Uh the point is that tancredo picked up a Dept. of education check for 12 years.
No, the point was that Congress was under control of the democrats who were under the control of the education unions. What that means is the Dept of Ed was not going to be dismantled in toto, it was not going away.
Therefore, the next best thing was for republican presidents to appoint officials that would ensure the department was cut maximally. Tancredo was part of the conservative force that assisted in downsizing the department.
That Tancredo accepted a check is irrelevant. He was hired to downsize a liberal department and he did what he was hired to do.
It's a safe bet he could have got a paycheck from any number of government positioms given his ability to lead as a conservative.
I think your response was correct with the first word but went downhill after that.