You'd think that those Democratic senators grilling Betsy DeVos last week would've spent more time talking about how she'd handle, say, "education" in this country. After all, she was nominated to be the secretary of education. But when somebody like Betsy DeVos is nominated to that post, all hands on deck! At her confirmation hearing, Democratic senators asked her about The Donald's locker room talk, whether she'd ever run a bank, even so-called gay conversion therapy. And complained that they didn't get more time.
Of course Betsy DeVos must be stopped. Democrats have unions to coddle, union bosses to appease, and union money to look out for.
Here is a partial list of Betsy DeVos' sins:
• She's wealthy. And she went to private schools.
• She's put a considerable amount of her own money into improving public education.
• She's an activist for voucher programs and charter schools.
• She created the American Federation for Children (not to be confused with the National Federation of Teachers), that supports choice. That is, choice in deciding where your children go to school.
Clearly, Betsy DeVos isn't an education apparatchik with all the talking points memorized. And her opponents pounced.
"Do you have any direct experience running a bank?" Sen. Elizabeth Warren demanded. "Have you ever managed or overseen a trillion-dollar loan program?"
Yes, the Department of Education oversees the federal student loan program. But when was the last time a nominee for this position has ever had experience running a trillion-dollar loan program? A federal student loan program doesn't grow on trees. We imagine Betsy DeVos will put some people in charge. As every education secretary has done.
All the while her opponents were reading their operations orders into the microphones, Ms. DeVos held firm to her beliefs. That is, parents, not government, could make the best decisions about where to send their children to school. And she pledged to push more voucher programs. And, yes, that includes funding to send kids to charter and religious schools. As education secretary, she said she'd be "a strong advocate for great public schools" but would, at the same time, support "a parent's right to enroll their child in a high-quality alternative." (Take that!)
For the life of us, we don't understand why somebody hasn't taken Donald Trump's phone away from him yet. Maybe now that he's president, somebody in his inner circle will explain how Twitter doesn't help him. And although he's proven you can insult your way to the presidency, he might should look out he doesn't insult his way out of it.
But his Cabinet selections--from Rex Tillerson at State to Jeff Sessions at Justice to James Mattis at Defense--are looking brilliant. Maybe there's something to his claim to be able to surround himself with the best people.
Some of us can't wait for them to start shaking up Washington. Including at a lil' old trillion-dollar outfit called Education.
Editorial on 01/21/2017