Crisis,
What Crisis?!?…
We have had a couple of
extremely turbulent and volatile years politically, socially and economically
in Wisconsin (and across America). Very few people who have been paying
attention to the many different events would argue this fact. Yet, underneath all of the hype and hyperbole
around the conflicts there still exists, for many people, a certain amount of
indifference and a lackadaisical attitude about the significance of what has
been happening. Whether intentional or
not, the effect has been that the ongoing clashes between ideologically opposed
groups have been minimized, and to a certain extent trivialized, for those who
are not directly involved.
Whether this is done by
comparing our situations to other places around the world, as was done in 2011
by saying Wisconsin was not Egypt, or by
trying to paint those protesting as fringe elements of society, the effect is
the same. Many citizens and much of the
media are willing to accept what they consider "lesser" infringements
on the rights and privileges of citizens in exchange for a sense of order and
stability. We have become so complacent
in our society that we are more comfortable blindly criticizing those who would
speak out than we are with actually hearing what they have to say.
What is terrifying to hear
are comments from people implying that, unless you are facing flying bullets
and armed soldiers/police ready to use deadly force, then your protests are
less valid than others around the world.
Equally terrifying to me is the concept that a citizenry armed with guns
is preferable to a citizenry armed with free speech. It would appear that many citizens have
decided to emphasize only the parts of our founding documents that agree with
their philosophy forgetting that the First Amendment comes ahead of the Second,
and that they put "Life" and "Liberty" ahead of "The pursuit of
happiness" and "Property".
This same effort to
marginalize the protests of the Solidarity Singers and to put policy and
"order" ahead of Freedom of Speech has continued at the Wisconsin
State Capitol for another week. We are
hearing calls for those protesting to give up and leave the capitol. Yet, many of the so called arguments for
ending the Sing focus, not on the merits of their argument, but rather on
either a simple desire to put the conflict behind us, or a vindictive glee at
seeing those with opposing viewpoints arrested and belittled by those in
authority. If you don't believe me, just
read the comments after any article about the Solidarity Sing.
I have not been a regular
Singer, nor have I been able to be at a Sing since the Capitol Police
crackdowns have been going on. I have
many friends and colleagues who have been present, and arrested at the
Sing. I appreciate their persistent
efforts to continue to draw attention to the injustices that have become common
and acceptable here in Wisconsin. Each Singer, and observer, probably has their
own, somewhat unique reason for participating in the Sing. After all, the Wisconsin Uprising has never
been a monolithic political, or ideological movement. Instead, the Progressive resistance to the
current Conservative movement is as diverse as the membership of the
movement.
Yet, this diversity of
demographics, ideologies and philosophies is united in their opposition to what
seems, to so many of us, to be a rejection of the values that our nation was
established under. The principles of
"Freedom", "Justice" and "Equality for All" have
evolved over the years and, while we still have a long way to go, have become
much more encompassing of the wealth of diversity that our nation benefits
from. However, the current Conservative
movement is threatening to undo any and all of the progress that we have made
as a nation over the past centuries.
For me, it is for this
reason that the Solidarity Sing is an important continuing protest. Without their voices, and those of the many
other dissenters around the state who continually express their views
publically, the debate about the direction our state will take would become a
purely political or economic discourse, ignored by many, or evaluated solely on
the basis of the most recent economic projections. By singing every weekday these individuals,
collectively, personalize the issues and keep the problems we face in the
public's eye.
Despite the desire to
ignore them, the problems that currently exist in our society are real and very
threatening. The current conflicts in
statehouses around the nation are more than just a minor political
dispute. They represent drastically
different views of the way our society should operate. The current crop of Conservative politicians
are seeking to legislate, institutionalize and mandate their way of thinking
into policies that will be in place for years to come. Whether you agree or disagree with the
policies, the direction that our society is moving in economically, socially
and politically isn't a positive one.
As our economic
stratification intensifies we will see more and more stress being placed on
individuals and families. We become two
separate and unequal Americas
that struggle to peacefully coexist.
We've seen the pain and suffering that racial and ethnic divisions cause
both here in America
and across the globe. Financial
divisions can be just as problematic for the continued success of any society
or nation. That these economic classes
are combined with other demographic classifications only increases the
intensity of the class conflicts. The
current policies being promoted by many Conservatives only widen the existing
gaps and cement the barriers that we currently have in place.
The
confrontational nature of our political struggles, and the winner take all
mentality, only serves to increase the potential for more bitter conflicts in
the future. We are seeing more one-party
domination of state and local governments which is eliminating the need for
compromise and moderation in policy making.
We are seeing tensions
escalate and the potential for tragic violence increasing as well. As people feel like their voices aren't being
heard, they resort to other means of expressing their dissent. This leads to an increasingly volatile
environment and even more breakdowns in positive, productive
communication.
journaltimes.com
The only way to peacefully
avert the crises we are facing is to increase the dialog and promote
understanding between groups. It is
virtually impossible to legislate tolerance and respect for other's
opinions. It is also impossible to
mandate the way that others think and act.
We can arrest, fine and even kill those who disagree with us, but in the
end, humans have shown an incredible willingness to sacrifice for what they
believe in.
Here in America we have
a system that could really work, if the people involved in the process are
willing to be statespeople and not politicians, and if the citizens are willing
to accept their responsibilities as guardians of democracy. We have multiple layers of protection for our
rights, and an ability to make necessary changes as time goes by. Remember that our Constitution, so revered by
many, didn't resolve national disgraces like slavery or address equal rights
for many groups of citizens. However, it
allowed for a process whereby we could amend the document and
"improve" it as our society changed.
The philosophy our
founders espoused was one where dissent was valued when it was directed at
promoting Liberty
and Justice. The movement that drove
their actions in the 1700's is alive and well in modern Wisconsin.
We also see other places
where hope springs from communities who have faced terrible tragedy. That this hope comes from an adherence to
peaceful and positive thinking should come as no surprise. Violence and force only create an atmosphere
where more violence and force are needed.
We need to draw our strength from those who would move our society
forward as a unified community and work to defeat those who would divide
us.
Education
Values…
As the new school year approaches, the
attacks on public education continue to escalate. It continues to amaze, and disappoint, many
of us involved in public education the direction that those in power are trying
to move our educational systems. It is
clear that we are seeing a coordinated
effort to undermine our public schools and to promote a for profit system. 
What are less clear to
many citizens are the reasons that this is problematic for our society, and not
just issues of educators trying to protect their own turf and their own
livelihood.
Republican Party of Wisconsin 2013 State Convention Resolutions as Adopted
2013-1 – EducationWHEREAS, we believe in limited government, individual freedom and personal responsibility; and
WHEREAS, parents have the right to spend their money on the school or method of schooling they deem appropriate for their children; and
WHEREAS, virtual schools have come under attack by the leadership of the state teacher’s union (Why call unions out specifically, lots of people opposed these schools?); and
WHEREAS, parents have the fundamental right and responsibility to educate their children and provide for their moral guidance; and
WHEREAS, parents should have as much choice as possible in selecting the right school for their children (As well as accurate information, not designed to mislead, misinform and scare families away from public schools); and
WHEREAS, vigorous competition from independent schools (More thoughts on this later) will stimulate government (Interesting that they are not called public) schools to strive for and achieve excellence; now,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled:
- Urges that parents of school-age children be given vouchers or tax credits designed to give all parents equal freedom of choice in education (No voucher system that I know of has done this for all parents, this is simple rhetoric designed to mislead and motivate a specific audience) without regard to their financial means; and
- Urges that religiously oriented schools not be discriminated against for exercising their freedom of religion (They shouldn't be discriminated against, but they also shouldn't be publically funded according to the 1st Amendment. I believe that giving tax dollars to religious schools for religious teaching amounts to promoting a religion.); and
- Strongly urges that the right to home school shall not be abridged; and
- Urges our state legislators and local school boards to push for curriculum changes that place greater emphasis on the basics (Return to a system that is outdated and unequal), and eliminate all programs whose objectives are social engineering or advocacy of special interests (Such as religion?); and
- Calls for the state legislature to eliminate funding of 4-year-old kindergarten (The benefits of which are supported by data); and
- Urges Congress to pass legislation that prohibits schools from forcing or coercing parents to put their children on drugs (Where did this come from, in my 16 years of teaching I have never seen educators suggest medication without support from doctors and families) and eliminates all funding for government-mandated mental health screening of all children; and
- Supports academic efforts that ensure that the presentation of our history and founding Judeo-Christian principles in our educational institutions, including those of higher learning, is objective, truthful and complete (Are they willing to recognize that the original colonists had many differing views about religion, or are they trying to teach a modified, Puritanical, version of American religious history?); and
- Urges legislation adopting alternative standards for teacher licensing that do not require a degree in education or student-teaching experience (Total disrespect for the profession, what if they suggested the same for doctors?); and
- Urges that if political issues are discussed, that multiple opinions be presented to represent a more fair discussion and to allow for debate (Already part of most districts' policies, including Madison's); and
- Opposes the adoption and implementation of Common Core Standards (Fine with a large number of educators too) as well as the International Baccalaureate Curriculum in the Wisconsin school system; and
- Supports allowing properly trained adult staff to be armed in public schools (Horrible idea for many reasons).
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we support local school districts’ decisions to set up virtual schools and parents right to participate in their children’s education and to choose virtual schools for their children’s education; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge libraries in all publicly-funded schools have a balance of reading materials that reflect conservative values as well as liberal values (How will this be determined and enforced, are conservative and liberal values really so easily defined); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we endorse that the U. S. Department of Education should be abolished and all federal mandates and funding (such as Common Core Curriculum), leaving education decision making at the state (We've seen what types of funding decisions that our current state government makes for public schools) , local or personal level; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we support school districts having the right to choose from multiple vendors for their statewide school information system (SSIS) on the grounds that multiple vendors will lower costs to the taxpayers and promote free market principles (Just like Infinite Campus?).
There is also a tendency for larger, better financed, entities to expand while smaller, not necessarily worse, businesses are driven out. The Wal-Marting of many American communities provides us with examples of this phenomenon. The success of a business in our current marketplace isn't necessarily tied to performance or to quality. Do we want to open up our educational system to the potential for students to receive a cheap, mass-produced, but well packaged "product"? Do we also want to see our children educated by trained professionals who are committed to public education, or underpaid, undervalued transient employees who face constant pressure from "above" to produce results?
Education, when done well should not be a money making enterprise. It is an investment in our children's future and the future of our society. Our current efforts to privatize education focus on skimming the "profitable" students out of the general pool and leaving the rest out of the opportunities. By keeping our education system public we remove the need to profit from our students, and instead turn our attention to allowing them to profit from the system.
Finally, education as a "marketplace" invites secrecy and competition that doesn't benefit all students. Here I turn to health care for an example. A medical discovery that would cure a disease should be available to all people. However, because of the competition involved in medical advances we see procedures, medication and other services distributed unequally based on income and not necessarily other criteria. In the same way, new educational practices that work for students should be universally accessible and not the province of any specific "business" interest. If I'm running a school and my students are all "college and career ready" no matter their demographic category then that is a positive thing. I shouldn't hide my methods and should be able to share them without fear of losing the "profitability" of my "business". Some goods and services are necessary for an individual's ability to thrive and shouldn't be controlled by private, for profit, interests.
Buy
Local…
Back-to-School shopping
has begun in earnest. Please remember to
make the effort to support local businesses when shopping for necessary
items. By shopping at locally owned and
operated businesses we not only keep our local economy healthy, but we also
maximize the impact that our spending can have.
The part of the WI-GOP education platform that jumps out at me is the call to abolish all federal education mandates.
ReplyDeleteI believe this would include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which if abolished would leave my child and so many others without the right to a public education.
A horrifying platform in many, many ways.