Imagine a World…
…Where Virtue Reigns
Meet Governor Walz
The new VP candidate to the VP-slash-Presidential Candidate Harris appears to solidify the lock the teachers unions have on the Democrat ticket and education freedom-loving party members are not happy. AFT’s controversial figurehead Randi Weingarten has said that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz “walks the walk… because he’s one of us,” and Minnesota’s state teacher’s union is embedded in his administration. (It led me to envision this potential conversation taking place between the unions and the Harris campaign…) If he’s one of them, it doesn’t bode well for permissionless and transformational education.
It’s not good. Education opportunity is a tri-partisan issue. It transcends Republicans, Democrats and Independents, races, genders and age (although older citizens are more likely to feel nostalgic about their kids’ and their own schools, forgetting all the angst they may have felt along the way– a feeling that historically has bolstered backing for the behemoth political agendas of the groups in states and at the national level. But I digress.)
Second, there are many Democrat policymakers at national, state and local levels who support or have championed parental choice over the years. From Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to Pennsylvania State Senator Tony Williams and former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams; to the late US Senators Joe Lieberman and Diane Feinstein, even President Bill Clinton once upon a time liked not only charters but Democrat State Lawmaker Polly Williams’ voucher bill for Milwaukee… The list really is extensive and so much has been written about the good that has come from bipartisan support for education choice in many forms.
There are so many Democrats out there who support transformational changes to education that put parents in the driver's seat. Education is in fact the most important domestic issue of our time - and yet, the race is now on with a couple that is diametrically opposed, and one that is not, and we are back to choice politics, party versus party.
The point is, support for policies that provide parents with the freedom to make choices governing their own children’s education often gets pegged as a one-party issue, but it’s not. Support spans the political spectrum - in Minnesota, and every state. But sadly politicians do not live by voter support alone. It’s going to be an interesting few months.
A Guy Who Gets It
The theme was “Education Freedom is sweeping across the nation.” And it is, even if some choose to ignore it. Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and I talked about that last week, as well as what states need to do to get it over the finish line. His new Citizens for Free Enterprise is about that and more. Check it out!
About Last Week
I was vaguely listening to the Olympics in the background that night.
“Imagine a world…,” the commercial started.
My brain stopped listening to it and instead finished the sentence in a different way:
Imagine a world where … our kids - and universe- were treated to uplifting models of virtue, not a bacchanalia like we witnessed in the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
The arguments and debates on Facebook, X and all of the social world - not to mention the dinner table - were illustrative in the ensuing hours and days. “‘Ah, it was just supposed to be fun…’ ‘It was just a take off on the pagan god of wine…’ It wasn’t the Last Supper…”
But why? What’s the point? Even if it were not true that it was a slap on Christianity, the Olympics is the once in a lifetime opportunity for most, those who have worked hard, been focussed, resilient and exceptional in their craft to compete.
Hard work, courage, persistence -- the antithesis of laziness and fear, escapism and carelessness.
The contradictions abound. We scorn when people drive drunk, but we celebrate over-indulgence. We are naturally disgusted at the mere suggestion of a rape, yet we celebrate the insinuation of orgy on international broadcast?
You might be asking- what does this have to do with your area of expertise, hmmm? Aren’t you supposed to be writing about education and education-related themes?
Yes. Absolutely. 100%. But education is broader than subject matter and school.
Author, philosopher and former Education Secretary William J. Bennett reminds his audiences often that “the two essential questions Plato posed were: Who should teach the children, and what do we teach them?”
Bennett answered that question in his Book of Virtues, and it is so well-articulated through the children’s version, seeking to help parents introduce their children to the essentials for a good life. Those are:
Good character, courage, perseverance, responsibility, work, self-discipline, compassion, faith, honesty, loyalty, and friendship.
Imagine a world where those were the most fundamental pieces that drove everything from a conversation to an opening ceremony. Imagine.
Notes and Asides - In Search of Virtue
The controversy over biological males competing in women’s sports may feel relatively distant for most of us, but consider what that portends for students in schools across the country. Says London Times’ Janice Turner, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) failure to police gender has resulted in misogynistic, sexist treatment of women. It’s only time before it spreads even more.
I read a story about a family in Washington, D.C. whose 16 year old autistic son was ripped from their families by a court, after the once well-regarded Children’s Hospital in Washington D.C. declared the parents a threat to him over what the Hospital perceived was gender dysphoria. Today the child is 18 and the family continues to challenge in court their son being placed first in foster care and then with the hospital chaplain who describes herself as gender neutral.
According to the Associated Press, “California became the first state to bar school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child’s gender identification change under a law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.” Many are naturally outraged at a state taking a child, or hiding vital information from parents as California has done. Check out Larry Sands’ take on this at “For Kids and Country.”
I wonder how it is that national leaders who claim to stand up and fight for civility, justice, decorum in all things, love, kindness (often to the planet over people) are not more outraged or ready to fight to defend families to protect their children. The constant confusion created is not unrelated to the national mental health crisis among our youth.
As social worker and psychoanalyst Erica Komisar puts it,
"As mental health problems in our children grow at an alarming rate, we must address the issue at its root - Children need their parents.
“Society wants an external fix for the mental health epidemic in children ….but the truth is that we are responsible for this crisis, and only we can undo it."
Watch her full remarks on the subject at summer’s ARC Forum - that’s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. Now there’s a concept! Erica’s work on why - and how - we need to stop penalizing boys for being boys is also exceptional.
Yes, children need their parents. The family is the bedrock of civilization. Destroy it, and you destroy everything.
I know. Some of you are probably outraged at my commentary today. Feel free to delete or unsubscribe (or share if you’re in accord.) Parent Power has long been my issue… it’s time to make it a reality for everyone - equally. Pax. — Jeanne