Betsy DeVos & The Amway Clan’s Abject Failure to Reach High Moral Ground via “Corporate Social Responsibility”

Elizabeth Prince DeVos has gone the long distance to rip apart Michigan's public schools, as such, Betsy has shown her moral poverty and disregard for community. She knows noting of "permaculture" the need to protect and promote heart and soul of American Ideals and Institutions.

Perhaps Betsy could be forgiven her narrow minded anti-public bigotry; given her early life; isolated and steeped in a strong ethnic background skeptical of the validity of science and the rest of the religious world-but that was then; her early schooling and her matriculation from hypercalvinist Calvin College - Grand Rapids - and now forgiveness is not an option.

Betsy's religious tradition struggled long, hard, and tragically in holding on to its connections to South Africa's racial Apartheid. At an early-less mature time of muted, yet dangerous ideological commitment; Betsy and her husband, Dick Jr.,  stunningly defeated in his personally financed $34 million bid for Michigan's governorship - were supporting individual "scholarships" for children of color.

With immense deep pockets they could finance hundreds of children lifted by them out poverty and deprivation to attend Cranbrook or wherever they could find elite schools of their personal choice to accept their minority "scholars." Who would object if Dick & Betsy want to help or promote the academic achievement of needy students via their own or organized scholarship charity? But, no, that was not enough!

Betsy took on Michigan's historic institution of public education in a mean-spirited and aggressive manner - An enduring hissy fit.

Betsy's goal: secure taxpayer provided voucher monies for her own Dutch Reformed Christian Schools and parochiaid for any and all religions. Moving through a number of morphed organizations and political efforts with names such as the American Federation for Children she has run a rough and rude campaign to grind to dust any or all opposition - Care not they be Republican or Democrat!

Violations of the campaign finance laws and multimillion dollar fines thereto have not slowed her efforts. Joining with other aggressive elites with agendas intended to rob the public of its public school monies and support, Betsy presses ahead. She has great support from the anti-community/local business prosperity Waltons of Wal-Mart, and the mega-billions Cato creators and A.L.E.C. corporate bullies: Charles and David Koch.

Betsy's The Mega Rich Poster Girl for the Antithesis of CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility (or CSR) defined on Wikipedia as:

"CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY  is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms.

"The goal of CSR is to embrace responsibility for the company's actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. Furthermore, CSR-focused businesses would proactively promote the public interest by encouraging community growth and development, and voluntarily eliminating practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality. CSR is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision-making, and the honoring of a triple bottom line: people, planet, profit."

Note: "CSR" also called corporate conscience, citizenship, social performance, or sustainable responsible business.


The upshot of Betsy's vicious war on the public schools is the denigration and destruction of Michigan's once premiere Public Education Program run and fostered by its premiere/world class public universities. What happened in the Michigan TeaPublican 2011 Legislative session, that insulted, undercut, (Michigan's public schools were legislatively swindled of $1.2 billion due them) and soiled the profession of teaching(dishonest, partisan/ideological attacks on tenure), could NEVER have happened had Betsy disapproved. The blame is Betsy's to bear.

Keen observer and new political straight-shooter, reporter Chris Savage details the situation in Michigan under the dominance and dictates of Betsy DeVos:

"In Benton Harbor, the teachers union, the MEA, delivered a truckload of schools supplies to teachers who didn't even have pencils and paper for their students. School systems across the state face bankruptcy and the prospect of an Emergency Manager. This is blamed on corrupt administrators, greedy, parasitic teachers and budget-breaking unionized workers. It is never blamed on the fact that we are increasingly starving our public schools of the resources they need to exist and flourish.

"When someone tries to tell you that charter schools are the answer to our educational system's problems and that outsourcing the education of our children is going to help bring our most poverty-stricken public schools to the same level as the school systems in wealthy districts, ask them this. Ask them how they expect public school systems to compete after they took one billion dollars away from them during an economic recession."

"Ask them that."

Source: Chris Savage (aka Eclectablog) in "The Republican hypocrisy in Michigan’s charter school debate"  posted December 15, 2011 and also found on BloggingforMichigan.


Original.

Fools All: It’s twilight time in the TeaPublican Michigan State Senate

"Confiscation Schools"! Has Pavlov's Ed Committee Lost It's Mind? Sowing the Seeds of Local Discontent & Destruction: More angry, bullheaded attempts to destroy public education as we know it.

Yesterday, if the senate schedule held, the Senate Education Committee headed up by Sen. Phil Pavlov, entertained and possibly passed to the full senate, a complete package of utter nonsense (So-called Conversion Schools). Damaging and destroying our communities, this radical, unheard of ignorant overreach is again based on raw revenge, demeans and exposes these TeaPublican Senators as fools- dangerous to Michigan children, the foundations of public education, all dangerous to our futures.

Let's look over the rail and examine the non-sense proposal:
Sen. David Robertson: SB620 (Robertson) Education; public school academies; conversion schools...

Convoluted/Simpleton Rules for Confiscation of Neighborhood School Operations by Outsiders & Privateers:

Revise "the School Code to provide for the organization and administration of conversion schools, which would be public schools previously operated by a school district and converted under a contract issued by an authorizing body."

1. -- Require a petition to convert a school to be signed by at least 51% of the teachers at that school or at least 51% of the parents or guardians of pupils at the school.

2. -- Require an application to convert a school to be submitted to the board of the school district that included the school and, if that board did not approve the application, allow it to be submitted to another authorizing body.

In a public small school with, let's say 10 teachers, 6 teachers could revolt and privatize the school, a small group of parents may do likewise.

The local school, previously belonging to and operated by the local public district, would be removed from public jurisdiction, supervision, and control. The neighborhood schools would be made into another faux public school: A private school funded with taxpayer moneys.

Charters are by law, in most cases, private schools -unless operated by directly by a college or a school or ISD district- schools that are funded with public tax dollars, but run willy nilly by private, for-profit operators. They are franchise schools or corporate schools. Faux Public Charters are private schools funded with public money, operating outside the control and purview of the local population.

The acrimony, destruction to student progress and education and accompanying disruption created by this Robertson "nonsense proposal" boarders on fantastical. It's just plain NUTS.

Mr. Robertson's proposal for "conversion schools" fronts for "the Republican-led effort (which) would throw all kinds of new powers to parents and charter schools. It would even let a district fill classrooms with teachers employed by private, for-profit companies."

What are these angry and aggressive TeaPublicans thinking? Rather, what are they doing out of rage?

Note: the local elected board of education can be leap-frogged and excluded from the control or loss of a school to the local public. 

Sen. David Robertson is so intent on doing harm, that he is willing to go wild in his anti-public, anti-community crusade.

Conversion schools are schools of destruction and disillusion of the right of local citizens to own and control their local schools. To simply create a questionable legal legislative mechanism to remove a school from the public to private hands is A THEFT OF THE COMMON PROPERTY OF A NEIGHBORHOOD.

This proposed act allows for the introduction of educational management companies (including out-state corporations) which will be involved in the conversion school's operations.

Addressing the very real problems of the politics of Conversion Schools the proposal inserts these caveats:

1.)" A requirement that the board prohibit specifically identified family relationships between board members, individuals with an ownership interest in an educational management organization involved in the school's operation, officers or employees of such an organization, and employees of the school."

2.)" A requirement that the board prohibit any individual from being employed by the school in more than one full-time position and simultaneously being compensated at a full-time rate for each of those positions."

A sampling of other Roberson concepts in his Proposal:

1.) Require a conversion school authorized by a school district to be located in the school that was converted and prohibit the district from charging rent, but make the school financially responsible for maintaining the facilities

2.) The bill also would include a school operated by a conversion school corporation in the Code's definition of "public school", and would include a conversion school in the definition of "public school academy".

3.) To obtain a contract to convert a public school operated by a school district to a conversion school, one or more people or a legal entity would have to apply to the school district and submit to the board of the district an application and a petition signed by at least 51% of the teachers employed by the school district at the school to be converted and/or at least 51% of the parents or legal guardian of the pupils enrolled in the school. The board would have to consider the petition and approve or deny it within 60 days. If the board denied the petition, it would have to issue a letter of denial to the applicant.

4.) Collective Bargaining: If a conversion school were authorized by the board of the school district that operated the school that was converted, the school district would be the employer of the employees regularly working at the conversion school, but the school and its employees would not be subject to collective bargaining agreements that applied to employees of the school district employed in similar classifications in schools that were not conversion schools.

If a "conversion"school were authorized by an authorizing body other than the board of the school district that had operated the school, the school district would not be the employer of employees regularly working at the conversion school and the school and those employees would not be subject to a collective bargaining agreement with the school district.

SOURCE: Senate Document "CONVERSION SCHOOLS S.B. 620: COMMITTEE SUMMARY"

Footnote: David Robertson is the self-same individual who has taken up Snyder style Socialism Central Control: usurpation of local and community voice in the locals own affairs. Its one horrednous step too far:

Mr. Robertson sez, ""We need to empower the top executive to appoint more people ;who will go deeper into the bureaucracy," Robertson said. "THE HEART OF THE ISSUE IS POLITICAL POWER."

Blogger Eclectoblog states:

"If his (Robertson's) proposal to let the governor appoint 1% of the state government employees moves forward it would increase the current number by a factor of 4.5. Again, this is all about political power and ROBERTSON HAS BECOME SO INTOXICATED WITH HIS PARTY'S UNBRIDLED OVERREACH IN MICHIGAN THAT HE DOESN'T FEEL ANY NEED TO HIDE IT."
(emphasis added)

SOURCE: "Republican state senator Robertson wants Governor to have MORE power"

Just what are Mr. Robertson and the 'rogue' TeaPublicans up to? Let Susan Demas explain:

"It's hard for Republicans to make the case that they haven't singled out schools and teachers' unions in a host of policies this year. Legislation mandating public employees to pay more for health insurance had an opt-out clause for municipalities -- but schools are forced to participate. Teacher tenure reform once again dictates to school districts how it deals with employees, whereas local governments don't get any such edicts."

"And even this week, the Senate passed legislation limiting school board elections to November of even-numbered years. That saves money. But the Senate wasn't interested in saving more money by applying it to municipalities. They can still hold elections four times a year, every year.

"Because the hope is that it will be easier for conservative school board members to get elected when there's more than just school issues on the ballot. Another goal is to make it harder for schools to pass millages -- even though schools have few options as the Legislature swiped $1 billion from the School Aid Fund this year and passed new business taxes specifically designed to give schools less money.

"REPUBLICANS MAY HAVE THE VOTES TO KEEP BEATING THE MEA AND TEACHERS' UNIONS LIKE A DRUM. BUT THEY SHOULDN'T INSULT OUR INTELLIGENCE BY CLAIMING THAT THEY'RE JUST THINKING OF THE CHILDREN."
(emphasis added) 

SOURCE: "With Right to Teach, Republicans' war with unions gets personal"

Why would Mr. Robertson do this?
"I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work in all these policy areas during the new year," Robertson said. "I'm confident we can make Michigan a place that businesses long to call home. I can't wait." 

Add in his comment: "The heart of the issue is POLITICAL POWER." There you have it.

Mr. Robertson-Legislating Recklessly
One source states:

"Antisocial behavior may not always be related to some form of physical ailment or illness. Some people are just comfortable with living recklessly and form a bad habit of living carelessly and irresponsibly. This involves their own freedom of choice." 

Being interpolated, Sen. Dave Roberson is more than comfortable with viewing himself as super important, and going to the limit and beyond in his anti-public crusade, he is anti-community and should be shunned and discredited-he is far too irresponsible to represent his own district, much less inflict such nonsense on the state via his exalted view of the power of his office as a extreme ideologically oriented state senator.


Original.

No Rights for Teacher Union Organization: Randy Richardville’s TeaPartisan Teacher Rights Libel Legislation

Randy Richardville's crude lawmaking revenge on Teacher's Professional Organizations is based on a specific TeaPartisan Teacher Rights Libel. Don't expect Richardville to accurately represent the role of teacher organizations in the school workplace. He's not well-informed as to the actual conditions in today's education.

Much of the rationale foisted on the public by Richardville libels the real facts and demeans a great profession. If you are a devoted teacher there is NOTHING BETTER YOU WILL EVER DO.

Richardville's vilification of Michigan Teachers en mass, in his high-handed, brutal fashion (faux-right to work regs,) is a complete verification of the untrustworthiness of this TeaPublican dominated Michigan Government-its small mindedness. It's actions fly in the face of the honorable actions of former Governors (e.g. Gov. George Romney - who signed into law the collective bargaining that ushered in a golden age of teaching and professionalism 1965-1990) and legislators; statespeople-who understood and accepted the right of teachers to act as professionals and have a defined voice in their day-to-day classroom efforts, entering the learning place day-after-day to nurture and mentor pupils in their educational journeys and meet their individual/special needs.

Those who demean this sacred vocation are unworthy of credulity or voracity.

Richardville's ongoing Rad Right assault on teachers; discriminates against them with his "Teacher-Right-to-Work" prevented-the-right-and-privileges-of-collective-bargaining-via-organizing-professionally." Richardville's targeted legislation is a frontal assault; summarily, arbitrarily, discriminating against a targeted set of professionals held to be political enemies of the TeaPublican coup. The coup attacks teachers in a spasm of meanspiritedness and unvarnished partisanship.

This anti-union action is the bottom of the loathsome profit-takers' chum bucket: just one of many attacks the TeaParty rabble has brought into the restored peoples' house, Michigan's historic Capitol. This is a dark and foreboding hour in those chambers.

Richard Studley and the tassel loafered lobbyists over at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce are in a state of heightened euphoria. This Richardville action fulfills one of their most coveted goals (SEE "Strategic Union Avoidance - How to Remain Union Free").
:

These malingering TeaPublicans, led by Richardville, are anathema to democracy, fair play, and local control. They are fringe dwellers who are in-fact out of control. They're totally out of step with the majority of the public-running wild in spasms of vituperative spiels and led about by the American Legislative Exchange Council (plug and play) control of the direction lawmaking in Michigan. Specific language is spooned fed to them by corporations, most based outside Michigan. A.L.E.C. members slip it into bill submission and press for its passage into law.

"Nerd" Snyder has, with the aid of over 90 past or present Michigan A.L.E.C. members, moved in a direction dictated by the top 1% of the nation's wealth holders, the mega-rich elites: Koch Bros, Walton Family, DeVos Family, Bradley Family, and a plethora of others - just as rich and influential-determined to profit/privatize at the expense of the middle class; of which TEACHERS are in integral and important part.

Richardville dutifully represents these vast monied interests with vigor. What about his local community? Those local teachers he has demeaned and attacked? How can Richardville claim to represent those who are his constituents?


Richardville Lays Out His Plan of Attack on OFF THE RECORD

HOST TIM SKUBICK TO RICHARDVILLE: Right to work?

RICHARDVILLE: Uh, not Right to Work. No, uh, I'm not a believer that that's going to transition the economy at this point. However, I will look at some other things, maybe a subset of that. If you pay dollars into a public school system, you send your kids there, you want to participate, I don't know that you necessarily need to be a part of a union in order to work or teach in the school district.

SKUBICK: So "Right to Work for Teachers".

RICHARDVILLE: I would call it the "Right to Teach" or "The Right to Participate" in the education system.

SKUBICK : Put that in a practical way. So that means that the MEA wouldn't get members or how would that work?

RICHARDVILLE: Well, they could still offer their membership but it, uh, it wouldn't be a forced membership. They would have to recruit and do their work off-campus.

DETROIT FREE PRESS REPORTER CHRIS CHRISTOFF: Why would single out schools for that? Public schools?

RICHARDVILLE: Well, because right now, the public schools are the one that are in dire straits and I believe that those unions and those workers that are out in the day-to-day, you know the teamsters, the engineers, the carpenters, the building trades, they've already had a significant effect from this economy. They're paying more for their health care, they have less hours, they're getting less pay.

They've had that effect directly.

What's happened in the public schools and, in some cases, the public government in general, is that that economic impact hasn't hit. And so we're making those adjustments for that reason.

SKUBICK: Is this an anti-MEA move?

RICHARDVILLE: No, no, not at all.

SKUBICK: An attempt to get even?

RICHARDVILLE: No, but we do have to "

SKUBICK: You're not trying to take on the MEA, right?

RICHARDVILLE: I don't think taking on any union has anything to do with what our agenda is.

SEE: 1. "Senate Majority Leader Richardville Takes Aim At MEA"

SEE 2. Off the Record, September 9, 2011.

The Off the Record transcript shows the shallow and uninformed mind-set of Richardville. His denial of the TeaPublican's obvious vindictive intent and obfuscation are affirmations of his own true motivation. He's a "tool" of forces so overwhelming, he cannot defend against their influence and survive.

Senator Richardville is a sell-out to the elites who are pulling down Michigan and also America. Cocksure of his devotion to corporate directed radical ideology, Sen. Richardville is profoundly wrong. Richardville will be well-remembered as an anti-education cutout lacking depth and dimension.

This dust-up; a spade of threatening, boorish, and angry anti-teacher legislation polluting the halls of lawmaking; and demeaning our premiere helping profession-those who are mentoring the young-rests with Richardville and his off-the-rails TeaPublican legislature.

Even though Rick Snyder may veto this Teacher/MEA/R2W legislation, if it's put on his desk, the damage done to these politicians will be long-lasting and with direct impact on the ability of these pols to retain or seek further office.

A Republican cannot go against the historic conservative tenets and time-honored standards of the GOP, local community, and the community's finest citizens and not suffer many serious repercussions of its own making.


Original.

Pavlov’s Folly: Proposed Privitzation of the Teaching Profession in Michigan

"Folly is a more dangerous enemy to the good than evil. One can protest against evil; it can be unmasked and, if need be, prevented by force... Against folly we have no defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it; reasoning is no use; facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved - indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be pushed aside as trivial exceptions."
-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Under Pavlov Teachers become Indentured Servants of the TeaPublican Rabble

Reports succinctly an informed Kos Michigan source in "The Wal-Mart of Education States: Michigan":

"Michigan's teachers are facing an uphill battle. Besides fighting off right to work legislation, tenure 'reform' and a host of other anti-teacher bills, there is a possibility that MICHIGAN MAY BECOME THE FIRST STATE TO LEGALLY HIRE/FIRE TEACHERS AND REPLACE THEM WITH PRIVATE EMPLOYEES.

"'I look at it as offering options. If there is something out there that can offer school officials the same options at a lower cost, schools need to take a look at that. It needs to part of the conversation on reform.' Senate Education Chair Phil Pavlov (R - St. Clair).

"Senate Bill 618 reported out of Senate Education Committee with a close vote, and was separated from the rest of the GOP 'reform' package.

"SB 618 was reported out of the Senate Education Committee this afternoon and now moves to the full Senate. SB 618 allows the outsourcing of teachers and removes the cap on charter schools.

"Committee members voted 3-2 on the bill and on a substitute amendment that broke the tie-bar between SB 618 and SB 624 which mandates schools of choice.

Advocates against 'schools of choice' rejoiced, but what does this mean for education in Michigan? Apparently Michigan's teachers are about the go the Wal-Mart way. Save Money. Live better. Seriously?"

Sen. Phil Pavlov may have his "moment" in regard to the pull down of the teaching profession, but his moment is limited. Pavlov too will be timed out.

Pavlov will go down as a bullheaded enemy of children, their mentors and instructors, a real destructive force -AN A.L.E.C.'TOOL'- that lowered our communities deeper into the muck of an unfolding and steep decline of a great state into a place called "Michissippi" -a state of broken social contracts and shattered achievements.

Only a gnarled ideologue would covet such a epigram: He did his best to kill the best in Michigan community.


Original.

Who Assigned Gentleman Joe (Haveman) TeaPublican Slop Jar Duty?

Getting Joe Haveman R-Holland to carry the TeaPublican slop jar is a real feat of denigration. Joe is a good guy; a congenial straight arrow. Now he's labeled himself as a kill-the-teachers-association-by-any means-possible meanie - The kind of kid who loves to be the heavy on the top in a brutal pig pile on the school yard.

Haveman is one of many ethnic Dutch-Hollanders-in the Holland area-who are the decedents of highly religious/ conservative immigrants to the area mid to late 19th Century. In earlier times when they were the broken English speaking common labor, they were for unions and for collective action. Over time, however that changed.

"How strong the opposition to union membership was in the Christian Reformed Church is evident from the fact that, despite the decision of 1916, synods of the Christian Reformed Church were forced to face the issue again and again until the relatively late date of 1954, when the matter was finally decided. Even at that late date, A SYNODICAL STUDY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED THAT SYNOD DECLARE MEMBERSHIP IN THE CIO-AFL SINFUL. But, as Swierenga relates in (his book) Dutch Chicago, "so many church members in Chicago, Patterson, Detroit, and other big cities belonged to these unions that the synod rejected the committee report"
(Robert P. Swierenga, Dutch Chicago: A History of the Hollanders in the Windy City, Eerdmans, 2002,pp. 644, 645)

It is well to remember that there is also this historic, signal labor incident to recall:

"The good beginning of the Christian Reformed Church regarding labor union membership was in Chicago, always a stronghold of the Christian Reformed Church. IN 1886, ALL THREE HUNDRED DUTCH REFORMED WORKERS AT THE PULLMAN WORKS IN ROSELAND CROSSED PICKET LINES TO HELP BREAK THE STRIKE"
(Robert P. Swierenga,  pp. 640, 641).
(emphasis added -  See related article)

Sympathy for the working man was replaced by the clannishness and stick together efforts that worked to the advantage of many of the Dutch who become middle class successes such as Haveman - a project manager for a large construction firm prior to election to the Michigan House of Representatives.

What was done today, September 15, 2011 by the passage of Haveman's bill to curtail the ability of the teachers professional association to have access to payroll deduction of association dues is but one of many recent and so-to come bills passed to "pig pile" on the Michigan Education Association in an attempt to quell their ability to participate in the right to regress of grievances and the privileges accorded them in the signing of legislation by Gov. George Romney, giving educators a fair and responsible voice in their profession, the terms of employment and professional improvement so necessary to a progressive and effective teaching cadre and excellence for students.

In carrying the unsavory slop jar for the Mackinac Center and other teacher haters such as Betsy DeVos, Haveman has lowered his image. Many of us were convinced that a man like Joe Haveman might be the re-visitation of the kind of statesman we once had in Western Michigan, a Paul Henry. Joe may repent. But having led the charge for the Out-of-State Corporatists owing A.L.E.C. Joe has sold his honor for the miserable job of slop jar duty.

The hope of the Kill-the-M.E.A. crowd is that teachers will be silenced and their influence will be diluted by any means legislated, to the point that they will have no voice in Michigan lawmaking and elections, thus be at the mercy of the TeaPublican marauders who are "sacking" the state of its ability to provide service and education for the children of our future.

A Teapartisan crowd of rowdies are using government to push highly partisan advantages: Their M.O. - take from others all they can.

The list to "take from" is extensive: Nurses, Firefighters, Local Police, Social Workers, the Poor, State Classified Workers, Michigan State Police, M-DOT personnel, the retired, Teachers and Public School Employees, and many, many more.

Original.

A.L.E.C. Tool: Randy Richardville announces the next kamikaze attack on public schools

The clearly partisan and aggressive leader of the TeaPublican super majority in the Michigan Senate indicated that he would selectively attack collective bargaining by singling out MEA for a spiteful revenge, the so-called Right-to-Teach design to obfuscate and hinder the teachers from their right to freely associate with one another in a professional association where working conditions, hours, instruction, personal privileges and etc. are negotiated in "good faith" with their local school boards.

TeaPublican Randy Richardville's proclamation was so blunt and out of step with the normal sense of decency and good order that the panelists on Tim Skubick's Off the Record were visibly taken aback and attempted to reason with Richardville.

When the panel attempted to aid Richardville into a more honest, civil concept of what is needed in this present manufactured school funding crisis, to which they openly alluded (it is Gov. Rick Snyder and the TeaPublicans themselves who cut funding, combined the K-12 with higher education to defraud the K-12 system of some $600 million in surplus), Richardville seemed unscathed, he is on a pre-programmed jihad and there is little or nothing short of recall that will stop his radical evisceration of Michigan's public school system.

Nothing.

Absolutely Nothing!

In this same timeframe, Michigan observer and pundit Jack Lessenberry wrote this piece in light of an ongoing and an unrelenting multi-million dollar anti-public education disinformation campaign by Betsy DeVos and the Richard McLellan led hectoring via the Mackinac Center.

Jack Lessenberry:

"Nobody, it seems is happy with public education in the state - how it is working or what it costs. Those trying to run school systems are bitter over continuing state budgets - at the same time they are being held to higher standards and being asked to do more.

"To them, the legislature seems almost in a 'punishment mode,' as one school official put it, seemingly more concerned with reducing teachers' pensions and benefits than in education itself.

"Some school officials honestly believe there is a conspiracy in the legislature to destroy public education and replace it with a system of charter schools and vouchers.

"Lawmakers, or at least the GOP majority, talk as if the schools are in trouble because their employees are still getting "Cadillac benefits" that they can no longer afford in the post-automotive age.

"And members of the public are baffled. "Wasn't Proposal A supposed to fix all this?" asked Janet, a middle-aged woman standing in line at a pizza carry-out in the Detroit suburb of Berkley.

"What happened?"

Richardville Dove Into the Deep Muck
Quick to hop on any opening, former Ann Arbor news hound, Tom Gantert seized on Richardville's targeted vengeance: Right-to-Work-for-Teachers-legislation - designed to further hamper the ability of teachers to act in concert with one another for the good of public education and the children they teach-is vindictive. There will be any number of other "pig pile" legislative bills heaped on public teachers by Richardville and his hate filled TeaPublican legislative Super Majority.

Gantert's report from Capitol Confidential, Mackinac Center's news tabloid stated:

"Richardville also said he didn't support right-to-work for the entire state, saying he didn't think it would "transition the economy."

"Amber McCann, Richardville's spokeswoman, said he was in favor of right-to-work for teachers because teachers unions haven't dealt with the financial problems districts are facing.

"Richardville said any plans to implement right-to-teach was not about taking on the MEA."

"'I don't think taking on any union has anything to do with what our agenda is,' Richardville said.

"Detroit Federation of Teachers President Keith Johnson called Richardville's comments 'another example of this relentless assault on public education and public educators and teachers' unions that is completely unwarranted.'

"Johnson said it was part of the GOP's strategy to privatize teachers and eliminate the teacher protections unions provide."

Among the comments posted to Gantert's piece "Senate Leader Supports Right to Work for Teachers" on Sept 9, 2011 is this insightful account:

"...(B)ased on my own experience as both a former union member and a former non-union administrator in public service, I strongly disagree with you. Many times I or other union members donated time and/or bent the contract rules because we/they knew the money wasn't there for overtime. Yet, since we/they lived in the community, and were consummate professionals who took pride in their profession, all knew things had to get done and in a timely fashion. As a matter of fact, we used to quip, "I bet you'd never see this in the private sector." Not to mention the active role in problem solving that we/they played that probably saved taxpayers ten of thousands."

Unaffected by schoolhouse reality, the Mackinac Center's Gantert projects and promotes the A.L.E.C./Mackinac Center line:

"Randy Richardville deserves credit for recognizing the damage that forced unionism has done to public schools."

Wholly directed and owned by the Mackinac Center (Heritage Foundation in Michigan) and the American Legislative Exchange Council, Betsy DeVos et. al., just a hapless small time sock puppet, Richardville has no choice.

No choice at all!

Original.

Déjà vu All Over Again

Great teachers pack up and go somewhere else for the duration of a noxious "silly season"-the era of "teacher bashing," obstructing, and de-funding of public education. It's a radical rightist, pro-profitization agenda that hangs over Michigan like a black cloud of doom.

Hopefully you'll be able to return at a later time, but it will be years before Michigan will be once again ideologically hospitable to "great public school teachers."

Posted earlier in "Great Teachers: Pack-up & Go":

"Great teachers are intelligent, they are caring, and they are insightful. They know that a state legislature such as the TeaPublican radical rabble now in control of Michigan's education funding and legislation (made brazen by a complete majority in all 4 branches of State government) is no friend of theirs. TeaPublicans are highly primed to do harm to public education armed, early on, by the Engler Revolution which seized and destroyed local school control and funding. Militantly marching onward, TeaPublicans have now shown they are bitter and implacable enemies of the mission and goals of a true mentor-teacher of children."

The reality is such that smart college graduates will find a professional life in a more cultured and less-antagonistic and anti-government locale, far away from the provincial taunts hurled in the hostile manner of these Know Nothings of Michigan.

The civic sins of our past are heavy now. The way out and back to what Snyder mocks as the previous "status quo," the healthy normal, is nowhere in sight.

Like Engler, Snyder proudly touts his snide attack on what he derides as the current "status quo"- the peaceful and productive civic order we all depend on.

Now the lesson. What is meant by an attack on the Status Quo? It is an effort to cause trouble, challenge the status quo, disturb the balance, make a stink, upset the apple cart. Further, it is A CONTRIVED EXCUSE TO DO HARM to vital parts of our civic structure and tradition, all for short-term political and ideological gain.

Are these the types of disruptive social attitudes we really need in Michigan at this very critical time? Whatever happened to consensus, co-operation and collaboration between the powers that be and those who teach our children.

Great teachers teach, but perhaps not near so many (will choose to teach) in Michigan, currently under such virulent disrespect and dishonor as displayed by the TeaPublicans now in power in Lansing.

Follow Up: On the program, Hardball, Chris Matthews asked former U.S. Secretary of Education Bill Bennett, a while back, the all important question. What should school teachers earn? BENNETT REPLIED GOOD TEACHERS SHOULD BE PAID $80-85,000.

Final Note: Excerpt from our Previous Posting (11/21/10) "Coming Michigan Teacher Shortages":

"It will not be long and Michigan will again be desperately seeking new teachers to fill jobs that were passed over by bright and cautious graduates who will take up their careers in other states more teacher friendly and more progressive than the retro-Michigan dominated by muckrakers at the Mackinac Center and those who back their political mud runs."

Meanwhile In Meltdown Michissippi
As the reams of news articles begin to come in, reflect on the terrible social and civic sins of this vengeful Governor and his subservient super-majority of wingnuts, the public will be rightfully repulsed and very angry; ready to back recall various efforts.

What a terrible mistake the TeaPublicans have made! They set out to kill public education to please vicious vixens Michelle Rhee and Betsy DeVos-hyper-critics and nascent profit-takers, intent on harvesting millions of dollars from the implosion of public schools-as we, the public, have loved and supported our cherished neighborhood schools for generations.

As Nietzsche warned: "Beware of those whose urge to punish is strong." The nation is beginning to see the deconstructive dirty work of DeVos/Rhee and understand it is top-loaded with "punishment."

Cry too for our communities that surround and depend on the wonderful public school for local economic and social survival.

Alas, it will be too late for an entire generation of school children, just now being thrown to these selfish wolves. Kids are being unpardonably neglected by those TeaPublican ideologues (led about like sheep by powerful national partisan and corporate forces, such as the Brothers Koch), Neo-antichrists, and tax-haters. The Snyder led TeaPublican Super-Majority have become A.L.E.C. cyborgs who would not, could not, collaborate and work cooperatively with educators to make Michigan whole and good again.

This outrage is unacceptable to informed citizens and local business leaders who care about hometowns and historic institutions in a genuinely conservative, Christian manner.


Original Post.

Great Teachers: Pack Up & Go, Snyder Hates You

Starting today the devastating, hate-inspired impact of harsh anti-teacher measures ramrodded through by TeaPublicans takes over.

Witness soon the growing, aggressive, and vengeful aftermath of the TeaPartisan fury and purge of teacher rights and privileges in Michigan-completed in a blitz/spade of Reprisal Lawmaking finalized on the last day of June 2011. Cringe as these negativist measures go into full effect. Watch helplessly as entire systems and achievements are destroyed.

There is all that talk about "reform" of education: John Engler was a big "revolutionary" who thought he knew how to reform education. Rick Snyder, the "always project positive" corporate educational hit man has done his snide share, as a result Snyder now makes John Engler, the former satan for public educators look like St. Francis-viewing the metrics of The 30th of June outcomes; lawmaking in deconstructive, vicious, and morale-destroying legislation, aimed directly at individual teachers, NOT their professional association-as is so often reported.

What will Snyder's hits on Michigan Public Education produce? Here is a prime example. The "best and the brightest" are always the mantra of Snyderesque reformers. The best and the brightest are smart enough and thorough enough to look at the long haul (career view), the real world impact of the devastation and damage Snyder has inflicted on the teaching profession in Michigan. They're packing their bags, Good-bye to Michigan. How so? Follow this news story:

WASHINGTON: Debbie Johnson got her teaching degree from Michigan State University (MSU), but recruiters persuaded the 23-year-old to start her career in Georgia, where the weather is warm, the cost of living is lower and the schools offer more resources, such as projectors and interactive wireless pads.

"I like technology," Johnson said. "There are a lot of [classroom] resources here I hadn't seen in Michigan. There's an amazing opportunity."

Michigan is one of 31 states facing a multimillion-dollar budget gap this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. That makes its teachers prime poaching targets of out-of-state recruiters from states such as Texas, Georgia, Nevada and Wyoming, where school-age populations are growing.

Even if teachers aren't yet being laid off, a tough economic climate is often enough to drive them away, said Kelly Herndon, director of recruitment and retention for Gwinnett County, Ga.

"I watch the markets," Herndon said. "I'll admit, if the economy is in bad shape or the state legislature isn't managing funds, I focus on those states."

In some states, teachers are being let go because of shrinking budgets and shrinking school populations, including Michigan, Florida and California, which is facing a projected $11.2 billion deficit in 2009.

-- Excerpted from: "Recruiters zero in on teachers in ailing states", Nathaniel Weixel, Stateline.org, The Seattle Times, 12/14/08

Original Post.

Hatred for Teachers: The Radical Right has created a defining Moment in Michigan; TeaPublicans have institutionalized HATE

Hatred of public school teachers has been a constant underlying theme of the organized, hateful ideologues for a very long time. It didn't start with Ronald Reagan's commitment to abolish the U.S. Department of Education (just established by Pres. Carter), but that sentiment and the "bold-but-brash" actions of Reagan in PATCO spiked the direction things would go from there on. Ginned up on the anti-unionism that is part of radicals' cherished "Freedom," this mindset is "Give us the freedom to do things that are off the scale of civic good, if that's what we demand."

Many of the "Republican" radicals and near anarchist Libertarians have sought to go the distance on outrageous legislated reprisals: e.g. Eradicate the public school teachers' unions and now, as under, Rick Snyder, abolish Detroit's public school system entirely. 

No place has seen as much bitterness and vituperation and anti-teacher unionism "gotcha" come into play than Michigan in the last 30 years. The poster boy for this raw reprisal and the bone-ugly has been John Mathias Engler, a rural farm boy from Beal City, who serves as the crude archetype of "in-your-face" legislation and bitter rhetoric. Engler is the prototype, mold, from which such curmudgeons and bullies as N.J.'s Chris Christie, mirroring Engler, have emerged.

Add in major monies: Amway's cash-flushed aggressive anti-teacher/union darling-Betsy DeVos, the community-busters: right-wing Think Tanks-- the Koch brothers CATO and sub-group Americans for Prosperity, and foundations of the Scaife, Olin, Bradley, Smith-Richardson, and Walton families--whose leaders have publicly indicated their desire to completely eradicate taxpayer-financed public education. And there are dozens more.

Add in religious groups against mainstream American beliefs: the zealot Christian Re Reconstructionist movement, James Dobson (who trumpeted long and loud: "Take your children out of public schools." Expand the list with wild-eyed radicals such as disgraced and criminally indicted extreme-right savant, Mark Siljander, the former Jerry Falwell, and a host of others who misuse the public's interest in religion for private political purposes revolved around personal power and control of wealth. Much of this movement had apartheid, a revival of the old segregationist academies of the Jim Crow South as its highest priority.

Add in the disinformation factories of Heartland Institute, the Heritage Foundation, Michigan's Mackinac Center, the Center for Free Enterprise, FOX News, Rush Limbaugh's daily rants, and many, many more and hate becomes the basis of published fact.

So now one party, the TeaPublicans of Michigan, has a strangle hold on all four (4) branches of state government. There has been unleashed a grand scheme contrived by radicals such as Grover Norquist and Newt Gingrich to use federalism, state power, as they envision it, to make massive blitzkrieg on legislative policy and governance at the state level and thereby circumvent and handicap the role of national and federal powers in areas where they are at odds. At the state level these burrowing ideologues can utilize their "new found" majorities to terrorize all "enemies" and are being ginned up to do so.

The moment to act on the hatred stoked-up against the role of teachers in their own affairs and the place of teacher influence in education policy-making has come to a volcanic episode of uncontrolled anti-public school legislation. These Know Nothings, whose revisionist efforts would set back the profession of teaching into the 19th Century, know full-well what they are attempting to do. There can be no reasoning with carnal rage as seen in recent committee and floor behavior.

They are attempting exterminating, purging the influence of teachers in every governmental realm they can conceive. As one watches the introduction of anti-teacher bills into the Lansing docket, it is clear that the anger and the vituperative and bitter intent of this out-of-control radical majority, a lockstep cabal of extremists, will continue unabated until the public becomes fully and clearly aware of the vast harm and danger their polices present to our families, our communities, and our children.

A FINAL WORD
Underlying all of this hatred and push to seize control of teacher's rights, compensation, working conditions, and to marginalize their influence is the real reason the Mackinac Center has spent millions to usher in this bitter and resentful moment. In many ways their deep angst and corruption is the source of all that ails the Michigan psyche.

Certain insurance elements invested in the MacCen are backing and infesting the secretive work of Mackinac Center. They are salivating over the prospect of fees and contracts for privatizing educators' insurance. They are the same tight group that wrestled the successful and lucrative Michigan Accident Fund away from the state early in the Engler Era. Multiple millions are there for MacCen competitors of MESSA to harvest and profit from, via the power and the thrust of the present anti-teacher environment headed-up currently and pushed behind the present Capitol scene by former REP. WAYNE KUIPERS, a cunning operative who has a double-edged axe to grind with teachers.

No longer in elective office, yet armed with a seething resentment, KUIPERS soldiers on for himself and for a nasty group of backroom men intent on profitization from Michigan's economic crisis-brought on in part by their own incompetence and inabilities to face the challenges presented business and state government in the 21st Century.

Original Post.

Dead End/Bad Trade Off: Profitazation or Abandonment of Detroit’s Public School Children

Specious envy surrounds the sacred role of a teacher at a low period when unjust criticisms are being hurled about, as they are so often now days.

The kinds of snide remarks popping up in this blog are typical of the anti-intellectualism which has haunted the country from long ago and consistently undercut its greatness. Much of the anti-public schools spiel has the dark undertow of Michigan's historic KKK.

With all the puffery about the public wanting only the "best and brightest" to enter teaching, and knowing the uncertainty and vicissitudes of the occupation; why would an extremely bright young person go into teaching? Especially, as teachers now know, that one major political party, Michigan's GOP, has dogged and derided the profession (coming from every level from the Reagan Presidency on down, over decades) with every sort of encumbrance, criticism, and financial or legislated penalty that could be devised or contrived. Literally they are attempting to undermine public schools to de-certify the teacher's unions; and convert public schooling to a profit making industry via charters and vouchers- a monstrous blunder tainted with educational apartheid.

People Love Their Public Schools, They Are the Heart and Soul of Many A Community Communities celebrate the sporting events, the homecomings, the high achievements of PS science clubs and other extra-curricular activities. They follow their graduates progress into all manner of successes and higher achievement. And, of course, many graduates become teachers themselves. So many so that, there are hundreds of applicants for a single opening in schools--when schools are hiring.

How proud a parent is to say or learn their daughter and/or son will take up teaching! 

How welcome a new teacher is at the mortgage department of the local bank or as a new member of a place of worship; or as so many eventually do, a teacher becomes an elected local official or civic board member. Kill that spirit at your own peril, you mumbling detractors!

After 20 years of fierce and unrelenting Republican and "Anti-Tax" Libertarian attacks, cuts, and trash talk, the public still loves the schools. They respect teachers world's better than the politicians and far-rightist pundits who perennially attack and purposefully undermine public schools as an institution. Who are these greedy and cynical hacks-whose feral skills are on the prowl to tear it down the PS?

So many people say, "I owe it all to my teacher." What a testament to teachers! Teachers are the true heart of historic social acculturation and the proud soul/mentors at the core of this venerated institution. Except for inner cities, some depressed rural areas or isolated small communities, the Michigan school facilities are much better than those I have closely observed in Virginia or any number of other states.

Across Michigan, we take pride in our local schools. We really do want our children to have the best opportunities possible. Until Engler, the one very fundamental axiom of classic Republican scripture was local school control, which in Michigan was taken from us, ripped away by rouge Republicans in a bold manner in 1993. Now we see and realize the danger and the error of that plot. State control of local school funding is undependable and subject to the nastiest of politics and very anti-student.

The sad thing in all of this is, Nolan Finley. Finley has had moments when he was an advocate, supporter, and even a collaborator with MEA and public education. An important fact considering his own immediate family members, his daughters are members of the teaching profession.

Albeit, Nolan works for newspaper tycoons who have a very aggressive and dangerous ideological attitude/slant against public education. Such an un-civic attitude doesn't build good will, it doesn't foster cooperation; it cuts to the heart of the promise of our nation--a free and excellent education--underwritten by the public at-large.

The long dismal decline of Detroit is a humiliating, humbling, and a sadly tragic blotch on the pride of all Michiganders. The city's public schools reflect the systemic decline and despair of its trapped population, rather than produce that state of affairs.

Now comes the lowest suggestion, depraved conclusion of one Nolan Finley, "DEMO" DETROIT'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS: "DPS can't be saved. It pushed beyond the tipping point years ago, and must be allowed to slide into oblivion."

Aggressive Profitazation of public schooling as a new "disaster" capitalist's scheme: Profit at the direct expense of Children and their mentors. Don't even dare to call it "good for kids."


Original Post.

Great Teachers: Pack-Up & Go

Great teachers pack up and go somewhere else for the coming "silly season"-the era of "teacher bashing" and de-funding of public education hangs over Michigan like a black cloud of doom.

Hopefully you'll be able to return at a later time, but it will be years before Michigan will be once again ideologically hospitable to "great public school teachers." 

Great teachers are intelligent, they are caring, and they are insightful. They know that a state legislature such as the TeaPublican rabble now in control of Michigan's education funding and legislation, made brazen by a complete anti-public schools majority in all 4 branches of State government is no friend of theirs. TeaPublicans are highly primed to do harm to public education armed, early on, by the Engler Revolution which seized and destroyed local school control and funding, they have now shown they are bitter and implacable enemies of the mission and goals of a true mentor and teacher of children.

The reality is such that smart college graduates will find a professional life in a more cultured and less-antagonistic and anti-government locale, far away from the provincial taunts hurled in the hostile manner of these Know Nothings of Michigan. 

The civic sins of our past are heavy now. The way out and back to what Snyder mocks as the pervious "status quo," our healthy normal, is nowhere in sight.

Like Engler, Snyder proudly touts his attack on what he derides as the current "status quo." 

Now the lesson: What is meant by an Attack on the Status Quo?: to cause trouble, challenge the status quo, disturb the balance, make a stink, upset the apple cart.

Are these the types of disruptive social attitudes we need in Michigan at this very critical time? Whatever happened to consensus, co-operation and collaboration between the powers that be and those who teach our children. 

Great teachers teach, but perhaps not near so many in Michigan, currently under such virulent disrespect and dishonor as displayed by the TeaPublicans now in power in Lansing.

Follow Up: On the program Hardball, a while back, Chris Matthews asked former U.S. Secretary of Education Bill Bennett, the all important question. What should school teachers earn? Bennett replied good teachers should be paid $80-85,000.


Original Post.

Reality is that no Cuts by Gov Rick Snyder Would Be Needed If ...

To pay for Snyder's radical, deliberate revenue shift, along with changes in Michigan's tax law that also reduced K-12 funding, Gov. Snyder's budget is proposing deep cuts in education.

Rick Snyder says that THIS WILL FORCE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT (cut supplies, and curtail all manner of instuction and programs) and lower their costs. School districts would get $300 less per student, on top of a $170 cut this year. (This us un-precidently radical, no other governor set out to do this not even Engler who found more money for education, not hundreds of millions less.

In particular, Snyder wants school boards to extract concessions from unions by getting employees to pay 20 percent of their health care premiums. The governor also asserts that schools can save through consolidation of services and improving purchasing practices. The budget cuts will also make it much more difficult for unions to negotiate pay raises.

Concessions with labor unions are unlikely to come easily. If unions balk, teacher layoffs will be imminent, leading to impacts such as larger class sizes (and statewide acrimony and unnecessary disruption of our children's vital education).

These remarks are interpolated from material presented by The Michigan Truth Squad, Project of the Center for Michigan, Governor Rick Snyder's Proposed Budget Analysis 2.24.11

Original Post.

A Political Marrigage from Hell: The Blonde and the Political Godfather

Response and commentary on series of articles on Michigan's being declined for "Ract to the Top" funding in the Oakland Press in "Fingers point over failure of Race to the Top application" which included comments from Republican Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and the MEA and and AP Story "Gov, Granholm ‘disappointed’ at Michigan being shut out in 'Race to the Top' education funds" on March 5, 2010.

A failed Governor and a gnarly power-grabber make one last attempt to achieve their legacy moment-Pin Blame on the State's Teachers.

Nothing short of desperation and the full realization that circumstances created by G.W. Bush's Great Job Killing Recession has forced the shotgun marriage of a marginalized governor (seeking a promising position in politics outside Michigan) and an old grumpy frump of a "public payroller," man with delusions of power and control over his fiefdom of Oakland County (replete with Brook's long history of "shot calling" as the GOP Godfather of Eastern Michigan) would have the power to produce this god-awful blames laying tag team: Brooks and Jenny.

Previously, here's how it was. " L. Brooks Patterson just wants to know: Is Gov. Jennifer Granholm trying to upstage him -- again?

"The 71-year-old Oakland County executive issued a press release Tuesday pointing out that, for the second year in a row, Granholm has scheduled her State of the State address on the same night of his State of the County speech." That highly annoyed Brooks. So what brings about this highly irregular, ugly marriage of pols?

THE GODFATHER’S SLAPDOWN: DEFEAT THE MICHIGAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION'S RIGHT TO DEFEND TRADITIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION
The teachers of Michigan, more exactly the Michigan Education Association, have so far succeeded in getting across the point to current "the powers that be" in Michigan and to the state legislature and also to the now-powerless, lame duck governor, that individuals, parents, local business people, and children are right to defend and protect the traditional public school in their community.

This is a desperate hour. The over-all long term decline of Michigan, first seen as a slight trickle in the earthen dam (Michigan's economic health) which held back the outsourcing and Chinese completion-a flood building behind it-expanded under John Engler indicated big trouble ahead. Engler ignored the distinct warning signs of that small fissure and now the dam is about to breech sweeping away what is left of Michigan's struggling economies.

THE BIG FIGHT: THE LOCAL ECONOMY VERSUS THE SELFISH INTRANSIGENCE OF BOTH  BISHOP AND DILLON
Agriculture now takes a high place as Michigan's economic engine. Tourism is far more than a pastime part of the state's income. The local economic engine in every community across this great state is the public school. Forget the wingnuttery of the past, ignore the meanness of the Engler Revolution and the selfish intransigence of the politically hopeful "pretty boys" Bishop and Dillon. We consistently gain from our investment and returns drawn from traditional public schools' operations and purpose. It's blind economic ignorance to claim otherwise.

Never forget: Traditional education moves the local economy and consumes local supplies, education provides stable and dependable jobs and generates local dollars of great importance to our state's survival,  while at the same time public school delivers the highest hopes we have for our children into a better tomorrow.   It's our present local economic engine and our entire future promise for children. MEA and parents, local businesses, and informed citizenry support this fact. Back in September 2009 the Associated Press survey of the state showed that Michigan supported INCREASED TAXES FOR EDUCATION BY A 2 TO 1 MARGIN.

The deceptive politics and the chicanery connected to Proposition A of 1994 took a big part of the local authority that is needed to sanely run those local neighborhood schools and shipped it on a ladle to a huckster-bound Lansing. In Lansing school operations funding became a shuttle cock for the peacocks of the legislature and a "goodie bag" for the lobby corps.

ENGLER MADE ANTI-PUBLIC SCHOOLS HARANGUES FASHIONABLE : ENGLERISM STUCK.
Under Engler, local control was sold off. Like that biblical birthright local control was traded for a cold bowl of insider pap. This fact and the spirit it spawned is attested to by long-time observer, Tim Skubick: "Beating up on the MEA is a popular in-door sport in this town (Lansing). It was former Gov. John Engler who made it fashionable and others have picked up where he left off." One of those carrying on is Patterson: (Patterson said last Friday. "Of course it (RTTT funding) went under because the MEA opposed it, and one of the things they look for in Washington is collaboration, and we didn't have it here in Michigan... I'm holding the MEA strictly responsible for the loss of that money.") Patterson is senile or well off-his game. "Collaboration?" When did Patterson call for across-the-aisle cooperation during the last round of state budget quarrels? Brook's sentiment and attitude as historically been in line with that of former GOP/U.S. Rep. Dick Armey, who once characterized bipartisanship as a form of "date rape."

Please note, as a commentator on this topic has reported elsewhere: "Those (possible RTTT) funds weren't going to cover the long term costs of the program. The state would have simply spent all the money it got, and then be left funding yet another program.

"Brooks Patterson has addressed this many times, and that's why Oakland County won't fund programs once federal money runs dry. It's hit and run federal spending. They entice states to start programs by giving a large sum of money to get it started.

"Once that money is spent, where does the funding to keep these programs come from? This idea of spending money in order to receive partial funding from D.C. is a joke. It isn't just education either. The light rail system wreaks (sic) of this sort of thing. Wait until fed money runs out on that project."

COMMUNITIES WERE ROBBED OF THEIR RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION
Communities, which would like to have the right to straight-line vote up or down on local operating millage to support and operate the traditional, historical schools in their jurisdiction, as they had for generations, possessed the privilege to decide, by voting, the future of their own schools. Now they stand like mendicants/ beggars, relegated to await the crumbs passed on to them by the panic-laced poppycockery of  Lansing's stupid "political dog and pony show"-late night sessions and shutdowns of the state government- (fueled by a ill-begotten restraint on democracy-term limits-which has stupefied and undermined our state's entire political system).

THE EDUCATION COMMUNITY'S SUCCESS IN RAISING SUPPORT IN DEFENSE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION HAS ANGERED THIS ODD COUPLE: BROOKS & JENNY
All this brings us to this moment. The MEA and other education groups have successfully kept the role and importance of traditional education before the people. This obviously has infuriated both Granholm and Brooks Patterson. In reprisal they are willing to come together in an arrangement that defies logic and all recent political standard practice-support of a new Democratic education program. Brooks would never normally commit support, much less advocate and champion, any Democratic device such as the so-called "Race-to-the-Top." RTTT is sponsored and created by Obama's Chicagoman, Erne Duncan. No right-minded Democratic governor would team up with the fire-breathing, super-partisan Patterson, knowing his cunning and ferocity in such MEA sentiments. Brooks is hopelessly addicted to spinning off political shenanigans and puffery-as he has for so long.

SO WHAT GIVES?

Both Brooks and Jenny are desperately needy. Thus all former partisan limitations or regard for former appearances or for either party's devices are canceled. If they can successfully project to the public that not they or theirs have created this funding crisis or hold any responsibility for it, they will succeed in protecting their own self-centered/fleeting ambitions, and those of that failed Lansing ring of duds.

THE "RACE TO THE TOP" IS A FRAUD & A MAJOR FEDERAL POWER GRAB
These two very different, very desperate individuals have married themselves into a relationship to attack one of the most important elements of local economy and an essential function in order to save some part of their own selfish interests. Jenny and Brooks are doing so in light of one of the greatest swindle/schemes of recent political history, the "Race-to-the-Top" lottery device. This Obama sponsored government program has coerced Michigan and other states into making major concessions and surrendering considerable state and local authority/powers of control to the federal government. What a queer arrangement!

There is no certainty in the "vague promise" of any real or "bail-out" cash. All these federally imposed demands (to which a harried Michigan legislature capitulated, which this highly panicked state legislature has rolled over for) are nothing other than a revenue "long shot" -indefinite, dangerous, and administratively garbled paperwork and red tape. As one common sense commenter has said, "Call it sabotage if you want, but I call it safe. It only makes sense to sign on to something if you know what it's going to be."

RTTT is an expensive gamble, hoping against hope. IT'S A PIDDLEY "FEDERAL BRIBE," ladled out arbitrarily as a "possible" source of funds in this time of the state's cash shortfall.

The budget imbroglio is a situation that was created and is already compounded and aggravated by Brooks Patterson's gang of fellow boneheads determined to prevent any new revenue sources.

Brooks will continue to "service starve" the state's richest county into compliance with his narrow idea of economic sanity, while having funded million dollar helicopters and doodads for his buddy Sheriff Bouchard.

So Brooks and Jenny: Do your voodoo dance over MEA's resistance to your political wills and watch your chances for self-aggrandizement and political prospects disappear.


Original Articles in the Oakland Press and AP.

Defense of Michigans Teacher Tenure Act

Response to "End K-12 Teacher Tenure" by the Detroit / Mackinac News on November 23. 2009.  

Listed Source: Tom Watkins, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2001-05, and Mackinac Center for Public Policy.


How many pubic school teachers would the Detroit News have Michigan school boards fire if the Tenure Act were removed?

Coincidental with the sharp, unfounded criticisms the News has directed toward the right of Michigan's public school teachers to have tenure ("End K-12 Teacher Tenure", Detroit News, Nov. 23, 2009) has been the introduction of State Sen. Patricia Birkholz's bill to alter or strip the Act of protective provisions for teaching professionals. The anti-tenure argument always runs with the mantra, "tenure shields incompetence." In times when things are economically very difficult such legislation arises on a predicable and regular basis. Obviously one way to save money is to remove teachers, especially those most experienced and highest paid. This attack is always framed as some form of "reform."

The News and Sen. Birkholz mistakenly believe that such sweeping action is necessary to "get rid of" certain under-performing teachers. How short sighted and punitive!

Repeal of the Tenure Act or undertake a radical stripping of its provisions that will affect all teachers.
Good teachers will suffer-the high performing and stellar mentors as well as those targeted by the News and perennial public school critics. Consider the times, there are those rancorous individuals, whom some have called "busybodies," who have any number of private complaints and religious agendas with which they regularly besiege the local school board meetings.

Just who advised Patricia Birkholz, herself a former public schools employee, to take such action at this time? How many fine teachers will be made vulnerable by her drastic action and will be subsequently exposed to a field day of capricious accusations and charges-which many ultimately lead to administrative harassment, burn-out or out right dismissal? No one can predict. What is completely predictable was the legislature attacking organized teachers utilizing the budget crisis as a cover or excuse.

In the current tense and highly negative atmosphere surrounding the state's historic budget crunch, this kind of "claw back" and "push back" against the Michigan Education Association for its ardent and vigorous defense and support of excellence in education for our children is both deplorably predictable and a repeat of earlier attacks under the malicious John M. Engler.

Suggesting a radical change in tenure is always used as a "shot-over-the-bow" indicating the legislature is resentful and wearied by MEA's skills, logic, and success in conducting legislative negotiations which support and sustain the local communities, school districts, and our children--so much impacted by the draconian cuts which the national economy has dealt the state's finances. In the recent past, such notables as former House Speaker Paul Hillegonds and previous governor Engler had used this tactic to intimidate the MEA.

Surely the Detroit News, the Mackinac Center, or Sen. Birkholz herself have some solid, substantive and well-documented study or report which gives an indication of the actual number or a percentage of teachers thought by them to be replaceable or unproductive. Or is this push just another attempt to settle a long standing political score with MEA?

How many teacher's political or religious beliefs will form the basis of trumped-up charges under Birkholz's stripped Tenure Act? Exposed without statewide, objective protections under the Tenure Act, a provision which has a governance board, procedures for dismissal, and an appeal mechanism, what specific lifestyles and voice in public affairs will be permitted for continuing teachers without reprisals?

There are editorial arguments, which have cropped up over the years and in the past several weeks, which ride on certain conditions such as under FTA in Detroit schools (where existing abuses are possible under due to iron-clad provisions of the Federation's contract with Detroit schools) or some other carefully chosen cases.

It is useful to anti-tenure forces to focus on the extreme or exceptional cases decided in favor of the teacher, often rest on technical merits. The press has honed certain of the more bizarre of these cases to support their editorial anti-tenure positions. These "showcase" legal incidents, that are inflammatory in character, do arise and cause the general public to misunderstand or distrust the tenure procedures-given the known facts found at the level of a publicly printed, sensationalized or purposefully slanted press news story.

Recent polling of administrators shows that they have a high level of discomfort with the tenure process, kinds of evidential documentation, and the procedures they must follow to "prove the case" for dismissal or discipline of a tenured teacher. However hard it is, in some cases, to discipline or fire a teacher that you yourself may have hired, it must be done if proper cause is there.

Dismissing a Teacher is Necessarily Serious Business
Good administrators must do their jobs well and effectively when dealing with teachers who merit dismissal or demerits. That is part of their work and responsibility. When carried out within the current law, incompetence and malfeasance are dealt with in an effective, fair, and appropriate manner. When administrators attempt dismissals or discipline on insubstantial, flawed evidence and/or procedure, the outcomes reflect that deficiency.

Teachers, themselves, neither hire or fire, that is the sole realm of administration, pleasant or unpleasant, in terms of public scrutiny and press coverage, as their work may be.

Iris Salters, president of the MEA has been quoted as being very clear on the topic of criminal, unworthy or under-productive teachers. This week Salters is quoted as saying: "Let me make one thing completely clear, MEA does not have any interest in protecting bad teachers."

MEA is responsible for seeing to it that teacher rights are observed and upheld under the law (representation). When administration fails to do the proper job of dismissal or discipline, or when the filed complaints are false or inflated, the association does help with the defense of the teacher-if the teacher merits and asks for such assistance.

The persistent anti-public school teacher stance of the Detroit News (in and of itself) does not justify calling for the summative elimination of professional tenure for all of Michigan's well-over 110,000 teachers. This get tough attitude is all too characteristic of the "right of right" reactionaries who have come to occupy the Michigan Republican Party for too long. Some of these ideologues don't want the public, neighborhood schools to survive and will use every tool in their tool box to work toward that end.

Other elements are at work also in undermining the security of tenured public school teachers. In their galaxies wholesale dismissals would be a great way to reduce costs. The News, in joining in their hue-and-cry, has allowed itself to become a useful tool in this thinly veiled attempt to break the teacher associations.

Break the teacher unions!
Now there is a goal long sought by certain business interests. But for now they will content themselves with hyping Birkholz's changes in the Tenure law as a method to streamline dismissal of "deadwood."

Teachers are so numerous. They are found in every community large or small. Some fall short of professional standards, but what profession can you think of that doesn't have its persistent minority of under-productive? Almost everyone has heard of a dentist or attorney that others have strongly recommended we should avoid seeking their services.

Why is it so hard for critics to accept the teacher's right to associate with other teachers in a professional organization?

It is ludicrous to believe that teachers, to be credible, have to stand by themselves, alone.

We don't expect that of doctors, attorneys, Realtors or Chamber of Commerce members. Albeit, opposition to teacher associations continues to be a contentious bone to chew, the idea being that teachers, when they band together, are a great threat to society.

Turn on teachers and teacher tenure and then watch the "best and the brightest" lose all interest in a teaching career!


Original Post.

Raw Revenge Raises Its Ugly Head

Response to series of articles and Op-Eds (mostly in the Detroit / Heritage / Mackinac News) railing against teachers and public schools, and Nolan Finley piece on December 4, 2009.

Growing up deep in the rugged hollows of Cumberland Co. Kentucky, Nolan Finley is very familiar with the real menace of a chicken-killing cur.

This present unvarnished, red-meat edict/opinion of the Detroit News is likewise on a total blood letting tear. What can be done with a chicken killing dog?

The not-so-thick gloves are off. The News and the Mackinac Center are now emblazoned  to go in for the "kill." It's bone ugly. It's totally counter intuitive. It's pure naked reprisal with a "to-hell-with-MEA" angst that has been building violently for a very long time on the pages of this newspaper.

Engler's Part in Monumental Shortfalls
There is a national financial crisis, there is a major crisis in Michigan. The shortfall was created in part by John Engler whose $4 billion plus cuts in state revenues took effect just as he was leaving office, and on top of that Engler left Gov. Granholm and the state over a billion in debt.

Political Slap-downs
However, the current legislature has instituted moves against the MEA which have far less to do with economic specifics than they do with aggressive opportunistic take-backs from teachers, turning the clock back to the late 1950's.

Hardened foes are exacting a long-sought slap-down of the ability of the Association to protect and defend the entire education community:  students, teachers, associated staff, and, yes, even the interests of principals, superintendents, school board members, associated businesses, and not least of all parents. No entity works for the public schools better legislatively or more effectively than MEA.

The Detroit News No Longer Attempts or Pretends to Be Civil or Polite
The News has become hectoring, overbearing and demanding. There's bitter tinge on the New's hamfisted edict, made loudly and without apology, the legislature must repeal a Republican governor's (George Romney) signature on the educators' right-to-bargain legislation-passed in back in 1965. If revision can be accomplished, it would literally move Michigan to the end of the line educationally-in a country with many low-achieving states far less accomplished and educationally advanced than Michigan, prior to now.

Fascistic Moves
The News' demand reflects a menacing, emerging Fascistic philosophy, partially hidden, yet so pervasive in the catacombs of the News, albeit seldom seen, but now revealed in all its bare tarbelly ugly for all to see in this moment.

Power-seeking, Greed and Control,  Have Bust Out Into the Light of Day
It's very simple:  When the demands of business and commerce must always trump, rule over, all other aspects of governance there is a fundamental democratic problem.

Look what happened in the State House yesterday. Tourism lobbyists vigorously blocked the very "reform" legislation that the News supports (even aligning themselves with the dread MEA momentarily)  for one specific self-interest purpose. It was not the good of education the tourism industry were angling for.  They fought to protect one more weekend for their business opportunities-delaying school openings until after the Labor Day Weekend.  Forget the educational impact such a “business move” would have.   Mind you, these are the “very same” individuals and groups that are fomenting  their specific “education reforms” they say will “improve”  Michigan education.  Most of their reforms involve taxes or labor law thus providing  a direct economic benefit for the “reformers” without tangible pro-active quality improvements for students or public education.

Government and business interests when they become as "one," totally united in goals and operations, encompassing even aggressive privatization of all public services, point to a condition where we have the basis for Fascism, or what we may call "friendly Fascism."

When it comes down to powerful business and corporate interests, which demand and receive full control over the institutions and governance of the state and communities (in full partnership with the legislature and the government), we find ourselves marched meekly into the dark night of a treacherous new era. Blind to history, we parade naively, ensnaring ourselves in divisive cultural war and calamity.

Outrageous Demands
There can be no good outcome in succumbing to the ill-driven powers behind the demands of the Detroit News and its radical right cabal demanding: Strip the teachers of their status, their salaries, their benefits, legislated security, and their voice in school affairs. After all we learn, everything educational belongs only to the all-powerful business/state government Lansing combine. Force the teachers take whatever "we" (the business/government cabal) decide to ladle out, without recourse.

Snarls the cur: Just shut up and teach.


Original Post.

Legislature should ensure school districts allow taxpayers to sit in on labor negotiations & many other government functions too

Response to Detroit News Editorial "Legislature should ensure school districts allow taxpayers to sit in on labor negotiations" on November 23, 2009.

Intro of Detroit News Editorial:

"This fall, Michigan school districts are negotiating with teacher unions, trying to stave off budget deficits and even bankruptcies. Taxpayers should have a right to know what these talks include so they can make their wishes clear to school board members."

End of Editorial:

"Since the negotiations involve taxpayer money, they should be transparent. State lawmakers should amend the law to make sure taxpayers have an open window on contract talks between school districts and teachers."

-------

WHAT A GREAT IDEA !

Open teacher/school employee negotiations to the public in a local school district. That kind of transparency is totally worthy and sensible, or so the Detroit News Editorial staff professes.

I'll take the taxpayer's interest and their right to see exactly what is going on one tiny step further.

Let's open the caucus rooms of both political parties in both the state House and the Senate to the taxpaying public-no holds barred. In the spirit of total transparency let the taxpayers have "an open window" on how our legislation and lawmaking are really hatched here in Michigan. Don't forget to include any discussions between a lawmaker and their staff and/or aides, or other specialists in departments such as the Michigan Treasury.

And just for good measure, let's have the right to see and hear all the discussions and contacts between lobbyists and legislators-so that we can determine exactly whose interest is actually being served by the outcomes of these contacts and meetings.

And hey, that isn't going to be good enough; Let's enact legislation so the taxpayers have direct access behind the scenes-a "window" over at the Michigan Supreme Court, wouldn't that be a hoot!

Hell will become Hawaii before these things occur.

This Finley inspired editorial is just another in a long string of ill-will, obfuscations and sandbagging-proposed and promoted by a stoneheaded paper with a business-interest-only dogma spiked with aggressive intentions-to further take down, not only teachers and their professional organizations, but the entire public school system.

On the other hand readers, don't forget that the co-op that operates the combined Free Press/the Detroit News has a wretched record concerning staff and skilled trades negotiations with their in-house unions. Wouldn't we have liked to see what those long, protracted and bitter negotiations were like with C-Span style coverage-open public access to that bargaining table.

Wait a moment, those bargaining sessions are closed to the public because the paper management group is a "private" corporation.

Just because schools are run with contributions from citizens in a district and on their behalf does not mean that every business function of that district has to be exposed, without reserve, privacy and/or full confidence in its duly elected representatives-to operate with integrity in closed "work sessions" just as a township, a city council, or the state legislature conduct their closed meetings.

Imagine having to poll a "teabagger" audience to get a final mutually agreed decision pertaining to a contract.

Absurdity in the extreme.

Original Post.

The only place a teacher gets a fair shake in the Detroit News is on its obituary page

Response to Nolan Finley in "Teacher perks bleed budget Dry" in the Detroit News first published on October 7, 2009. 

DetNews reader BruceSimpson asks: What is the status of an educator in the Republican Party?

The Republican Party is one of only two major political organizations that are said to represent the public in legislative endeavors. If you are not part of one of these two parties you are totally out of the loop. For example, it has been particularly precious to give a big compliment to Gov. Mitt Romney and/or Scott Romney every time they are about the area.

Say I, "I'd like to thank you again on behalf of your father, George, for singing into law the provision in 1965 that gave teachers the right to bargain." 

Of course this causes consternation and a flummoxed look on their faces, because they don't want to admit to that signal event and certainly don't support what "professional bargaining" has accomplished.

George's boys have allowed themselves to be caught up in the anti-tax, starve government, wingnut mood created by treacherous ideologies that have invaded the historic Republican Party. A party which has always, heretofore, been a party of support for public education, the nation's historic institutions, and worked for the common good, albeit in a decidedly conservative vein.

The current crowd of GOP'ers in Lansing are like burrowing termites. Below the painted surface of the beautiful capitol edifice they are chewing to dust the very institutions and governmental structure that sustains and supports our forward progress. Scarce noticed until the entire state topples in a cloud of sawdust.

How do I know this? What is the perspective of a Republican educator?

I have faithfully and personally witnessed hundreds of hours of the school funding legislative struggle since July of 1993: 1.) Stabenow/Engler. That event removed all school operating funding then and led to Prop A. 2.) The infamous state showdown/shut down of September 30, 2007, and 3.) The wacky fiasco of Wednesday into early morning Thursday, 2009.


I know many of the players. I've observed the games and parliamentary stunts.

When are we going to see a legislature that doesn't "play house" with state budgets and school funding--now that Republicans have (since Proprosal A) taken over school operating funding and destroyed their once venerated and sacrosanct demand for maintaining local control?

For years I have personally read and taken notice of the stream of venom which has perpetually issued forth from the Detroit News toward teachers and their professional association e.g. (Teachers derail budget, Online Editorial, Detroit News, 10.1.09).

So I am not surprised that the habitual harangues which have been the staple of the News should project themselves unto the state's teachers--who have so valiantly protected the quality education of the children of this state and championed the neighborhood schools (so shabbily treated by such perpetual nabobs as the News and its wicked twin sister the Englerite/Dow Mackinac Center).

The only place a teacher gets a fair shake in the Detroit News is on its obit pages. An educator must literally die in order to get positive treatment way back in the pages of the News.

When one considers the burdens that are borne by heroic teachers and the ubiquitous silence of the News toward the Federation (based primarily in struggling urban Detroit, but seldom the target of political mudslinging by the News), it becomes clear that the editorial stance of the News continues to be anti-teacher and anti-autoworker, and anti-anyone courageous enough to stand up to the froth of a tone deaf and greedy core of Mackinac Center-hobnailed Republicans. They are advocates of so-called Right-to-Work initiatives. It was and is the goal of this cadre to bring down the MEA, and if they hurt kids or destroy entire systems such as Grand Rapids in the process, who cares?

So it is a treat to see, in this round, responsive and responsible Republicans who are willing to risk the wrath of the "no new taxes" covenant makers and do whatever it takes to assure that we put kids first.

Think about it. It is senseless to take an oath to uphold the state constitution and at the same time make a pledge, in a cast iron way, not to raise new taxes. Just so, it would be insane and senseless to pledge to some other pressure group that as a legislator one would never allocate or approve expending any new or future revenue. The constitutional duty of the legislature is to levy taxes and to disperse such funds as are needed to carry out the needs, mission, and the duties of state government.

Note too, the News has sat on its hands as the Big Three have folded under the negative and arcane cloak of apologetics from an elitist Richard D. McLellan or a David Littmann--just when skilled workers have been ejected from their jobs and vital research and development have been transshipped overseas.

Littmann makes himself more than abundantly clear as to where he and the Big Bucks Mackers come from: "The single most important element in reform " long-lasting, durable economic and financial reform " for this state, so that we can become a magnet for attraction of business and jobs " is to make it a right-to-work (state)," says Littmann in an online Mackinac Center interview "A free-to-choose labor state. Without that, there's no reason to be in Michigan. Absolutely no comparative advantages."

Michigan can not simplistically continue to "cut" its way to economic and manufacturing success. There must be a positive vision and freedom to plan and spend to make success, in the place of failure, possible. That's what we expect from the legislature and the governor. It's Michigan's pro-active total "culture" that will attract and keep new start-ups and key to "culture" is education.

It will be clear, someday quite soon, that the teachers' association and the neighborhood public schools are more essential, vital and enduring in Michigan's communities than an empty and rusting News dispenser--witnessing as we are the creeping death of a once mighty Detroit News whose goals and values are not ours as ordinary citizens and do not advance Michigan's necessary rebound and recovery.

Those education dollars spent on the public schools are the absolute vital heart of the essential economies of so many of our towns and cities in Michigan, their turnover keeps economies healthy and going. MESSA insurance payouts support and aid hospitals to underwrite the un-insured and the under-insured, who, by federal law, are receiving emergency room treatment paid, in part, by such insureds as teachers and school employees.

All this transpires without nary a peep from the New's chattering nabobs--whose gilded ideological cage continues to be lined on its bottom with the molding editorial pages of past News negativist frippery.

The News's own economic future? Likely we will have to do without its cynical opines as its readership continues to drop.

Original Article.