Is Public Education Important to You?

"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;"

.....general welfare of the United States....Doesn't the education of all of our citizens fall into the category of this phrase? Public education benefits ALL people living in our country and offers EQUAL access to developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will maintain a democratic way of life.

We are hearing that President Trump's budget plan includes large increases in military and security spending, and preserves Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, among other things. Without tax increases how will this budget plan be balanced/be achieved? Spending on domestic programs could be targets for reductions and those sums of money shifted to other areas of the budget. Some reductions, along with new policy initiatives, could very well lead to some programs' elimination.  It appears that President Trump has fulfilled the constitutional declaration....."provide for the common defense".... What may be in the future for other domestic programs that ...."provide for the general welfare of the United States"...?  One department that Republicans have been trying for years to dismantle is the Department of Education, maintaining that education does not fall within the responsibility of the federal government. With a weak leader who cannot even stand her ground with regard to preserving students' rights to using bathrooms, will DeVos capitulate to a decimation of her department? Or is this her philosophy and ultimate goal as well?  Time will tell.

Pass the buck to the individual states. People in society today are too mobile to have education systems that will inevitably be different both in philosophy and content. Having taught in a school in the 1980's where there was a considerable percentage of children from military families, I can attest to the fact that when children move in and out of different states their achievement is affected by the differences in their educational experiences. Many of these children were usually behind their peers when first arriving at our school. Just when they had made up some of their achievement gaps, new military orders arrived and their families shipped out to another state, another school, another set of academic expectations.

Some states support public education philosophically AND financially. Others do not. Where would you want your children to live? In states like Ohio, Indiana, or Louisiana that have instituted large scale voucher programs that have been found to NOT produce achievement gains, and some have even lead to achievement losses? Do you know which states have been chipping away at their public education systems in favor of private/charter schools and slowly eroding their quality? 

 

The News About Vouchers for School Choice
From Those of Us Who Read 'Fake News'

 

 

     I read many sources of information related to educational policy and research. One of them is the New York Times. In the February 24, 2017 edition, Kevin Carey writes "Dismal Results From Vouchers Surprise Researchers". The article reports the results of several research studies showing that children who used vouchers to transfer to a private school did not make the achievement gains so loudly touted by school choice advocates. I am pretty sure that I won't see Trump tweeting about these results. I wonder if Betsy DeVos reads the New York Times?  If not, then surely she must read sources like the conservative think tank Thomas B. Fordham Institute when they and the Walton Family Foundation financially support research on school choice programs that she too, prior to her confirmation as Education Secretary, has bankrolled. Surely she must read the results of the Indiana Voucher program (published in late 2015). Surely she must read the results of Louisiana's voucher program (published in Feb. 2015). All of these major research projects reported that vouchers for transfer to private schools did not result in the expected achievement gains so many politicians were spewing and throwing money at. In Indiana, where now Vice President Pence was then governor, the researchers found "in mathematics voucher students who transfer to private schools experienced significant losses in achievement. They also saw no improvement in reading. In Louisiana, predominantly low income, black students who transferred from public schools to private schools using vouchers experienced "large negative results in both reading and math......those who started at the 50th percentile in math....dropped to the 26th percentile in a single year." The Thomas B. Fordham Institute reported the results of yet another study of a voucher program in Ohio. "Students who use vouchers to attend private schools have fared worse academically compared to their closely matched peers attending public schools."

 

     What's going on?  It is likely that the same dynamics that influence test scores of children in public school. Starting with the Bush Administration the No Child Left Behind legislation started the move toward learning proficiency standards, accountability, and teacher evaluation. All three of these initiatives have both positive and negative consequences. When private schools are required to accept ALL children, achievement test scores will not be uniformly high/exceeding expectations. Students from low income backgrounds start school with varying levels of achievement gaps that other students do not. It doesn't matter if they are in a private or public school. From the research that I have read, public charter schools (many that operate as a profit making business with little or no public oversight) offer the same varying achievement results.

 

  So, from my view and many years in education, politics have continuously attempted to remove the federal government from supporting public education. In her confirmation hearings, Betsy DeVos stated she believes the federal government has a role in special education, but had precious few details to offer what that role might be. Mmm....drain resources away from public schools and transfer them to private or charter schools (most of whom are not required to follow the same mandates and regulations as public schools - UNFAIR competition) that have little or not public oversight. With the transfer of public money from public schools to private and charter schools, the public schools lose out. More importantly, our democracy loses out to the principles of market based which inherently emphasizes competition for survival. When did we only want to educate 'some' of the children in the USA? ALL children should receive access to an excellent public education and the direction we are headed will produce 'winners' and 'losers', the refrain of a competitive business model that cares only for its bottom line.

 

PS  Did we all see or hear that Betsy DeVos reportedly expressed her discomfit with Trump's revocation of Obama's policy guidance to schools regarding bathroom use for transgender students?  Reportedly, the Department of Justice and Department of Education had to sign off, ie agree to, to the revocation. She could have held firm and stood up for students all over the US. Instead Attorney General Jeff Sessions convinced her to sign off.  A little too much like Susan Collins not voting against DeVos in committee, thus allowing DeVos to be nominated and eventually sworn in to her new post. It's a man's world after all, in the Trump White House. Oh, that's another post! 

    

    

     

 

 

ACLU

                                                                  

 

Plessey vs. Ferguson

 

 

     American history shows the struggle between the northern and southern states as far back as the beginning of our country. Southern states favored slavery. Southern states did not want a federal government  that usurped states' rights. After Lincoln declared the end to slavery, the beginning of a continual struggle over differing values began. And in ways, it continues to this day. Let's examine how this has influenced public education.

 

     Slaves were not allowed to be educated. Only white children were allowed to go to school. Some slaves went underground to learn how to read, write and do math. This might be considered the earliest form of segregated education. Fast forward to the time period when our national government declared all slaves free citizens. This angered southern states who reacted by enacting Jim Crow laws and boldly proclaiming that the federal government could not tell states how to run their affairs. Now that voting was legal for all black citizens, southern states required black citizens to take tests impossible for them to pass and if they did pass, required a poll tax prior to being able to vote. Public transportation....you can ride the busses now, but you have to sit in the back.

 

     Enter public education. It was just too much for many wealthy white citizens to bear to allow their children to attend the same schools as poor black children. Schools were segregated. Tactics that chased away many black students from attending school. Resources that were directed at schools where white families' children attended. White politicians who proclaimed that the natural order of life was for blacks and whites to live separate lives.

 

     Plessey vs. Ferguson was an attempt to right these wrongs, but the court decided in favor of 'Separate, but equal'. The federal government responded by passing legislation forcing integration of schools. Busing was required to bring racial balance to schools. Wealthy white politicians in the south responded by concocting schemes that withdrew white children from public schools and transferred them to private schools. The notion of charter schools emerged. Both private schools and charter schools used every trick in the book to maintain an unspoken 'whites only' attendance policy. Powerful politicians directed public resources to these schools. The result: unequal educational opportunity and segregated schools. The Plessey decision of 'separate' continued with unequal educational opportunity.

 

     Does this sound familiar to what is happening today? Read a quick article by Christopher Bonastia, a sociologist who studies charter schools today here: http://www.alternet.org/education/racist-history-charter-school-movement. For a more detailed discussion of the political history of the birth of charter schools read, The Reign of Error written by Diane Ravitch.  Both Bonastia and Ravitch reach the same conclusion that there has been a political movement to segregate our public schools in the name of parental choice. For years, bit by bit, politicians have been creating the illusion that our public schools are failing and therefore should be replaced. Replaced with vouchers (paid for with public money) that parents can use to pay for placing their children in the school of their choice. Private schools and charter schools that rarely have open admission policies. Private schools and charter schools that do not have to follow all the same regulations and mandates as public schools. Failing schools is just heated political rhetoric that doesn't always have factual basis.

 

     We will leave private schools/religious schools for a moment and examine charter schools. Research shows that some charter schools produce students with acceptable achievement rates and some that don't. Exactly the same as traditional public schools. Some charter schools have a diverse student body. Some do not. But what really produces the differences between 'good charter schools' and 'not so good charter schools'? It seems to come down to social stratification, just as it does in the public schools. Students from wealthy families tend to have high achievement rates. Students from families living in poverty tend to have lower achievement rates. When you have a mixture of students from both subsets in a school, you see variable achievement rates for different populations of students. Conveniently for those politicians who would like to create private schools that are operated for profit, if you can attract students from wealthy families, achievement scores will likely be high. If you admit, or are required to admit, students from families from disadvantaged backgrounds or students with disabilities, not only will achievement scores be lower, but you will likely spend more to educate them.  If you are a business person looking for maximum profit, you will be making money with a segregated school with policies and practices that encourage the drop-out of disadvantaged or disabled students, resulting in students from wealthy families who require fewer resources to achieve good test scores. Policies and practices that are not allowed in public schools.

 

     Do we want our public education dollars to be spent educating kids or do we want some of our dollars (how much?) spent educating our kids and some of our dollars (how much?) going towards profits for wealthy business owners? Do we want public education to be treated as a business with market based realities? Look at the mess our health care system is in. Without intervention, insurance companies drop those who cost them their profits. It is likely to end up the same if education is market driven. The result will be the exact opposite of what The Equal Education Opportunity Act sets forth; the opposite of what the tenets of 'free appropriate education' IDEA legislation that guarantees all students with disabilities an education that meets their individual needs.

 

     President Donald Trump: product of private education, wealthy businessman, supporter of vouchers and charter schools.

 

     Betsy DeVos: product of private education, wealthy businesswoman, supporter of vouchers and charter schools.

 

     Do we want to go back to Plessey vs. Ferguson?  Tell them 'no'.

 



Timmy W.

 

 

     Timmy W. A little boy few people knew. A little boy whose family fought the legal system for the right to attend school. Timmy came into the world in 1975 and immediately he struggled for life. His mother experienced birth complications. He experienced devastating seizures. As a newborn quadriplegic, he began his life of struggle. Struggle to survive. Struggle to be seen as a person. Pediatric specialists poked and prodded for answers. Cuddled, loved, and cared for by his mom. When he was an infant his mom took him to weekly physical therapy and occupational therapy visits. Physical therapy to rebuild and strengthen his muscles.  Mom learned how to position and move him so his limbs would not atrophy; so the muscles in his body, pulled involuntarily by the spasticity caused by his cerebral palsy, would not shorten and cause bones to break or deform. Occupational therapy for feeding instruction so he could eat and not choke to death. And when it became apparent that he had cortical blindness, more therapy to preserve and develop the sight he did have.

 

     As you can imagine, Timmy progressed slowly, very slowly. We all celebrated with his mom when he could eat without choking. Other small achievements were applauded. By the time he was school age, he still was working hard at just being healthy. His mom wanted him to go to school, be exposed to other people, and continue to make progress. But the public school system where Timmy and his mother lived declared that he was ineligible to attend school. They had their own interpretation of The Education for All Handicapped Children, which had just been decided when he was born 5 years earlier. The Rochester, New Hampshire School Board heard testimony from a myriad of specialists who recommended an individualized education program for Timmy.  Two pediatric specialists testified, one concluding that Timmy had no educational potential; the other reporting that hydrocephalus had destroyed part of his brain. In conclusion, the School Board argued that Timmy had such severe handicaps that he was not capable of benefitting from an education. Timmy was no where near ready to learn to read and write. But he was ready to learn how to communicate. His mom wanted him to be around other peers. She wanted him to continue plugging away at the goals in his individualized plan. In 1980, he was eligible to attend school and receive the education he was entitled to as defined by The Education for All Handicapped Children. He waited at home and sporadically received services. Timmy was not being hidden away in an institution which was the norm for so long, but he certainly was being shunned by his school district.

     In 1982, the New Hampshire Department of Education reviewed Rochester's special education program and found them to be out of compliance with the law. They opined that the Rochester School Board could not use 'a capable of benefitting from' standard to refuse to provide a 'free appropriate education' to Timmy. To make a long story short, the School Board ignored this recommendation and many other legal findings until they had exhausted all legal channels. In 1989. Timmy had lost 9 years of education. Nine years while lawyers argued about what this law meant. Did it mean that education was meant for only those who would benefit from it? This case definitively decided that ALL CHILDREN ARE ENTITLED TO AN EDUCATION and for some who have disabilities that means their education is defined by an individualized education plan.

     As Betsy DeVos begins to lead the federal Department of Education, let her understand this. Also let her understand that draining kids away from a public school system to enroll them in choice private schools or public charter schools who will refuse to admit ALL children will only result in segregated public and private schools. That is not what Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka (1954) settled. This is 'settled law'. Her active support of charter schools and private schools should now work to require ALL schools to accept ALL students and provide them with a free appropriate education, just as is required of all existing public schools. Ooops....public charter schools don't have to abide by all the same regulations as public schools. Unfair. If we are going to build a 'new public school' system, then the schools shall not be segregated (Brown vs Board of Education, 1954); the schools shall provide equal educational opportunity to all (Equal Educational Opportunity Act, 1974); the schools shall provide a 'free appropriate education in the least restrictive setting' to all children with disabilities (IDEA).  All of these pieces of legislation are 'settled law'. Although Betsy DeVos may be unfamiliar with them, she now needs to step up and learn about them and ensure compliance with them.  Timmy did not lose 9 years of his education for nothing. A little boy, but from his experiences our society has benefitted greatly. 

 

     

John, Josh, Outbursts, Screams and PROGRESS

 

     I remember being mesmerized in the third grade as I read Helen Keller and The Diary of Anne Frank.  These two books introduced me to a world that I had not experienced before.  I had never known nor seen anyone with a disability, probably because special education was not provided when I went to school or college. I had never struggled to learn in school. No one in my family had.  I had never been exposed to such hatred that would cause a family to flee and go into hiding to save their very lives. But I do recall wondering where a couple of school mates had gone in 5th grade when they just disappeared. After all, when someone moved away we always said our goodbyes and wished them well in their new school. Again, in 6th grade. Then several years later I started noticing these kids still around town, just not in school. As far as I can deduce, they just 'dropped out' of school. Looking back, I now realize all of these school mates had been in learning groups that were not progressing like the rest of the class.  Grouping kids by ability was the norm when I was in school. Everyone knew who the 'smart kids' were. Some kids got 'left behind' and likely dropped out or were expelled and not invited to return to school.  All of these childhood experiences probably set the stage for my career in special education.

 

     Fast forward to the mid 1970's, a turbulent time in our country for sure. A newly minted college graduate, certified teacher with her first job in a school that provided special education to students whose public schools 'couldn't provide for their needs'.  A new law, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, was unknown to me.  I was just thankful for my first job (which helped me pay off my student loans).  My first class of students were like all other elementary school students, except they had 'behavior problems and couldn't learn'.

 

     John had been expelled because he had explosive outbursts followed by giggles and finger flicking. Josh had never really been given a chance at his public school.  After his first day of school his teachers, principal, and parents didn't know why, but he screamed all day with his hands over his ears. When mom took him to school the next day, the screaming started right after breakfast when she said, "Let's get ready for school." Truth be told his mom said, he had these unexplained screaming episodes at home, too. It turns out John was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and epilepsy after a period of observation at my school and referral to a pediatric specialist. His hometown public school still said they 'were not equipped' to manage his behavior. After several weeks of screaming, we were able to get Josh to show us why he was screaming. He took us to one end of the hallway and pointed upwards toward the ceiling. And then someone flushed the toilet upstairs which sent Josh spiraling down the hallway, hands covering his ears, screaming, "No, No, No!"  After some very careful observations, we figured out that Josh was overly sensitive to and fearful of so many sounds!  A distant toilet flushing was just one sound he could hear when the rest of us just blocked the sound out.  A referral to a child psychologist for desensitization therapy made it possible for Josh to function in our school. But his hometown public school said after a trial visit that it would be impossible for them to control their school environment to the degree that Josh needed to calm his fears. Looking back, Josh likely fell somewhere on the autism spectrum.

 

     Both John and Josh progressed in their academics and behavior at our school after they were properly evaluated, diagnosed, and an individualized learning and behavior plan developed for them. However, efforts to return them to their own respective public schools took quite a bit of coaching, transition time, and effort.  The teachers and administrators required much professional development and 'attitudinal adjustment'. John and Josh and the other kids in my school made more progress than they did. John and Josh laughed, played and learned new academic and behavioral skills. They experienced success. We had a growing wait list for admission to our school, but a building that just was not large enough to accommodate the referrals coming our way.  At that time in history, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was still relatively new and just accomplishing placement in an educational program was still challenging, but achievable. Most public schools could find somewhere else, another school like the one in which I taught, to take care of the kids they couldn't or wouldn't educate. Placement in the least restrictive setting with a child's peers was still an ideal to strive for, but not always achieved.

 

     

For John, Micheal, Timmy, Jennifer, Shawn, Lucy, and All the Others

For John, Micheal, Timmy, Jennifer, Shawn, Lucy and All the Others

 

                                                                                                                          

 

 

 

     Recently, I read the book, Rosemary, The Hidden Kennedy Daughter. written by Kate Clifford Larson. The author explores Rosemary's life before and after her lobotomy. I include this reference in this post to remind us all how powerful attitudes can be in affecting people's lives, for better or worse.  These attitudes affect how we view people in society. These attitudes affect how we build the social fabric of our lives....our homes, our educational system, our medical care systems, our judicial system, etc.  It seems that we are at a turning point in our history. Let's move forward, not backward.

     During the early 1900's when Rosemary was born, people with disabilities were locked away in institutions which essentially warehoused them in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Today, there are none of these institutions left in America (hopefully, that we are aware of!). Rosemary's parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, realized early in her life that she was not developing normally. We all know that the Kennedy family was, and is, an influential family with political ambitions. Rosemary's early schooling presented many challenges for both her and her parents. For her, school was a place where she experienced academic and social failure and was frustrated when teachers continued to try to teach her academics. And likewise, teachers were frustrated with both her lack of academic progress and her increasingly difficult behavior. For her parents, her lack of progress was an embarrassment and presented possible roadblocks to their own aspirations and reputation. She was relegated to a series of residential schools, with little progress made. As she grew older, her immature behavior was a concern for her father, who decided to submit her to doctors who were experimenting with a form of neurosurgery that they claimed 'cured' unwanted behaviors that some people displayed and didn't respond to 'normal' interventions to change their behaviors. The lobotomy rendered her physically and mentally worse than she was before. She required extensive speech and physical therapy and around the clock care for basic everyday activities for the rest of her life. No matter......... the Kennedys could afford to buy her the best residential care. She was sent away again to live out her life where she wouldn't disrupt their social and political lives. The Kennedys went about their privileged life separate from Rosemary.

 

     Negative attitudes have shaped this country's treatment of people with disabilities. From shunning, to warehousing, to forced medical treatments such as lobotomies and sterilization, to segregation. We continue to hear myths about people with disabilities. We continue to struggle today. However, we have made much progress, progress that was championed by the Kennedys themselves. Following Rosemary's lobotomy, some of her siblings realized that Rosemary was no longer really connected to the family.  They saw her less and less. Thus began their many years of speaking out on behalf of all children with disabilities. The Kennedys championed The Special Olympics and landmark legislation that provided appropriate living and educational opportunities for children with disabilities. The heartache, the irreversible effects of a forced lobotomy, the difficult life that was Rosemary's could not be undone for her, but changing social attitudes and promoting legislation that would open doors of opportunity for all the future Rosemarys became a lifelong mission for some of the Kennedys.

 

     Let's examine progress made regarding the education of individuals with disabilities. We have gone from hiding them away to segregated opportunities to the legal right to attend public school and be provided a 'free appropriate PUBLIC education' (FAPE).  During her confirmation hearings, Betsy DeVos reportedly lacked an understanding of The Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA) which provides one of the legal bases for special education today.  She has a steep learning curve as she takes on the federal leadership position for America's public education which includes FAPE for students with disabilities in the 'least restrictive setting'. We can't go back to institutionalization. We can't go back to hiding students in 'private schools'. We can't go back segregated spaces and/or classrooms in public schools, ie. spaces that are 'left over' after all other 'regular' education needs are met.   We just can't go back. Jeff Sessions, Trump's new Attorney General, has an obligation to enforce all of the 'settled laws' related to special education, as well as all other 'settled laws'.  He has an obligation to lend a guiding hand to those who are unfamiliar with these 'settled laws'. It seems like he will be mentoring many newly elected and appointed cabinet members and advisors.

 

   Several of the following posts are just my personal career experiences with special education. Every teacher has his/her stories they could share.  

 

 

Will History Repeat Itself?

 

    

Our Constitution

Plessey vs. Ferguson (1896)

Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

Equal Educational Opportunity Act (1974)

Education For All Handicapped Children (1975)

Timothy W. vs Rochester, New Hampshire School District

Individuals With Disabilities Act (1990)

Endrew F. vs. Douglas County School District (2017)

 

 

     Just a few of many documents, landmark cases and legislation that fundamentally define public education. They show the evolution of attitudes toward the ideals we hold for public schools. Equal educational opportunity for all. Let us all hold our local school boards, state and federal education officials accountable to maintain this belief, this value, these laws.

 

     We live in a country whose government was established with the very intention of equalizing the power bases of the executive branch (the president), the legislative branch (Congress), and the judicial branch (the courts). We are pretty fortunate to (hopefully) have enduring institutions that will help us weather the political storms brewing.

 

    



 

     

 

Too Much of This....Not Enough of That

 

 

 

 

 

     For those of us who follow trends in public education, I read with interest that the interim superintendent of the Cape Elizabeth, Maine schools has begun their annual budget process a bit differently this year. Different, but it appears to be based on courage and wisdom. He reported to his school board that he began the process by asking teaching staff for ideas and was overwhelmed with both the number of ideas and the potential cost of implementing these ideas. It takes courage to ask a group of teachers what their requirements for an annual budget are and wisdom to know how to make the list manageable and feasible. It takes wisdom to begin the process with some principled decision making criteria. The principle which he brought forward was 'student need'.

 

     "We have to really stress literacy and the support for that as early as we can." Many experts agree that pre-K programming effectively reduces the achievement gaps most schools see as soon as kindergarten students walk through their doors day one. In addition, a cohesive preK-12 student support services system that responds as soon as (and as long as) students begin to experience academic and/or social problems has been cited as effective bridges to achievement and social success. Focus on reading proficiency and a strong math curriculum, his guiding words to his school board.

 

     This superintendent also spoke 'truth to power', in as much as the local school board is the beginning of a long chain of state and federal sources of power. This superintendent should lead the charge not only in Cape Elizabeth, Maine but in all Maine communities and every state across the US.  His words?

 

                "Cape Elizabeth places too much emphasis on testing. Although Cape is a high achieving school district, relying too much on getting good test results can be damaging. Rather, the district needs to experiment more in how success is measured. There is a risk of being reluctant to take risks."  He further acknowledged understanding how "some school board members or faculty may be afraid of what risk taking will do to test scores, or how it will affect parents' opinions of the district. He said that can't be the main concern. I wouldn't be too concerned with preserving a reputation. I 'd be more inclined to create a new reputation." 

 

     Additional words of wisdom? He spoke of the unhealthy levels of student stress and the importance of helping students manage 'unnecessary stress, too much stress'. He further recommended that "we need to help our school community realize that enough's enough".

 

     Wisdom and courage, universal ideals and challenges, principled leadership to guide decision making in public schools. Students are in good hands at the Cape Elizabeth schools with this school leader. He shared more pearls of wisdom with his school board. Read the Forecaster article written by Kate Gardner in its entirety here:  http://www.theforecaster.net/cape-elizabeth-school-chief-delivers-lesson-on-obvious-needs/

 



 

 

 

 



     I Know That 'Alternative Facts' is Just Another Name for a Lie

 

 

     History is repeating itself. Do we want the same unregulated business environment that caused the Great Depression and the most recent Great Recession, both of which left many people losing jobs, homes, economic security?  Are we OK with a business environment that dramatically redistributes the wealth in this country to a very few? The dismantling of the middle class and the emergence of large groups of people who are losing economic security even while working a full time job?

     First up....repeal The Affordable Care Act. One of the primary reasons many people are forced into bankruptcy today is unpredictable medical emergencies and the resulting cost of their healthcare to address their medical issue. Next....nomination of Betsy DeVos to lead the dismantling of public education. Education provides access to learning skills and attitudes that will provide opportunity for all to succeed in life. Further......nominations of Cabinet members who are mostly white male billionaires. Whose interests will these individuals look out for when many of them have publicly stated opposition to the posts they will lead? At least one nominee has withdrawn his nomination stating that it was difficult for him to separate himself from his business interests. A little glimmer of ethical action compared to the questionable ethics of the President himself who has not separated himself from his tangled web of national and international business interests. I don't understand how he can claim to be working on behalf of ALL Americans as he still benefits personally from so many 'business deals', oops...'government actions'.  His recent private fundraiser at his Mar a Lago 'home' in Florida reveals to me that he will provide access to himself (and others in the top 1%) if you have enough money to 'donate' to his 'cause(s)'.  Favors anyone? Step right up, no need to worry about the public finding out, the press was barred from attending.

     Consumer protections? Access to information upon which we can make informed decisions? The Federal Communications Commission is now led by a man who very quickly began the process of doing away with net neutrality. Net neutrality was designed to provide equal access to the internet, which has very quickly become one of the main ways people get their information and communicate. With most of the nation's newspapers controlled by a very few wealthy individuals who have been controlling and reshaping the public dissemination of news, it becomes more and more difficult to find the facts in our world today. It will require persistent dedication to find reliable information upon which to make important decisions. Education and persistence to prevent the use of 'alternative information' from pervasively being used to try to reshape reality. A lawyer uses distortions, omissions, and other techniques in their arguments. 'Alternative information' is pretty much lying. Let's just commit ourselves to telling the truth, whatever the truth is.

     The truth is, based on the facts that I know at this moment, we need a strong public education system that provides an equal educational opportunity to EVERYONE in this country so the dark periods of our history don't repeat themselves. And let's not go back to where we are OK with separate, but equal.  Separate has never led to equality in this country. Separate has never led to security in this country. Separate has led to dark times in our country, times where political and economic power in the hands of a few led to many being left behind suffering many indignities that none of us should see again.