
Yvonne says:

April 1, 2019 at 11:14 am

Wonder who those people are surrounding her and what their pay is?

That is: I want names, who they work for, and what they get paid? Shouldn’t the public know? It is our tax money after all.

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drext727 says:

April 1, 2019 at 11:16 am

Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.

Reply
Bob Shepherd says:

April 1, 2019 at 12:20 pm

From 2021 Wikipedia

Elisabeth Dee DeVos (/dəˈvɒs/; née Prince; born January 8, 1958) was the 11th United States Secretary of Education, serving in that office from 2017 to 2020. Her clothes looked nice.

Reply
- markstextterminal says:
  
  April 1, 2019 at 1:12 pm
  
  Excellent Bob. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that I’ll be publishing a post tomorrow morning, as I mentioned several weeks ago, about Praxis. Hope all is well.
  
  Reply
  - Bob Shepherd says:
    
    April 1, 2019 at 6:55 pm
    
    awesome!!!
Laura H. Chapman says:

April 1, 2019 at 12:48 pm

I wonder who would replace Devosr if the petition to oust her actually made a dent in the support she hasfrom her boss and the shamless Republicans who think she is great.

My guess is Jeanne Allen. She is also great at smirking and she really hates NPE, teacher unions, the owner of this blog, Carol Burris, and anyone who really has some knowledge of education.

Reply
- dianeravitch says:
  
  April 1, 2019 at 1:18 pm
  
  Laura, it sounds like she has all the right qualifications to be Secretary of Education. Add to your list her history at the Heritage Foundation as its education analyst.
  But don’t forget that Trump interviewed Eva Moskowitz and Michelle Rhee.
  
  Reply
Lloyd Lofthouse says:

April 1, 2019 at 2:15 pm

I think the United States should replace all private schools with public schools.

Why?

Betsy DeVos attended exclusive, expensive religious private schools. Look at how she turned out.

Bill Gates attended exclusive, expensive private schools. Look at how he turned out.

Donald Trump attended expensive private schools and expensive military academies.

Look at how Donald Trump turned out.

Charles Koch home taught his children and that included indoctrination videos and classes to program his children to continue his agenda to promote autocratic libertarianism over the U.S. Constitution, to subvert the process of our elected government in the U.S.

I don’t know about the Walmart Walton family.

I wonder if any child “born to wealth” ever attends real public schools.

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- Uncle Albert's Nephew says:
  
  April 1, 2019 at 2:23 pm
  
  Sorry Oregon tried that. The Supreme Court said no, unfortunately.
  
  Reply
- Yvonne says:
  
  April 1, 2019 at 4:31 pm
  
  Lloyd,
  
  Your “Look at how they turned out.” is PERFECT.
  
  I have said this many times, too.
  
  Give me a public school graduate ANY DAY. And this is why the deformers want to get rid of public schools … because public schools are much better.
  
  Reply
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    April 1, 2019 at 7:49 pm
    
    Yea, public schools have been focusing on developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills in our students for decades and this turns out citizens who have the ability to question and doubt the crap that the autocratic, oligarch billionaires keep spewing from inside their gilded bubbles.
    
    The high stakes rank and punish testing regime established by NCLB was the first attempt to sabotage teaching children how to think critically and solve problems.
- Roy Turrentine says:
  
  April 1, 2019 at 11:05 pm
  
  My experience in a private school was that it pushed my thing to the left in a dramatic way. There I read books by Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, and James Baldwin, challenging my societal view that all black people were inferior. There I was introduced to logic and love for learning. There assumptions about life that would probably not been challenged in a typical rural homogeneous public school population were put to the test by a diverse group, albeit outwardly similar.
  
  My experience in a public school was equally rich. I especially recall my being treated as an adult by my 7th grade English teacher, an elderly Black lady who laid the foundation for my emergence from a youth full of societal lessons to be found wanting.
  
  My subsequent experience teaching in a private alternative setting and a traditional public school has suggested to me that there are a lot of great places because there are a lot of good people teaching. What I have never done is work at a private school that got public money.
  
  Reply
Charles says:

April 2, 2019 at 3:12 pm

“The government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.”
— James Madison, speech in the House of Representatives, January 10, 17

I am certain that James Madison would not have supported any federal funding of Special Olympics.

Special Olympics is a worthy program, and deserves support. They just do not deserve support from the public treasury.

Reply
- Lloyd Lofthouse says:
  
  April 2, 2019 at 8:13 pm
  
  Charles, we live in 2019 and not the end of the 18th century. The world has changed “A LOT” since the Founding Fathers launched the United States after years of war with the most powerful empire on the planet.
  
  That’s why the Founding Father’s agreed to make sure the U.S. Constitution was flexible so the elected government was free to vote on legislation that the majority agreed on.
  
  If the U.S. was stuck in the 18th century like your alleged thinking is, we’d still be using muskets and 94-percent of the population would live in remote areas where they would be living off the land, women wouldn’t have the vote and would belong to their fathers or husband, children would be treated like adults between age 5 and 7 and be expected to work in the fields or factories or coal mines like they did up until the 1930s.
  
  The U.S. would also still have slavery.
  
  Reply
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    April 2, 2019 at 9:16 pm
    
    Thank you, Lloyd. Charles is an originalist. He thinks the Constitution is perfect as it was written in the 18thcentury.
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    April 2, 2019 at 9:38 pm
    
    You’re welcome, but Charles is not alone. Many in the GOP think the same way especially the Tea Party People and their 33 elected “Freedom Caucus” reps in the House … except when it comes to automatic weapons like the AR-15.
    
    The Tea Party People will never be satisfied with muskets.
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    April 2, 2019 at 9:58 pm
    
    Anew slogan: protect the people’s right to bear muskets!
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    April 2, 2019 at 10:34 pm
    
    Good idea. California’s legislature will pass the bill and then the state will swap muskets (rifles and pistols) for modern semi-automatic rifles and pistols.
    
    Each musket should come with a pound bag of black powder and a supply of musket balls.
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    April 2, 2019 at 10:48 pm
    
    My only belly laugh of the day.
    The Founding Fathers never imagined AR-15s in the hands of civilians.
  - Charles says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 8:56 am
    
    Interesting comments. The federal constitution is not “flexible”. It is what it is. If the constitution needs to be amended, the procedure is set forth in Article V.
    
    The constitution and the laws of this land, cannot be “flexible”. They must be constant. How would you like to play poker, where on some days, my full house would beat your two pair, and on some days, your three of a kind, would beat my full house?
    
    I do not think that the US Constitution is “perfect”. It is a man-made document, and subject to flaws. But it has served our nation very well for the past 200+ years.
    
    I am not “stuck” in the 18th century. Nevertheless, I support the ideals of the constitution: freedom of speech,etc.
    
    Just because the majority agrees to tax and spend on a particular project, does not make it right. Spending on charitable enterprises may be a worthy objective. But forcibly taking money from citizens, and spending that money on a project, that is not specified in Art 1 Sec 8, is contemptible and despicable.
    
    Don’t “plug in” such statements like stating that I am opposed to women’s suffrage. The 19th amendment is part of the constitution!
    
    And projecting that I would support slavery, is beyond contempt.
    
    And the 2d amendment says nothing about technology. In 1789, the people’s right to keep and bear military-style weapons was guaranteed in the bill of rights. Some individuals kept cannons in their homes. The framers could not have imagined radio, TV, and internet. The freedom of the press, is not confined to print newspapers.
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 10:23 am
    
    Ah, yes, Charles, every family should have military-grade Weapons in their home.
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 4:53 pm
    
    How Does the Constitution Show Fexibility?
    
    Elastic cause only lets laws that are necessary and proper pass through.
    
    It allows for loose interpretation and flexibility in the Constitution. … Amendments are changes or additions to a law. In the United States we’ve had 27 amendments made to the Constitution.
    
    https://prezi.com/fqcnq5kbpi-s/how-does-the-constitution-show-flexibility/
    
    “How can the Constitution be referred to as a living document?
    
    “When our founding fathers created the Constitution they realized that any document meant to frame a government needed flexibility. They wanted the Constitution to be able to stand for generation after generation. In recognizing this they incorporated two important features:
    
    ELASTIC CLAUSE
    
    Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18
    
    “In this clause, our founding fathers state that Congress may pass all laws necessary and proper. This then allows for a loose interpretation of the constitution and allows constitutional flexibility. Thomas Jefferson was very much opposed to this clause and as you can well imagine Alexander Hamilton was its author.
    
    “Some examples of the elastic clause in action include Hamilton’s creation of the National Bank and Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon. The fact that Jefferson actually used the elastic clause is an irony not lost on either Hamilton or Jefferson.”
    
    Here is the original text:
    
    “To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.”
    
    http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/lesson_20_notes.htm
  - Charles says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 5:00 pm
    
    @Diane: I am not advocating that every family in the USA keep military-grade weapons in their home. In 1776, men from all 13 colonies kept military-grade weapons in their homes, and at the local armory. These weapons were used by brave men to fight the revolution, and defeated the most powerful army on earth.
    
    i strongly support that law-abiding and properly trained individuals have the right to keep and bear arms. And these weapons must be state of the art. With some exceptions, privately owned weapons, should be on a par with military-grade weapons.
    
    In Switzerland, qualified citizens keep automatic weapons, anti-tank rockets, anti-personnel mines, and artillery shells in their homes. The Swiss are armed to the teeth, and have a miniscule rate of crimes committed by people using firearms.
    
    Not even Hitler would mess with the Swiss.
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 5:22 pm
    
    I think that every family in the USA should have anti-tank rockets, anti-personnel mines, and artillery shells, as well as AR-15s and SAM rockets. No family should be without their own armory.
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 6:30 pm
    
    The Swiss: When comparing Switzerland’s military and the right to purchase and own firearms vs the United States, it is like comparing a bushel of apples (Switzerland), to a pile of turds (the U.S.).
    
    Compulsory military service applies to all male Swiss citizens … including the reserves.
    Switzerland has mandatory military service in the Swiss Army for all able-bodied male citizens, who are conscripted when they reach the age of majority, though women may volunteer for any position.
    
    Women are not subject to compulsory military service, but they may enlist voluntarily. The basic military service is about 21 weeks long; additional training, however, is required throughout adulthood. This means the Swiss have a trained military force of more than 3 million of its citizens ready to be called up at any time to defend the country against an idiot, like a goose-stepping Donald Trump, that attempts to invade because the Swiss wouldn’t let him build a golf course in their country.
    
    Switzerland has a population of 8.42 million and a large ratio of the population served in the military and is ready to be called back to serve in a moment’s notice logically requiring many “trained” Swiss citizens to have weapons ready at hand.
    
    It is not mandatory for U.S. citizens to serve in the military and there are more than 300 million Americans that did not serve and have no military training.
    
    For instance, I am a former U.S. Marine and combat vet and I do own several firearms (none of my rifles is semi-automatic) that I keep what I own locked in a firearm safe along with the ammo.
    
    That means I was trained to fight and I’m ready to join up and fight if the U.S. is invaded (not likely) or a Civil War breaks out between Trump’s hardcore hate-filled, mostly old white flabby men like Trump’s followers and the rest of us. I’m not a sport hunter. I only have these firearms so I’m ready if someone like “Moscow’s Abomination Governing America” (Donald Trump, the Orange babbling idiot) attempts to pull off a coup and take over the country as its first president for life.
    
    Those MAGA hats that really means “Moscow’s Abomination Governing America” will make a great red target.
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 6:51 pm
    
    Charles claims, “The Swiss have a minuscule rate of crimes committed by people using firearms.”
    
    You are wrong, Charles!
    
    I think you heard the total number of deaths compared and that would be misleading since the United States has more than 327-million people vs 8.42-million for Switzerland.
    
    Firearm-related death rate per 100,000 population per year.
    
    3.01 deaths per 100,000 for Switzerland = 253.4
    4.46 deaths per 100,000 for the United States = 14,582.2
    
    Now if Switzerland had a population equal to the United States, that 253.4 would be 9,843 and if the United States had a population equal to Switzerland, the US firearm death total would have been 375.5.
    
    But when some misleading idiot like Alec Jones makes the comparison, he will allegedly use 253 vs 14,582 and deliberately leave out all the other facts making the Swiss death rate from firearms appear “minuscule” to individuals that cannot think for themselves.
  - Charles says:
    
    April 4, 2019 at 7:52 pm
    
    @Diane: Please do not put words in my mouth. I never said that EVERY family should have its own personal armory. I maintain that individuals have the right to keep and bear arms, including modern state-of-the-art weapons (subject to reasonable restrictions).
    
    You are an historian. The “Minutemen” kept military style weapons in their homes. We could not have won our revolution without military style weapons stored in private homes.
    
    And there are many lessons we could learn from the Swiss. Their national guard and civil defense programs are excellent.
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    April 4, 2019 at 10:57 pm
    
    Every family with its own arsenal.
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    April 4, 2019 at 11:07 pm
    
    I do not agree with you. We cannot learn from the Swiss when it comes to arming a country’s citizens since they have a population of less than 9-million and the U.S. has a population of more than 320 million.
    
    I think the U.S. could learn more from countries like the Japan, UK, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Germany than Switzerland. These countries all have lower deaths from firearms than the Swizz.
    
    “The United States stands out among countries for the frequency with which its mass shootings occur. But last year, after the US witnessed its most fatal mass shooting in history at Las Vegas, the Trump administration made it easier—not harder—for people with mental illness to buy guns. (That decision rolled back Obama-era restrictions that had been passed in the wake of Sandy Hook.)”
    
    https://qz.com/1212809/compare-us-mass-shootings-and-gun-control-to-germany-china-russia-switzerland-and-australia/
- jscheidell says:
  
  April 3, 2019 at 12:11 am
  
  Charles,
  
  First, I am not a fan of Davos because of her support of charters. BUT I do agree with your point and her cut. Why? For a couple of reasons. First, The Special Olympics is a private charity, funded by mostly private donations and sponsorships.
  
  The increase in private funding in one year exceeded taxpayers’ entire contribution. The organization achieved a self-sustaining financial model.
  
  It was a mistake for the president undermine her cut.The Special Olympics is a great cause. Chicago hosted 1,000 athletes in 1968 for the first competition and it has since become world wide event.
  
  Second reason as DeVos explained: “Because of its important work, it is able to raise more than $100 million every year. There are dozens of worthy nonprofits that support students and adults with disabilities that don’t get a dime of federal grant money. But given our current budget realities, the federal government cannot fund every worthy program, particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations.”
  
  Now, I understand why there are those who scream in outrage because she support money in the budget to charters.
  
  Another reason – When the government funds a private organization, strings are attached. A prayer before the commencement of a ceremony is done by Special Olympics and the continued acceptance of federal money might put that tradition in jeopardy – remember
  the Salvation Army had to curtail its religious operations for just that reason.
  
  A final consideration – $148,726,084 in 2017, up from $110,929,533 in 2016 are the figures one finds. The operating revenue in one year increased by $37 million about twice the proposed cut in federal funding.
  
  A note to the outraged screamers – hold your breath! One-fourth of Davos pay went that to the Special Olympics. The New York Times reported last year that DeVos was donating her $199,700 salary to four charities, including Special Olympics, splitting the amount equally – donating just under $50,000 a year from her salary to Special O!
  
  Reply
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 10:52 am
    
    DeVos’ net worth exceeds $5 billion. Her salary is like a tip to her.
    Glad someone is defending her because she is not defending herself. She insists that cutting funding for Special Olympics was NOT her idea.
    DeVos does not agree with you.
  - Charles says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 5:02 pm
    
    @ jscheidell: Two thumbs up!
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    April 3, 2019 at 5:21 pm
    
    Two MAGA birds agree.