The Inevitable Results of Our War on Public Education
I’d love to shake the hand of the guy who made and installed this sign. Paul LePage, Maine’s two-term governor is best known for his utter disregard for the common man, as exhibited by this legendary quote: “If you want a good education, go to private schools. If you can’t afford it, tough luck.”
The point to be made beyond the stupidity and mean spiritedness of a single U.S. politician, however, is our war on public education in general, and the unavoidable tragic consequences that will be following in its wake. Just when it seemed that the U.S. was taking seriously its falling rank in world educational standards (currently 38th out of 71 ranked countries in science), we appear to be entering a period of total self-destruction, in which our public schools are being torn apart by the current administration in our federal government.
From US News: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos spent two decades defunding and destabilizing public schools in Michigan, and now she wants to spread that same agenda to every town and city in America. How else do you explain the cruel and craven cuts she and President Donald Trump have proposed to funding for after-school and summer programs, child nutrition programs, class-size reduction, community schools and the support kids need and parents rely on? How else can you rationalize the White House budget director claiming that there’s no evidence that feeding hungry children helps them do better in school? These are programs essential to meeting the social, emotional and academic needs of children. We can’t go back and undo what DeVos did in Michigan, but we can and must stand up and stop her from pushing this anti-public school agenda across the country.
It’s really hard to pin down the single most catastrophic effect that the gutting of public education will have on our country over time. Good arguments could be made for:
a) An accelerated demise of our democracy, dependent, as it is, on an informed electorate
b) An impediment to innovation in science and technology, necessary to maintaining U.S. standing in the world economy
c) Increased crime and incarceration rates, as young, uneducated people have nowhere to turn but to selling drugs and other forms of criminality
d) An increase in overall misery, as young people (those who don’t wind up in prison) have unfulfilling lives, more children born out of wedlock, dead-end jobs, and no hope for affluence and the achievement of the American dream
Speaking of signs, here’s another one that seems appropriate.
It’s not too late to turn this around. All that’s required is you and me, raising our voices and demanding an end to the onslaught.
Craig,
I’ve met Governor Le Page. The impression I gained of him was a charismatic, strong willed individual who has successfully risen from a harsh, disadvantaged and poverty-stricken childhood, to a life time of achievement.
All of the admirable qualities therefore make his lack of compassion and tolerance more difficult to understand.
If ever there was an individual who should understand what it feels like to be poor and deprived, it’s Paul Le Page.
Curiously, despite a lifetime of business and public service, his personal wealth is meagre. (His salary as governor is only $70,000). Le Page is a man of contradictions.
Yet this son of a alcoholic french speaking Mill worker, is very typical of a certain type of American. like Donald Trump, he relates to a class of older, disappearing Americans that once made up the American heartland.
Although I disagree with 80% of his policies and beliefs, when you meet and spend time with Paul Le Page, it’s hard not to like and be captivated by the energy radiated by this unlikely politician.
Maybe it’s because he’s so refreshingly different from his carefully styled, spin doctored, politically correct, contemporaries.
Your plea for a better America, made me think John Milton verse :
“Long is the way and hard, that out of hell leads up to light”.
You write, “Like Donald Trump, he (LePage) relates to a class of older, disappearing Americans that once made up the American heartland.” Give us all a break. You don’t believe this. No one but a complete idiot actually buys this. Sorry. Please give us something a bit more credible.
Craig,
Thank you for your reply.
I think you misunderstood me.
The idealized America of noble politicians and upright Atticus Finch types, may have existed some where in America, as did the dream of James Stewart in a Wonderful Life.
In reality the US has always been a land of contradictions, invented history and myths.
The liberal media and Democrats don’t understand the appeal of Donald Trump to his followers. They don’t understand he’s not a phony. He’s a billionaire that talks like the guy next to you in a blue collar bar.
But here’s the bit they can’t grasp. He’s not trying to be “one of them” or putting on an act, they know he earns more in a day than they will earn in a life time.
But he’s genuine. He’s exactly what they’d like to be, if they had a billion dollars ! In that respect, he really is one of them.
These blue collar workers in the old industrial cities, petty local business people, local officials, rural, lower middle class, small town folk in forgotten, decaying rust belt,farm belt towns, are all under threat of extinction.
These are the folk who fought America’s wars, produced America’s wealth, whose opinions and voters were once desperately sought by politicians.
Not the America of the “New Yorker’ or the effervescence of California, but an America nevertheless. These American’s see their world and themselves disappearing into the ethernet.
Ignored by the liberal media, and ignored by the professional politicians of the Democrat Party, who took their allegiance for granted for too long while secretly despising them.
Quite rightly they question the desperate hypocrisy of those who have spent a lifetime deriding the CIA, now proclaim it a paragon of virtue in it’s war with the President.
Nor do his supporters really believe he can fulfill his election promises, but they’ll stick with him because at least he talks their language and gives them a voice.
Le Page is cut from a similar mold. He’s also not careful in speeches, often blunt and direct, sometimes downright offensive.
He says what his constituents want to say, but are too nervous of outraged criticism.
You may be right, these Americans might be “Ugly” , but they’re still Americans, sneering at them and telling them what wrong with them, will only produce a more divided America.
If you mean that the “heartland” is the demographic Trump targeted, you’re right. If you mean that Trump honestly cares about them and “relates” to them (to use your word), you’re completely wrong, and I’m sure that, in your heart, you know that.
Craig,
Oh, I agree with you, although I’m not sure there isn’t a bit of the ‘Elmer Gantry’ about Trump. I’m sure he’s partly sincere.
He seemed visibly concerned and shaken at conditions he saw during his tours of Detroit and Rust Belt areas.
That’s where he succeeded. He came, he listened, he empathized. He brought hope, not hope he could really do anything, but at least he didn’t take these folk for granted. he didn’t ignore them.
Bernie Saunders lectured, berated and talked down to them, Hilary insulted and ignored them, Trump listened and told ’em what they wanted to hear.
What’s surprising, and almost never reported in the press, is his ability to listen and quickly identify the real concerns in small groups. In smaller more intimate town hall gatherings, or personal meetings, he dispenses with the bombastic, barnstorming rhetoric, and becomes very engaging.
This style is very effective when deployed against those who have formed a rigid opinion of his personality from the media or his public persona.
The main point is these folks don’t give a damn about what some New York or Californian intellectual might think about the President’s manners, they sure as hell don’t care about what foreigners think !
All the rage and anger about “impeachment” what protocols he breaks or nonsense about Russian’s, none of that affects them.
That’s why his voter base has stayed solid and even grown, the President talks about them, and their concerns. his enemies and opponents attack him for stuff the average American doesn’t believe affects their lives.
The old political class, along with the media, and the intellectual elite still try to label him with the old labels. They just refuse to accept the old order has changed.
The President was elected on a relatively small budget, funded by few large Corporations or organizations, with only reluctant party backing. (He’d insulted most of them). His opponents had the total support of the traditional media,and unprecedentedly massive funding, with probably the most professional and experienced campaign organization in history.
It should have been a landslide against Trump, but instead he won. Maybe not the popular vote, but still no landslide against him.
That’s the problem his opponents are experiencing, he’s a totally new phenomenon. The old labels and rules don’t work anymore. Trump’s not a professional like Nixon, he doesn’t care if he breaks the rules, he makes them up as he goes along.
But he’s shrewd enough to know as long as his enemies keep attacking him on matters that don’t affect the lives of ordinary Americans, he can just shrug it off.
It’s time for his opponents to learn a lesson and start caring about the issues that affect peoples lives, more listening and less complaining about what’s wrong with the President, and more concentration of what they can do for the issues that people think affect their lives, not what the political elite think they should care about.
Inclusiveness is the only way to defeat a populist.
Craig, these are just my observations, I not saying I’m right or have any greater insight, these are simply my thoughts on how to defeat a populist based on my own small part on planning the strategy which defeated a smaller, but in someways similar populist.
If I may, I’d like to give you an example of how the opposition makes mistakes.
I watched a TV host interviewing Charlie Sheen (hardly a paragon of virtue) who told a derogatory story about the President.
Sheen related how when attending a Hollywood party, he admired the cuff links worn by Donald Trump. Trump promptly took them off an presented the cuff links to Sheen as a gift.
Sheen was impressed to be given what he supposed were very valuable cuff links from a billionaire, only to discover the cuff links were a mass manufactured product sold by Trump.
Sheen sneeringly concluded this gesture summed up Trumps phony and mean character, the links weren’t made from rare of valuable metal, and could be bought in any department store.
Naturally, the largely young, urban audience laughed. However, many in the wider TV audience, had a different reaction.
After all Craig, when you think about it, Donald Trump’s name was on the cuff links, he must have been proud of his product since he was wearing the same links as his customers. In an act of generosity he gave the pair he was wearing to Sheen.
Instead of being grateful,Sheen chose to belittle the gift on TV for a cheap laugh. In less than three minutes he not only insulted Donald Trump in a mean spirited way, but insulted million of people who buy stuff like that feel unhappy.
Far from making Trump look cheap or fake, it surprised many to discover he wears his own product designed for the every man. it made Trump one of them.
Attacking Trump seems to bring out his worst qualities, but as Elon Musk relates, engaging with Trump can result in positive outcome, Trump can be persuaded.
It’s sad, because now is the time the US and the world needs a truly inspiring leader like RFK.
(What’s happened with the alerts ?)