Category Archives: voters

Eli Broad maintains grip on Los Angeles schools

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Diane Ravitch has this up on Eli Broad’s continued influence on Los Angeles Schools.  Clearly, if his candidates for school board have not been endorsed by the public, then it’s safe to say the public is not behind Broad.

More sleazy education news

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Arne Duncan appears to be actively promoting for-profit schemes for public education.  The link to the Hill is just jaw-dropping.  Blatantly promoting schmedumacation profiteering.

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In other education news, the educators sounding the alarm were/are being monitored.  For what??

The link provided to the smear piece by Huffington post reporter Peter Cunningham, a former DOE employee, doesn’t include the comments, so I’ll post the link here:

huffingtonpost.com/peter-cunningham/ravitch-redux_b_3768887.html

This comment from the Cunningham piece tears down his arguments:

nypoet22
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this article criticizes ravitch for making ad hominem arguments, cherry-picking data, setting up straw men, distorting language, taking comments out of context and ignoring sound evidence that conflicts with her point of view. then the article proceeds to do each and every one of those things.

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People have asked why Huffington Post would be so anti-public education…assuming that because they are reportedly “progressive” that they would not buy into the nonsense that is charter schools.

Ariana Huffington once said “we want the purple people.”  “purple people” meaning those of us who actually think and don’t subscribe to sheep-ism by following party lines blindly.  Purple being the combination of conservative (red) and progressive (blue)…

…but in reality, they want the purple vote, but do not want the purple “voice”…for example–the abortion debate–women who believe in equality but didn’t believe in abortion were marginalized–denied a voice.

James O’Keefe at it again? **edited

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This *cough* surfer guy sure does resemble James O’Keefe—the guy who brought down ACORN with his pimp impersonation and who also tampered with Mary Landrieu’s phone system.

This hit piece is just another Reagan-Cadillac-driving-welfare-queen smear to incite hatred towards food stamp recipients.  There is no waaaay someone on food stamps could survive buying lobster and other expensive grocery items in this video.  When his $200 is gone…it’s gone.

One would have to buy chicken, beans, rice, etc., to survive.  And fruits and vegetables to stay healthy.  But again, this video sneakily ignores that…

God these people are evil.

**edited to add link. Geesh

Detroit Unions Fighting Back

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Good for them.

Make Orr lay the evidence that Detroit is insolvent out there.  Make him negotiate in good faith, with everyone taking a hit, not just the unions.

…and a thought just occurred to me…if a person owes a bank money, say, for a car, and doesn’t pay…then the bank takes possession of the car, correct?  So…if the city of Detroit owes the union workers money…wouldn’t they then…ahem…take over the running of the city…?  Hell, they couldn’t do any worse…

I tried looking up the Idaho bankruptcy mentioned in the article, but could only find articles talking about the bankruptcy–not their successfully challenging it.

 

Lies Rahm told us…

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Fred Klonsky has a post up on a building that Chicago Public Schools had previously designated for destruction.

The public protested.

They promised it would not be torn down, and would be converted to a library.

Bulldozers have arrived on the scene.

So much for promises…

If you read the comment, it brought to mind the movie “The Monuments Men” by George Clooney and Grant Heslov….in it, he states the Nazis wanted to destroy the artwork and other stuff to destroy the culture…as if it never existed.  I gotta say, it rings true for what is happening now….

love the lyrics of Bob Dylan)

If we lose the media…

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…then we basically lose a huge part of the democratic process.  The Fourth Estate has historically shed light on stuff the politicians would rather you not know…it’s kept the checks and balances needed to keep those in power from abusing that power. Edward Snowden is an example of how the media is no longer serving the public interest by investigating claims on abuse of power.

 

Power corrupts.

                                                         Absolute power corrupts absolutely. 

 

Links here and here--note the “feel good” town hall meetings to diffuse the growing voices against media consolidation….we’ll make it look like we care, and then totally ignore the wishes of the American people.  We’ll also ignore that the airwaves belong to the American people and their wishes should take precedence over corporate interests.

 

A scab by any other name

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Diane Ravitch has an excellent link up to Black Agenda’s take on the charter schools takeover.  I am glad there are voices coming from the African American community against charters.  Up until now, I haven’t heard their voice being raised at what is surely a stealth racism of closing public schools in poor and minority neighborhoods and replacing them with deficient charters run by well-paid CEO’s.

I hear plenty against Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel, but I’ve yet to hear any voices raised against Oprah for promoting charters out the wazoo.