BETSY DEVOS, OUR EDUCATION SECRETARY, WAS RECENTLY
TESTIFYING IN FRONT OF CARD ñ IN FRONT OF CONGRESS ON A NUMBER OF
THINGS, AND A CONGRESSWOMAN BY THE NAME OF CATHERINE CARD FROM
MASSACHUSETTS, ñ CATHERINE CLARK, FROM MASSACHUSETTS,
WANTED TO ASK HER SPECIFICALLY ABOUT PUBLIC MONEY,
TAXPAYER MONEY, GOING TO SCHOOLS THAT OPENLY DISSEMINATE
AGAINST LGBT STUDENTS.
NOW, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, DEVOS DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO ANSWER THE
QUESTION, AND THEN MADE IT PRETTY CLEAR THAT MAYBE
IT'S NOT SUCH A BAD IDEA TO GIVE FEDERAL MONEY TO THESE SCHOOLS.
TAKE IT AWAY, LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
YOU ARE THE BACKSTOP FOR STUDENTS AND THEIR RIGHT TO
ACCESS QUALITY EDUCATION.
WOULD YOU, IN THIS CASE, SAY WE ARE GOING TO OVERRULE, AND
YOU CANNOT DISCRIMINATE, WHETHER IT BE ON SEXUAL
ORIENTATION, RACE, SPECIAL NEEDS, IN OUR VOUCHER PROGRAMS.
WILL THAT BE A GUARANTEE FROM YOU FOR OUR STUDENTS?
FOR STATES WHO HAVE PROGRAMS THAT ALLOW FOR PARENTS TO
MAKE CHOICES, THEY SET UP THE RULES AROUND THAT.
SO THAT'S A NO.
DO YOU SEE ANY CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE THE FEDERAL
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, WOULD SAY
THAT A SCHOOL IS NOT QUALIFIED?
WHAT IF THEY SAID, WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING AFRICAN-AMERICAN
STUDENTS?
BUT THAT WAS OKAY WITH THE STATE.
YOU SEE ANY SITUATION WHERE YOU WOULD STEP IN?
WELL, AGAIN, I THINK THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, AND OUR
TITLE IX PROTECTIONS ARE BROADLY APPLICABLE ACROSS THE BOARD.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO PARENTS MAKING CHOICES ON BEHALF OF
THEIR STUDENTS ñ
THIS ISN'T ABOUT PARENTS MAKING CHOICES, THIS IS ABOUT USE
OF FEDERAL DOLLARS.
I LOVE THAT LINE OF QUESTIONING, AND I LOVE HOW OBVIOUS BETSY
DEVOS IS, IN REGARD TO NOT PULLING FUNDING AWAY FROM
THESE PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
LET'S JUST COME IN FOR ONE SECOND, SEPARATE THE LGBT
COMPONENT OF THE STORY, AND FOCUS ON THIS IDEA THAT WE WOULD
BE FUNNELING TAXPAYER MONEY TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
MUCH LIKE HOW WE DO WITH PRIVATE PRISONS.
IF YOU WANT TO RUN A PRIVATE BUSINESS, WHETHER IT'S A
SCHOOL OR A PRISON, GUESS WHAT?
YOU SHOULD RUN IT PRIVATELY AND WITHOUT TAXPAYER MONEY
BEING FUNNELED INTO IT, RIGHT?
AND WHAT BETSY DEVOS WANTS TO DO IS TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM OUR
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH ARE ALREADY SEVERELY
UNDERFUNDED, AND PUT IT INTO THESE PRIVATE SCHOOLS,
WHICH IN MANY CASES ARE FOCUSED ON RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS, DO
NOT LIKE TO TEACH ABOUT THINGS REGARDING SCIENCE, YOU
KNOW, THINGS LIKE EVOLUTION OR CLIMATE CHANGE.
BETSY DEVOS LOVES ALL OF THAT.
THAT IS THE STUFF THAT SHE WAS PUSHING FOR IN MICHIGAN,
AND TO SOME EXTENT SHE EXCEEDED IN IT.
SO EVEN IF WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT DISSEMINATION, OR SOME OF
ñ DISCRIMINATION, OR SOME OF THE BIGGEST THING HAPPENED IN THESE
PRIVATE SCHOOLS, IT IS RIDICULOUS FOR PUBLIC
EDUCATION MONEY TO GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
ESPECIALLY WHEN ALL THESE PUBLIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS ARE
UNDERPERFORMING BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE PREP ñ THEY DON'T
HAVE THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN PROPERLY.
I'M GOING TO LET YOU GUYS TAKE IT AWAY WHILE I COOL OFF A
LITTLE BIT.
YEAH, GOODNESS.
THEY WOULD PROBABLY SAY SOMETHING LIKE, WELL IF IT'S A
VOUCHER IT'S MY TAX MONEY, AND I DON'T WANT TO GIVE MY TAX MONEY
INCOME I WANT TO INSTEAD PUT IT IN A PRIVATE SCHOOL.
THAT IS ONE VERSION OF IT, AND THAT DOES NOT APPLY TO
EVERY ASPECT IN WHICH MONEY WOULD BE GIVEN TO A PRIVATE
SCHOOL, BUT THAT'S ONE THING THEY WOULD SITE.
I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU, BUT LET ME PLEASE RESPOND TO
THAT IN A SECOND.
I LOVE THIS INTEREST THAT SOME PARENTS HAVE IN SENDING
THEIR KIDS TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND GUESS WHAT?
YOU THINK THAT THOSE VOTERS ARE GOING TO EXIST ONCE REPUBLICANS
HAVE THEIR WAY AND A PRIVATIZED GRADESCHOOL EDUCATION?
DON'T EVEN WANT TO GIVE YOU HEALTHCARE.
THEY DON'T EVEN WANT TO PROVIDE FOR YOU IF YOU ARE
UNDERPRIVILEGED, IF YOU ARE PREGNANT AND YOU NEED
MATERNAL CARE.
THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU THAT.
YOU THINK THEY ARE GOING TO GIVE YOU POWDERS IF WE PRIVATIZE
EDUCATION ALL AROUND IN THIS COUNTRY?
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU VOUCHERS.
LOOK, I GET IT, I GET THAT PEOPLE ARE SCARED BECAUSE A
LOT OF THESE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE UNDERPERFORMING RIGHT NOW,
BUT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY ARE UNDERPERFORMING: IT IS
BECAUSE THEY ARE TAKING YOUR TAXPAYER MONEY, AND THEY
ARE FUNNELING IT INTO THESE PRIVATE SCHOOLS, WHICH, BY
THE WAY, DO NOT HAVE TO ABIDE BY CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL
STANDARDS THAT I THINK ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
LIKE SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS, FOR INSTANCE, BUT NONETHELESS,
CONTINUE.
ANY KIND OF PERFORMATIVE ORIENTED STANDARDS, AND
THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED ABOUT.
IT IS GREAT WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, DEVOS, WHICH IS, SET UP A
BUNCH OF SCHOOLS THAT YOU CAN ALLOW MONEY TO GO TO, WHERE
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW, AND THOSE SCHOOLS CAN THRIVE AND
DO WELL, AND YOU ALSO MAKE SURE THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY HOLDING
THOSE SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABLE WITH WHAT THEY DO WITH THEIR MONEY.
SO, THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING IS TO SAY, LET'S SAY NOT EVEN
ACADEMICALLY, BUT, WOULD YOU EVER SAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO
GIVE MONEY TO SCHOOLS THAT REFUSED TO TEACH WHAT WE THINK
WOULD BE LIKE UNIVERSAL AMERICAN VALUES?
THINGS LIKE EQUAL RIGHTS.
AND RATHER GIVE IT TO A SCHOOL THAT IS WHAT TO TELL YOU
THAT GAY PEOPLE ARE WRONG.
AND THAT'S WHERE I WILL JUMP IN, BECAUSE I THINK ANA, YOU KNOW A
LOT ABOUT HOW FUN ñ ABOUT HOW VOUCHERS ARE BEING PURCHASED
AND TAKEN AWAY FROM EDUCATION, AND THAT'S YOU CAN SPEAK TO.
WHAT I CAN SPEAK TO IS BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AS A
MEMBER OF THE LGBT Q COMMUNITY, AND THIS STORY MADE ME FEEL SO
DISHEARTENED FOR THE LGBT YOUTH COMING UP IN THIS
ADMINISTRATION, BECAUSE I KNOW HOW IT FEELS WHEN YOU FEEL
LIKE NO ONE IS ON YOUR SIDE.
AND JUST TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE DISCRIMINATED
AGAINST BECAUSE OF KIDS AT YOUR SCHOOL, YOU KNOW WHAT THE
GOVERNMENT ON TOP OF THAT TO BE HAVING THE ABILITY TO
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST YOU, OR YOUR SCHOOL THE ABILITY TO
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST YOU.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT BETSY DEVOS IS THAT SHE IS KIND OF
PLAN COY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT SHE IS PRO-LGBT PEOPLE.
THERE WAS AN ARTICLE THAT TALKS ABOUT HOW SHE HAS GAY FRIENDS
AND SHE SUPPORTS THEM, BUT I KNOW PEOPLE WHO WOULD CONSIDER
ME A FRIEND WHO STILL WOULD NOT STICK UP FOR MY RIGHTS, AND THAT
SILENCE IS SAYING THAT YOU SIDE WITH OUR OPPRESSORS.
AND SHE IS BEING COY, BUT MONEY TALKS, AND WE KNOW EXACTLY
WHERE SHE PUTS HER MONEY.
SIX-POINT $1
MILLION TO FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
I THINK THERE IS A LARGER DISCUSSION HERE ABOUT WHERE
THE FUNDS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION ARE GOING, WHERE THEY
SHOULD BE GOING, AND HOW WE CAN FOCUS ON GETTING PUBLIC
EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
BUT FOR ME, THIS IS ALWAYS GOING TO COME DOWN TO STANDING UP
IN MY COMMUNITY; SHE'S NOT DOING THAT, AND THAT IS NOT OKAY.
I'M SO FRUSTRATED WITH HER.
I'M BEYOND FRUSTRATED WITH HER, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING HOW
MUCH I CARE ABOUT PRESERVING AND IMPROVING EDUCATION IN THE
COUNTRY.
THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME PERSONALLY.
I'M DONE WITH MY EDUCATION, I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
CONTINUING TO PAY FOR IT, BUT I WORRY ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOUNGER GENERATIONS.
I WORRY ABOUT LEADING A COUNTRY TOWARDS INNOVATION, AND MAKING
SURE THAT WE ARE ALL EDUCATED, WE ARE ALL THRIVING, AND THAT IS
NOT SOMETHING THAT THIS ATTESTATION CARES FOR ñ THIS
ADMINISTRATION CARES FOR.
WHAT BETSY DEVOS CARES ABOUT IS PRIVATIZING SCHOOLS, AND
THAT IS NOT SCHOOL CHOICE.
THAT IS LEADING TO LESS CHOICES FOR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IF
THEY ARE FROM A LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
AND SO, TAKING TAXPAYER MONEY, AND FUNDING FUNNELING THEM
INTO THESE RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS, EVEN IF THEY ARE DISCRIMINATING
AGAINST CERTAIN STUDENTS, IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.
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