Trump picks billionaire Betsy DeVos, school voucher advocate, as Education Secretary

[suffragette]

Source: Washington Post

President-elect Donald Trump intends to name Betsy DeVos, a conservative activist and billionaire philanthropist who has pushed forcefully for private school voucher programs nationwide, as his nominee for Education Secretary, according to a person close to DeVos.

Trump’s pick underlines his promises on the campaign trail to put “school choice” — the expansion of taxpayer-funded charter schools and vouchers for private and religious schools — at the center of his efforts on education.

DeVos and her husband are major GOP donors who during the 2016 cycle gave a total of $2.7 million to the GOP and to Republican candidates and political action committees; they made no donations to Democrats, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

DeVos’s brother is Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, one of the most profitable private security firms during the Iraq War. Blackwater came under intense scrutiny after the company’s guards shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007; four guards were convicted on charges related to the massacre. Prince has since left the company, which is now called Academi.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/trump-picks-billionaire-betsy-devos-school-voucher-advocate-as-education-secretary/2016/11/23/c3d66b94-af96-11e6-840f-e3ebab6bcdd3_story.html

---

Trump was playing Kabuki theatre by meeting with Jerry Falwell, to make his real choice seem less threatening.

DeVos is for privatization and will now be in a position to oversee the dismantling of our public school system. Though less well known, she is just as dangerous, maybe more so.

[LisaM]

1. Absolutely devastating.

The Devos family is completely corrupt and what they've done to public schools in Michigan is sickening.

[suffragette]

14. LisaM, Can you provide more onfo about this? Important we all know as much as possible, as scary

As that is.

The press is being caught up in Trump's games and we need to cut through to the grim reality, so we can even make the attempt to counter as much as we can.

[LisaM]

25. Sure.

They are bad, bad players. Though to be fair, IMHO, Michelle Rhee was just as bad.


https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2016/09/08/devos-family-contributes-lavishly-to-legislators-who-defeated-detroit-charter-school-oversight/

[suffragette]

27. Yes, Rhee was awful as well. Thanks for the link. Bad players and bad news for our education

System.

https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2016/09/08/devos-family-contributes-lavishly-to-legislators-who-defeated-detroit-charter-school-oversight/

Henderson defines what ought to be the goal of education in contrast to what has become the mission of charter school supporters in Michigan: “Education should always be about children. But in Michigan, children’s education has been squandered in the name of a reform ‘experiment,’ driven by ideologies that put faith in markets alone, as the best arbiters of quality, and so heavily financed by donors like the DeVos clan that nearly no other voices get heard in the educational conversation.”

[McKim]

45. Rhee Was Too Smart to Get Involved

Rhee is no fool. She is too smart to get involved in the insanity of Trumpsterville. She is angling for a better job, maybe with the Gates Foundation? Or maybe with Broad?

[BainsBane]

32. from Mother Jones

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/devos-family-foundations-heritage-americans-prosperity-blackwater

[LuckyLib]

41. Check out the chart in this article -- OMG, what a shitstorm of conservative craziness.

AND they have mega-bucks. Privatization of our schools. Just like Blackwater.

[LisaM]

39. Here's a bit more on her family (I also posted this in GD)

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/opinions/blackwater-abu-ghraib-isis/

[Coyotl]

15. Making Christ Great Again.

Can't do that with public education! But you can do it with public education funds!! Just start a charter school and get rich while doing it too, by depriving public education of the money taxpayers provide while taking a big cut for profits.

This is sickening.

[llmart]

33. Scamway family......

enough said.

[ananda]

37. Horrible, yes, but I'm not surprised!

Every single thing Trump does is devastating, or worse!

[elleng]

2. 'DeVoss brother is Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater.'

OY!

[suffragette]

16. Speaks volumes, doesn't it? Scary times, for sure.

[progressoid]

35. Great

just great.

[yardwork]

43. Trump loves torture.

[eggplant]

3. Gotta love that Amway money.

Retch.

[suffragette]

23. We had a corrupt Seattle Superintendent of schools who pushed a standardized test on the

schools, even as she sat on the Board of the company that profited from this.

It took years for the school system to get rid of the Map test she pushed, even after the above (and her other shady, corrupt deals) had been discovered and even as the test was proved to be unhelpful for students and actually aimed at evaluating teachers in an underhanded way.

Who knows what damaging Amway-type sleazy business practices DeVos will put into place.

[HassleCat]

4. Good news.

Your kids will not have to attend public school with all those heathens and moozelims and secular humanists. You can use other people's money to play out your religious and economic bigotry. Making America great again!

[moondust]

21. Very very great.

Private education undiluted by all those inferior "other"--at public expense!!! Not to mention the profits for a few!!! Winning!!!!!

[suffragette]

31. Exactly. Her father was a founder of the Family Research Council and her husband

used Orwellian language to fight against unions in Michigan, labeling it "Freedom to work."



http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/devos-michigan-labor-politics-gop

The pressure came largely from one man present at that fundraiser: Richard "Dick" DeVos Jr. The 58-year-old scion of the Amway Corporation, DeVos had arm-twisted Richardville repeatedly to support right-to-work. After six years of biding their time, DeVos and his allies believed the 2012 lame duck was the time to strike. They had formulated a single, all-encompassing strategy: They had a fusillade of TV, radio, and internet ads in the works. They'd crafted 15 pages of talking points to circulate to Republican lawmakers. They had even reserved the lawn around the state capitol for a month to keep protesters at bay.

A week after Richardville's early morning call to Jackson, it was all over. With a stroke of his pen on December 11, Gov. Rick Snyder—who'd previously said right-to-work was not a priority of his—now made Michigan the 24th state to enact it. The governor marked the occasion by reciting, nearly verbatim, talking points that DeVos and his allies had distributed. "Freedom-to-work," he said, is "pro-worker and pro-Michigan."
~~~
In late 1992, Dick succeeded his father as the president and CEO of Amway, aggressively expanding the company into Asian markets like China and Korea, which produce much of Amway's profits today. His wife, Betsy, an heiress to a Michigan auto parts fortune, hailed from a conservative dynasty of her own; her father, Edgar Prince, was a founder of the Family Research Council. (Betsy's brother is Erik Prince, the ex-Navy SEAL who founded the infamous private security company Blackwater.) Together, Dick and Betsy formed Michigan's new Republican power couple.

Betsy, who is 56, is the political junkie in the relationship. She got her start in politics as a "scatter-blitzer" for Gerald Ford's 1976 presidential campaign, which bused eager young volunteers to various cities so they could blanket them with campaign flyers. In the '80s and '90s, Betsy climbed the party ranks to become a Republican National Committeewoman, chair numerous US House and Senate campaigns in Michigan, lead statewide party fundraising, and serve two terms as chair of the Michigan Republican Party. In 2003, she returned at the request of the Bush White House to dig the party out of $1.2 million in debt. A major proponent of education reform, Betsy serves on the boards of the American Federation for Children, a leading advocate of school vouchers, and Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education, which supports online schools.

[Tanuki]

5. This is another revolting development. Holy cow. I feel completely blindsided. nt

[DK504]

11. Everyday

I fell like I am going to throw up. Every day is another punch in the gut. Everyday is another step away from democracy and America.

[smirkymonkey]

55. So do I. I am physically sick to my stomach most days.

It is just unbelievable to me how bad things have become and how fast it has happened.

[underpants]

6. Let's see how Betsy reacts when she isn't getting info she paid for

What a horrible choice.

[suffragette]

24. I imagine the info will all be spun as data that shows 'improvement."

And her cronies will be profiting from supplying it.

Truly horrible.

[William Seger]

7. Another depressing reminder...

... of just how many things Trump will fuck up.

[tclambert]

8. They just want to tweak Bush's "Leave No Child Behind" policy

to make it "Leave Only Poor Non-white Kids Behind." That's what charter schools, voucher programs, and schools of choice programs are really about. They want to let the "good" schools choose to accept only the "good" students. Kids from poor families whose parents didn't go to college or even graduate high school have to go to some garbage school where nobody will really try.

[TwilightZone]

9. Amway in the White House.

Oh, goody.

[dbackjon]

10. The War on Public Education

[Cosmocat]

20. In part, but the golden goose

Of tax payer dollars being funneled into profiteers pockets is the end game.

[DeminPennswoods]

52. This, 1000 times

nt

[Solly Mack]

12. K&R

Fuck

[world wide wally]

13. School vouchers are another tax cut for the wealthy

[Coyotl]

18. Public funding for Jesus indoctrination academies.

A work around for separation of church and state that keeps the money flowing with a nice bonus of making it a profitable business at the same time. It diverts public education money to rich people.

[jmowreader]

38. School vouchers are also corporate welfare for the private education industry

In the city of Centerville (motto: "A real nice place to raise your kids up&quot stand two schools.

One school, Centerville School, is public. It used to be a good school, but years of Republican budget cuts have rendered it a hollow shell of itself.

The other, Centerville Academy, is private. It is a fine school, and it costs $10,000 per year to attend. Many of Centerville's citizens could afford it if it was $5000, but not at its current price.

Then the Republican government comes in and says to the people of Centerville, "we don't want you to send your children to that failed public school. Here is a check for $5000 for each of your children to help you enroll them in Centerville Academy. We will call these checks Vouchers."

The very next day, Centerville Academy holds a press conference to announce the "painful decision" its board has made to raise tuition to $15,000 per year.

Unfortunately for Centerville's children, someone at Centerville Bible Church found out state law doesn't require teachers at Christian schools to hold college degrees or teacher certification...and isn't it SOOOO nice the church has a huge basement? They spread the word, and Centerville Bible Church, Centerville Christian Center, Calvary Church of Centerville, Centerville Church of God in Christ and Centerville Church of Lord Jesus with Signs Following all open Christian schools where for the low sum of $5000 per year your children can learn the Three R's...which as we all know is Ruth, Romans and Revelation. Also, Centerville Academy of Lord Jesus with Signs Following has a GREAT entomology program.

[Achilleaze]

17. "DeVoss brother is Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater..."

Prince of Evil & cronies profiteered obscenely from from the oil war initiated by deliberate lies to Americans & the world about non-existent WMDs, lies that slithered from the shameful tongues of the Republican Chickenhawk Cabal led by Bush & Cheney. How many have died or suffered because of these lies and fast-buck war-profiteering deals?

[Borchkins]

19. I feel sick, again.

[Cosmocat]

22. They now are going to break the piggybank

This country in all its grand stupidity has set the gop up to finally get its hands on the BIG golden goose - billions of tax payer dollars funneled unchecked into the pockets for profit education scams.

[Turn CO Blue]

26. Ack! quelle suprise. His picks are like a "pick the worst person you can think of" bingo card. n/t

[bucolic_frolic]

28. What happened to Trump's pledge to help inner cities

you know, the "ghettos" as he called them

This ain't working now and it won't work then

We need to improve the laggard schools, not ditch everything

[eissa]

29. What better way to create more of those trump-supporting "poorly educated"

than to dismantle education altogether. We're so fucked.

[ET Awful]

30. What was that about pay to play there Donald?

Donate HOW much to your campaign for an appointment?

[FairWinds]

34. Ever have a poor soul scamster try to rope you into Amway?

That's the DeVos's doing.

[bucolic_frolic]

36. Politicized and Religionized Secretary of Education

That's what they called climate science - politicized science

[QED]

40. Meet the Super-Wealthy Right-Wingers Working With the Religious Right to Kill Public Education

From 2011 - this is scary stuff

Meet the Super-Wealthy Right-Wingers Working With the Religious Right to Kill Public Education

Betsy DeVos has served on the board of Acton, which is also funded by Scaife, Bradley and Exxon Mobil. A shared goal of this unlikely group of libertarians and theocrats is their battle against environmental regulation. One of the Acton Institute fellows leads a group of Religious Right organizations called the Cornwall Alliance, which is currently marketing a DVD titled Resisting the Green Dragon. The pseudo-documentary describes global warming as a hoax and claims environmentalism is a cult attacking Christianity. Another shared goal of the free marketers and Christian dominionists is eradicating secular public education.

Gary North explains why getting students out of public schools is key to the Christian dominionist camp. “So let us be blunt about it: we must use the doctrine of religious liberty to gain independence for Christian schools until we train up a generation of people who know that there is no religious neutrality, no neutral law, no neutral education, and no neutral civil government. Then they will get busy in constructing a Bible-based social, political, and religious order which finally denies the religious liberty of the enemies of God.”

And the Christian Right has been busy enacting this vision. One of the first goals of the Christian Coalition was to take control of 500 local public school boards, and it's a strategy the Religious Right has continued. One prominent example is Cynthia Dunbar, one of the members of the Texas State Board of Education which made controversial changes to the state’s social studies curriculum in 2010. Dunbar, who was advised by right-wing self-styled "historian" David Barton, is author of One Nation Under Godand has described sending children to public schools as “throwing them into the enemy’s flames, even as the children of Israel threw their children to Moloch.”

http://www.alternet.org/story/150868/the_devos_family%3A_meet_the_super-wealthy_right-wingers_working_with_the_religious_right_to_kill_public_education

[Turbineguy]

42. She can turn the schools into

profitable pyramid schemes!

[yardwork]

44. Virulently homophobic. One of the biggest finders of anti-gay groups.

This should put to rest any nonsense about Trump not being homophobic.

[Mc Mike]

46. DeVos and Mackinac Center for Public Policy

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Mackinac_Center_for_Public_Policy

[elmac]

47. Living in DeVos land, Michigan, I can say for certain

That public education in this country is screwed. Another casualty of people not bothering to vote during the GE.

[Little Tich]

48. I can't see anything positive whatsoever in the appointment of DEVos as Education Secretary.

It's more like a nightmare...

[duffyduff]

49. Hope the Dems can shoot this down with a filibuster.

This jackass isn't qualified for jack shit.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

50. If she has her way only the wealthy can afford school

[suffragette]

54. Yes, and to retire, too. Her husband wants to remove pensions.

http://www.mea.org/we-all-need-prepare-public-employees-pension-fight

The fact is the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) is not broken. It won’t bankrupt our state – unless, perhaps, antagonists succeed in shutting it down. And the loss of a secure retirement safety net for school employees will only exacerbate teacher shortages already being felt in Michigan.

Rumors of a coming public pension fight had swirled in Lansing since summer, and they were confirmed with a speech in late September by Amway President Doug DeVos – who called restructuring of government employee pensions the top goal of the West Michigan Policy Forum.

That’s the same group behind the Legislature’s ramrodding of so-called right-to-work legislation in 2012 and corporate tax cuts before then.

In his speech, DeVos said the West Michigan Policy Forum’s vote to advocate moving public employees to a 401(k)-style retirement system “sends a message to all of our elected officials. And we take these (votes) very seriously; we move them forward with all of our might.”

[demgrrrll]

51. Check out Charlie Pierce he just tweeted that she wants to rescind child labor laws.

[DeminPennswoods]

53. Here's the problem

All these white, working class Trump voters send their kids to small, local public schools. In my state, charter schools are a huge issue because each district has to send a fixed amount to whatever charter school from that district attends. There aren't many brick and morter charter schools in some the state's lightly populated counties, but there are a few huge cyber charter schools sucking money out of their school systems. That means less money for bands, sports, art and other activities. People understand these charter schools are taking in much more money than they are spending on their student's education and they don't like it. Because of this, charter school reform bills have bi-partisan support in our state legislature.

But, let's also not forget that Arne Duncan, Obama's secretary of education, is also a big charter and private school supporter. He did his share of initiatives that were aimed at punishing public schools, they were just called incentives.