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Extremists embracing The Big Lie present enormous danger to democracy
As the nation prepares in just a few short weeks for yet another pivotal election, the answers and non-answers that many candidates are providing to questions asked of them about the results of the 2020 presidential election raise concerns about the future viability of our democracy. In that regard, one would think that of all […]
In these strange times, there’s something else to remember from Field of Dreams
President Joe Biden’s recent address about the threat to our democracy posed by Donald Trump and his MAGA followers affirmed what many Americans have felt for years. He identified the problem in the most direct way. “Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal,” the president told the nation as he […]
ECOT owes Ohio $117 Million. What are we going to do about it?
Like the famed Casablanca police captain Louis Renault, Ohio taxpayers were shocked, shocked to learn recently from the state auditor’s office that the notorious online charter school ECOT, which closed in 2018, owes the state $117 million. A “Finding for Recovery” posted last week on the auditor’s website provided the details. The announcement by Auditor […]
New state superintendent hiring raises questions about process, but the charter lobby is pleased
At its May meeting, the State Board of Education voted to employ Steve Dackin as Ohio’s new Superintendent of Public Instruction. But the hiring of the veteran school administrator has raised some concerns that require further reflection. The state board’s decision occurred in the middle of National Charter Schools Week and prompted questions about the […]
The national mood used to be ‘let bygones be bygones.’ Will that sentiment work now?
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Most of us are certainly familiar with that timeless advice from George Santayana. His words and the wisdom behind them have stood for more than a century. But what if an important part of the past is obscure, perhaps hidden enough to affect our […]
GOP take note: Responsible actions ensure an enduring democracy
In President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, there was no surprise in how much emphasis he placed on the plight of Ukraine in fending off the unprovoked attack launched by Vladimir Putin. Biden’s theme was simple: We must protect democracy. In the closing part of his speech, the president said: As some observers […]
The whole world is watching. Democracy is under threat in Ukraine, and the U.S.
Yes, the chant made memorable in 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago haunts us again. The whole word is indeed watching, as we witness the hyper aggressive actions of a certain former KGB officer who is threatening his vulnerable neighbor. After more than two months of daily reports, the video images from Eastern […]
A vandal in the White House redux
The stories carry a new dateline. But then we’ve been here before. Is this another case (pun) of old wine, new bottles? In the last few days, both the New York Times and Washington Post have published stories detailing the vandalized condition of White House documents received by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. According […]
The charter school and voucher wars continue: A tale of two cities, or maybe three
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,” Charles Dickens famously wrote. But if a latter-day Dickens were writing today, the tale might be about foolishness and not wisdom in the misuse of public funds. And the setting would […]
America needs two functioning political parties to survive as a democracy
What might the demise of a little-known language usage organization in the United Kingdom indicate for the future of the Republican Party? A hint might be found in the near-unanimous vote of House Republicans to support Arizona Representative and former dentist Paul Gosar for his vile conduct in posting a cartoon showing him murdering a […]
Public schools, vouchers, privatization, and educational choice: Be careful what you wish for
In the last few months, Americans have witnessed a series of assaults by the political right on key parts of the bedrock principles of democracy. Those attacks include new restrictions on voting rights in more than half of the states, the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by thousands of insurrectionists, and most […]
When it comes to public education critics, the Fordham Institute deserves closer scrutiny
If we remember the Scriptural advice that there is no new thing under the sun, we also might realize there are two things under the sun which aren’t new but are very predictable. Meet, yet again, Halley’s Comet and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. With the comet, we know when it will return and light […]