Betsy DeVos confirmed as Education Secretary thanks to 'historic tiebreaking vote' from VP Mike Pence

Yuge government. Government coming out of your wherever.

8 Likes

brb puking

(People were quick to point out to her that many teachers have to buy their own classroom supplies)

17 Likes

Why is it not acceptable that a person holding that office—irrespective of the limits of that office—be qualified and/or competent?

9 Likes

Alas, until we all return to pre-19th century population levels (and climate), the pro-small gov’t folk are doomed to irrelevance.

6 Likes
9 Likes

WTF? Tell him to leave that stuff under his desk. If it disappears, it’s the school’s responsibility for failing to provide adequate storage facilities.

1 Like

See, I didn’t need this article to be informed of this historic moment. Mike emailed me directly. Gah, this is what I get for signing that petition on white house.gov

2 Likes

Prepare every DAY for the task of educating by bringing your own pen and paper, or instrument to write with!

Wait, this is a cute post for social media? Please, proceed with the “pencil” whimsy

BRB, considering alternate ways of causing myself pain in a fashion similar to puking

3 Likes

Get an ice cube and hold in it your hand until it melts!

4 Likes

HA.

9 Likes

List of things Betsy DeVos will have to learn on the job:

  1. How Public Education works
  2. How to engage with the public

I read some of the responses: people pretending that somehow this was physically threatening to her; people suggesting that not letting her enter the school was something Hitler would have done; no one saying, “Why didn’t she stay and talk to those people?”

12 Likes

I was once instructed to have a conversation with the Commissioner of Education for my state. It was not a good time.
He was clearly not interested in anything I was going to say to him, and the overall attitude was one of a photo op that had gone on longer than he’d liked. Those positions are basically purely political- there’s very little thought about actual education going on, and when somebody (me, in this case) injects a conversation about education, well. Things go badly.
DeVos was voted in not in spite of not having any education background, but because she has no education background.
Were I an administrator of a school, I’d block the door myself.

15 Likes
13 Likes

I can see how that would work, but “these positions are basically purely political” makes me think - wouldn’t you want someone who is competent at politics in there? And I know that’s not really what it means, it means these positions are about cronyism.

I’m really just providing a counterpoint to these idiots acting like her rapidly walking away was a reasonable way to behave in that situation. Stop and listen to why the people don’t want to let you through. Try for more than five seconds. But I don’t think she actually wanted to walk into a public school anyway, those places are full of cooties.

8 Likes

I’m surprised she even knew where to find a public school.
There’s some cronyism for sure- but people that end up in these positions tend to be all about self-preservation. They’ve gotten this gig, and they’ll do what they think is needed to stay in the gig.
She’s a waste- it’s a chance for someone to lead with some sense of purpose and with some philosophy, but she has an axe to grind against public ed, so there’s that. Who knows?
I’m snob on education- I make no bones about that. I’m from a snobbish part of the country, and I’m heavily invested in education. People like DeVos bother me at the molecular level because she’s not curious or reflective about any of the process- she’s there on a mission and facts-be-damned.

9 Likes

And I quote:

“A well-designed voucher program would fit the bill neatly. A taxpayer-funded voucher that paid the entire cost of educating a child (not just a partial subsidy) would open a range of opportunities to all children. . . . Fully funded vouchers would relieve parents from the terrible choice of leaving their kids in lousy schools or bankrupting themselves to escape those schools.”

She’s not wrong, but the quote elides the fact that redirecting funds towards vouchers ensures that the lousy public schools stay lousy. Voucher programs don’t increase education budgets. They’re zero-sum. Every dollar given away to private/charter/parochial schools is a dollar taken away from public schools.

16 Likes

Here’s my feelings a Child-Free adult who pays his share of taxes.

I’m okay with funding Public Schools. I went to Public School. I have a general feeling for what they teach and I’m on board with it. I know that when you pool everyone’s money together for a school system, it should go farther.

I’m not okay with my tax dollars paying for any religious schools. I’m not okay with my tax dollars going to help defer someone’s choice to attend a private school.

22 Likes

Besides, don’t most reputable private schools have generous financial aid programs? The crazy-expensive elementary school I went to sure did; full-price tuition was probably more than my family’s entire gross income.

(I might have had to test in though. I don’t remember everything that happened when I was four.)

1 Like

I feel there are two words in that quote are being entirely glossed over to show “hypocrisy,” and I don’t think “fully funded” is something you would advocate in a government program. On top of that, she also advocated the money following the child and not be tied the address for education - not to fund private schools. That’s the entire point of her statement, and it’s a broader plan to spread tax coffers for schools to disadvantaged districts.

Now show where she attacked DeVos on school vouchers in her statement. Also, this is deVos’ plan:

4 Likes