Posted on 09/05/2011 6:20:34 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
CNN’s Political Ticker isolates this element of Rep. Michele Bachmann’s reliably conservative responses at Sen. Jim DeMint’s political forum in South Carolina today, making it both a headline and lead paragraph:
Painting herself as a “constitutional conservative” Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann told Sen. Jim DeMint’s forum Monday that if elected president she would look to get rid of the Department of Education, among other things.
“Because the Constitution does not specifically enumerate nor does it give to the federal government the role and duty to superintend over education that historically has been held by the parents and by local communities and by state governments,” she said, responding to a question by DeMint, a popular figure among the tea party movement.
The not-so-subtle implication of PT’s prominent placement of this Bachmann statement is that it’s obviously extreme. You know those crazy “constitutional conservatives”! But is it? Abolishing the Department of Education might sound like an ultra-conservative pipe dream — and anything but advisable in the Information Age, when education is key to global competitiveness — but, perhaps, just perhaps, Bachmann has a point.
In the first place, she’s right about the Constitution. But, in the second, does the federal government actually do a better job of educating our children than would state or local governments? Naturally, questions of right and equity enter in. It is, after all, commonly accepted that children have the right to an equal education (although even that could be debated). But as regards efficacy, it’s pretty clear flexibility and freedom to address the needs of individual children enhances education.
Please don’t interpret this as an endorsement of Bachmann’s view; I’m still forming my opinions on education policy. It is, rather, a defense of the debate. The purpose and prowess of the Ed Department ought to be analyzed. And the agency, no less than any other budget-straining bit of the bureaucracy, ought to be held accountable.
This all brings me back to why I love Bachmann as a presidential candidate (if not necessarily as the GOP nominee or actual president): She says what needs to be said to move the public dialogue in a productive direction. Sometimes, she does that by simply speaking truth. Sometimes, as now, she does it by offering up views that can then be debated, discussed, shaped and molded into a more palatable — yet-ever-so-slightly-more-conservative — position in the immediate term — while leaving the possibility of her so-called “extreme” solutions open in the long term.
Don't be silly.
America was stoopid and ignerent until Jimmy Carter gave us the Department of Edumacation.
/s
Maybe we were just handed a bill of goods and we were too proud to see correctly and/or say no.
Whatever ... with home schooling and the internet, true education no longer needs to be standardized.
local day prisons, on the other hand should remain in place, well guarded.
Eliminating the Dept. of Education is a great idea. After that eliminate the teachers unions.
If she has to ask she’s not smart enough to be President.
I’ve been wondering that since Jimmuh invented it!!!
don’t forget repealing the Endangered Species Act!!!
They big question is why do they need all those people to waste that money and never have anything to show for it.
There are articles and plenty of support for nearly free/free online courses and curriculum from places like MIT, Yale, Stanford, etc. People just have to decide to ‘enroll.’ IIRC, over 135,000 are enrolled in one such course, at Stanford, I think.
This effort eliminates the delivery system for a college and puts downward pressure on what (higher) ed is, along with eliminating its cost. Progressives, e.g., the Free Press types, have espoused free college for all.
How is the support for a ‘borderless’/free higher ed system (Not K-12, but 13-16+) any different than eliminating the federal/centralized ‘delivery’ system of education for K-12? All a person/family has to do is decide what is appropriate or needed in a child’s education.
RE: If she has to ask she’s not smart enough to be President.
That was a rhetorical question.
HOORAY Michele!!! We DON’T. DEFUND socialist collectives, foreign and domestic.
Unfortunately, the people never gave Reagan a Republican House, or he might have.
And the big answer is..."Because they can" The underlying answer is: "because you don't pay attention and we can do what we want with the money we take from you to do what we want."
My comment comes from Plato who wrote: " One of the penalties of not participating in politics is that you will be governed by your inferiors"
We need to encourage others to get involved. If everyone of us who believes in our constitutional freedoms would get JUST ONE MORE voter to join us, we would become an unstoppable force. Instead, we sit by as recruiter work the college campus for voters day and night.
The reason this never happens is that Senators and House members love to get jobs for their friends, nephews, distant relations, etc. etc. How can Senator Favor (R) whack the Education Department when he has planted half his kinfolk and friend of kinfolk with a job there.
Right after the IRS is abolished.
Curious. Am I the only one that realizes we haven’t heard a peep out of Jimmy Carter for quite awhile now?
Wondering if his health is OK, then why isn’t he out there doing his usual grandstanding act.
Does Obama have him in a cage somewhere?
Bachmann is terrific!
Because it's mentioned in the Constitution; hasn't she read the Constitution??
I'll look up the location right now.
Oh wait a minute...
They take the money from the states via Federal Tax dollars, and REDISTRIBUTE them via grants back to the states based on where they see there is the most need.
Do I win the prize?
How about not taking the money in the first place? Then there is no overhead or controversy regarding distribution.
Maybe we'd even get to keep some of what we earn!
The Dept of Education was nothing but a sop to the teachers unions. It totally worthless. Most school districts don’t even get enough $$$ from the feds to make it worthwhile. All they get are unfunded mandates from Congress. It should be done away with, Bachmann’s right on that.
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