12,080
edits
Changes
new section
Many people across the country are beginning to realize that there is a coordinated campaign by corporate-dominated State governments to turn back the clock on American education to something like the systems of private privilege we once had the good sense to revolt against.
Many people across the country are beginning to realize that there is a coordinated campaign by corporate-dominated State governments to turn back the clock on American education to something like the systems of private privilege we once had the good sense to revolt against.
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
</pre>
==Jun 23, 2011 — Detroit Public Schools Budget Cuts==
<pre>
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
HUPO -- Detroit Public Schools Budget Cuts
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Detroit Public Schools Budget : Cuts, Cuts, Cuts (June 23, 2011)
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/23/detroit-public-schools-budget_n_883368.html
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 1
The Governor and his Privateers are starving the Public Sector in Michigan out of existence for a reason, so that private corporations can complete their hostile takeover of all public services. They stopped being content with tax abatements, bailouts, bribes, incentives, kickbacks, and worker concessions a long time ago — they want nothing less than the automatic funneling of tax dollars directly into their private corporate bankrolls without the annoying interference of all us pesky commoners.
Mackinac Center For Public Policy • “State Needs Privatization”
• http://www.educationreport.org/15050
Lansing State Journal • “Going Private? — Snyder, Republicans Put New Focus On Merits Of Privatization”
• http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110515/NEWS04/105150528/GOING-PRIVATE-Snyder-Republicans-put-new-focus-merits-privatization
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 2
I see we have the usual crew of ignoranus Detroit bashers.
This is for everyone — but it goes out to them especially —
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcZf2CLxbgA
When I'm feeling down about the state of education today, that always cheers me up.
(Yes, I know how I spelled it.)
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 3
The main thing that everyone needs to understand is that what you see happening in Detroit, Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Michigan and several other States today will be coming your way sooner or later if not already arrived. It has nothing to do with black vs. white, left vs. right, liberal vs. libertarian, or any of those old-fangled diversions. It goes beyond education, firefighters, public safety, public services, and even beyond the public sector to the very ideas of community and the common good.
If you don't comprehend the reality of that yet, then you are way behind the curve, and you need to educate yourselves about the corporate ideology groups that fly every now and then under the banners of ALEC, Broad, DeVos, Koch, Mackinac Center, but that mostly have been flying under the radar of public attention for decades now.
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 4
Here's a post from the Facebook page of the Ferris Faculty Association:
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ferris-Faculty-Association/146689847768
<quote>
We all know the struggles public schools face with declining per pupil funding. We have seen Governor Snyder's plan for the future. The following link is a fund raiser trailer for Greenhills, the school Snyder has his daughter enrolled in. They're fund raising because $20,000 per year per student is not enough to properly educate a child. This trailer shows what Snyder wants in a school for *his* children.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAfBHj9Lc8E
</quote>
I'm guessing the Governor does not have a clue how to go about creating a high quality educational environment for all of Michigan's children, but the above information tells us that he does know where to get a few clues about the components of a quality education and how much it costs to achieve it. And one thing we know for sure is that he's not getting those clues from his bean-counter corporate buddies who are dictating their wish list of laws to the Legislature in Lansing.
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 5 (Reply)
I don't recall exactly when the Department of Education was formed as a separate entity, but I know that Federal funding for education was pretty generous in the 60's and 70's, especially grants to individuals, and the strings had mostly to do with accreditation, full time enrollment, equal opportunity, separation of church and state, parental income where need was a condition of the program in question, and sensible considerations on that order.
The ratio of strings to purses began to increase in the Reagan years and pretty much strangled States and students alike in the Bush years. For reasons most of us cannot fathom, Obama has done little or nothing to address the problems he inherited. Most likely the Republicans wouldn't let him do anything if he tried, so I will be charitable and blame them.
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 6 (Reply)
Disaster Capitalism + Prelude to Privatization
Pretty obvious to anyone who has seen it before and who isn't distracted by the blue smoke and mirrors of their rhetoric.
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 7
Here's a recent Huffington Post article that mentions the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), plus a few additional links pertaining to ALEC and associated groups.
More information is coming to light about the move by ALEC, Broad, DeVos, Koch, the Mackinac Center, and related entities to co-opt our elected officials into serving their corporate ends, namely, to privatize not only public education, but all current public services, indeed, our very government itself.
Here's an article that came out this week —
Amanda Terkel • “Privatization At The Heart Of Divisive Battles In Wisconsin”
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/17/privatization-wisconsin_n_873871.html
<quote>
The American Legislative Exchange Council is one of the groups most actively advocating privatization nationwide. It has 2500 legislative members, which is about a third of all state lawmakers around the country. One of its most valuable functions is crafting model legislation that lawmakers can then use to propose real bills in their own states. In the past few years, ALEC-inspired legislation has been popping up with increased frequency around the country.
The group just launched “Publicopoly”, a Monopoly-like board game as part of an “initiative to provide solutions for a more effective, efficient government, and a thriving economy”. Visitors to Publicopoly are able to learn about privatizing seven sectors: government operations, education, transportation and infrastructure, public safety, environment, health, and telecommunications.
</quote>
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 8
There are now several sites where readers can begin getting up to speed on the “Starve and Supplant” tactics that the ALEC Axis is bringing to bear on several States at once.
Democracy Watchdog Action Network
• http://www.facebook.com/democracy.watchdog.action.network
Wear Red For Public Ed
• http://www.facebook.com/wearredforpubliced
Support Bill Cronon
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Bill-Cronon/163419837045434
Bill Cronon is a distinguished history professor who came under attack when he wrote an article about ALEC and the Mackinac Center, so the people who came to his defense began collecting data about these issues.
Related tags at the Daily Kos —
• http://www.dailykos.com/news/ALEC
• http://www.dailykos.com/blog/Exposing%20ALEC
Current updates at the Daily Kos —
• http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/09/983573/-Exposing-ALECJune-Update-on-ALEC-Activities,-Articles-and-Links
• http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/15/985433/-EXPOSING-ALEC2nd-Update-with-important-news-and-links
• http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/20/986970/-Exposing-ALECupdate-3-+-Petition-for-your-State-Lawmakers
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Comment 9
The Broad Axe Falls Again …
Seattle Education Blog • “The Broad Foundation”
• http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/race-to-the-top/the-broad-foundation/
Seattle Education Blog • “Eli Broad’s Last Hurrah In Detroit?”
• http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/eli-broad%E2%80%99s-last-hurrah-in-detroit/
One thing we've learned about the Corporate Privateers is that it doesn't really matter what their PR says — the agenda is always the same.
Say hello to the East India Teaching Company !
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
</pre>
</pre>