Tim Kaine does the right thing, sending a strong message of (1) disapproval to the GOP legislatures who want to rob the general fund to deal with the transportation crisis they've been ignoring all these year and (2) support for the bipartisan group of legislatures working to save the general fund.But the governor, who has until now declined to comment specifically on the negotiations, appeared to side with Democrats and a handful of Republicans in the Senate. That coalition aims to block a compromise transportation plan when it comes to a final vote because they say it threatens the general fund, which pays for health care, police, education and other programs and services.The key to remember here is taking money out of the general fund is like shifting money from the schools, environmental protection, health care and other programs to deal with an every continuing traffic crunch. Clearly, this is not a permanent solution."Borrowing with money out of school funds is hard to swallow for reasonable folks," Kaine said, noting that he had not yet seen a final proposal. "But we'll see. Maybe it will get better."
In other words, the House GOP is proposing a band-aid solution - something they can show off to their voters in this election year - that could hurt fully funded schools and other important budgetary needs.
Of course, a few strong words from Kaine, and the House GOP wants to grab their ball and go home:
House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem), who is one of the chief negotiators, said rejection of the compromise by the Senate would end transportation funding efforts for the year and would prompt the House leaders to adjourn permanently.Now, that won't look good with the voters, now would it."We would be gone," he said....
Let's look at a northern Virginia man who has written one of the scariest books of all time -- this stuff is more frightening than anything Mary Shelley ever put to paper. I found this through the Mainstream Loudoun website, and actually read the book through. http://www.loudoun.n... Their summary is quite good:
THE CHILDREN TRAP by Robert L. ThoburnRobert Thoburn is a signee/non-committee member of the Coalition on Revival (COR), a think tank for religious right leaders. Their manifesto states under section 12, Education: "Work toward replacing all local public schools with private schools by 2000 A.D."
In his book, The Children Trap, Thoburn claims that public schools constitute a "state-established church" which teaches the religion of humanism--a 'trap' designed to indoctrinate Christian children against their 'true faith.' Furthermore, politicians have enacted "laws that compel Christian families to send their children into unsafe, drug-infested, humanist-dominated, anti-Christian sink holes (public schools)."
The two-fold purpose of his book is to promote private Christian education and provide a blueprint for the destruction of free public education, because reforming public schools, he says, would be as useful as reforming whorehouses. He urges all citizens to participate in this effort by voting against all bond issues and protesting all attempts to raise taxes.
Thoburn also recommends that Christians run for school boards, (but send their children to Christian schools). Once on the board, "The goal is to shut down the public schools, not in some revolutionary way, but step by step, school by school, district by district...."
"Termite Tactics"
The following is a summary of what Thoburn calls "Termite Tactics," which provide a road map for radical right operatives to use in their attempts "to shut down the public schools."
* "Run on a platform of increasing school efficiency. This means cost-cutting."
* "Be an instant nice guy....be incredibly affable and friendly....You will need 'good guy' votes when you start gently pressing for...reform."
* "You can't destroy the system by yourself, so don't try. You can do your best to gum up the system with a smile on your face."
* "When the board proposes something you don't want, try to avoid a head-on collision. Instead, ask questions, raise doubts, appear confused ...request a study by the school's lawyer, suggest further study of the results..."
* "Start pushing for larger classes and fewer teachers."
* "Personally investigate the curriculum."
* Demand the board "be given full written reports from all those who attend taxpayer-financed meetings of any kind....if they have to produce detailed reports, they may decide not to go to so many meetings."
* "Get the board to pass a local "no pass-no play" rule for sports. Make it apply to all extra-curricular activities."
* Protest if a coach is being fired just because he has produced some losing teams. ("There is nothing like a losing sports record to cool the vocal minority of sports fanatics' support of the local high school.")
* "...keep alive the question of student safety."
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Pressure tenured teachers to quit. "Make them do every crummy job that the contracts allow the board to get away with....Make it clear to them that they will never teach another B or A student, and that they will never again get a raise. Never say so publicly....The more untenured, lower-paid, recently hired teachers are employed in your schools, the lower their wages need to be."
Thoburn concludes this last section by saying, "Who knows, maybe the strikers will shut down the whole public school system. If so, you have done your work well. Our ultimate long term goal is simple: 'Shut it down!'"
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[Robert Thoburn has owned and operated the private Fairfax Christian School since 1961. The Thoburns have recently opened two Christian Schools in Loudoun County, one on Lowes Island Blvd. and one in Round Hill.]
In the 2005 cycle of elections, lots of anti-public school money showed up, such as from the DeVos Foundation. (Dick "Amway" DeVos is the guy who lost the Michigan gubernatorial race.) I'm sure it will show up again. And we'll see lots of pro-voucher arguments, which are really arguments to fund their brand of religious education.