Alien Point of View

I find it liberating and illuminating to assume the point of view another person, a person who is different than me.  I read a book in high school entitled, Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, and it had a profound impact on my thinking.  Griffin was a white journalist who in 1961 dyed his skin very dark and entered the southern United States as a Black Person.  His experiences are amazing.  Ever since, I try to imagine the world through the eyes of others:  A Syrian refugee, an African mother watching her children starve, a Muslim Jihadist who hates America, a fourth generation Mexican American, a hedge fund manager, etc.  I have very little in common with these imaginary people, and I can only guess what they may be thinking or feeling.  But I am enlightened by the mental effort.

It seems only reasonable to advance this mental exercise to include a sentient alien life form.  I picture an incredibly knowledgeable being, carbon based, bipodal who is capable of conversation in my own language.  I picture a female being with luminescent eyes, hairless head, and thin limbs.  Though wise and knowing she is blessed with empathy as well.  She comes to me as I walk a lonely path in a forest at night, with a full moon lighting my way.  I hear crickets and owls and nocturnal beasts scurrying in the dark before a wind and a wush and she stands before me.  Her thin mouth smiles.  I feel no fear as her features hold no anger, no hostility.  Just a smile and a deep curiosity as she gazes at me and me at her for the first time, taking in our similarities and differences.  She tells me her name is Sitio.  We begin a dialog.

She asks why I walk the woods at night in the dark all alone.  I tell her that though there are many humans I love and many humans with whom I enjoy sharing time and space, I feel the need to remove myself from them for alone time, to think, to ponder, to reflect.  Yes, in answer to her question, this was to be such a time.  No, Sitio, I do not want you to leave me to my alone time.  I would much rather spend it with you than alone.  She smiles again.

I have many questions, she says.  As do I!  We both start talking at once and I laugh, she smiles.  That is such a remarkable sound, she says, when you open your mouth and make noises from your diaphragm that have no meaning but sound happy.  They are happy, I reply.  We call it laughter and all humans are capable of it when they are amused or happy.  We have no such sounds, she says.  We smile.  I say that in some ways that strikes me as sad.  Her head cocks as she ponders my response.

You appear to be a female, I say.  Yes, she says.  I am.  We have two genders as do you.  Then you ask your questions first as in our culture we allow women to go first.  Why? She asks.  Are they stronger or superior to males so they go first?  I laugh again.  No, it is an assumption from our past that women are to be coddled and cherished so males allow them to go first to demonstrate our own strength.  Males are chivalrous.  We will give up a seat on a life boat for a woman, or a child.  Amazing she said.  It sounds as though females have tricked you into this assumption that letting them win is somehow a victory for males.  My head cocks as I ponder her response.

She begins:  Why do humans war against each other?  Why do you fight?  Why do you compete?  It seems to result in such waste, so much death, so much hunger.  It results in some having very much and others having very little.  Are some humans more important than other humans?  Wow is all I can say.  I think for a moment, then respond.  We argue that as we evolved we had to compete to survive.  As we advanced it became clear that those who could win in wars and competition had more than those who did not.  So we developed heroes who won and others became losers.  We do that still today.  We have a very hard time imagining a society of collaboration and sharing.  We have always pictured life as a struggle, a competition.  We believe that such struggles and such competitions make us stronger and smarter.  It is in our best interest to compete.

She smiles again.  That of course, is nonsense, she says.  You claim to advance via competition and war when in fact that is what destroys you.  That is what wastes your resources.  If you collaborated and shared rather than vesting so much energy in competition both in your wealth accumulation and war machines then you would be so much better off.  All of you.  Your planet would be healthier.  Everyone would have food, shelter, clothing, medicine.  No human would have basic needs deprived as your resources are so great.  It makes no sense to us.  It appears that you think of yourselves as advanced because you now cook your meat even though you use the same principles to get your meat.

I am stumped.  The issue she has raised as her first question right off the bat is so profound to me my head spins.  What would a cooperative society look like?  How could we curtail our desire to have more and to demonstrate superiority to our neighbors if we did not compete, if we did not want to win?  Is it our nature to compete, or is that learned behavior?  What would it look like to have a culture where we each want for others what we want for ourselves? 

Your eyes are moving rapidly back and forth, she says.  Does that mean you are thinking?  Yes, I guess it does I reply.  Good, she says.

Now tell me about religion.  It appears a large number of humans believe in a deity, a being that they cannot see.  A being with total power and total knowledge.  A being that can punish them or reward them.  A being they pray to, worship, give money to, take pilgrimages in behalf of.  A being who moderates over a heaven of eternal bliss for the spirits of those who die and a being who controls a hell of eternal torture for others who die. A being that rules over all, is capable of doing anything, and created all.  Even more interesting is that humans do not worship the same deity.  There are many deities all of whom have many followers.  Is that accurate?

That is pretty much accurate, I think.  I tell her I come from a Christian heritage so I cannot speak with any knowledge of other belief systems.  I know that there are more Christians than any other faith, followed by Muslims.  Atheists make up the third largest group, more than Buddhists, Hindus and Jews combined.  But, other than atheists, your description sounds mostly Christian.

Sitio asks, are there not only 3 possibilities regarding such a deity?  One is that there is no such deity, two is that there is such a deity and that deity controls everything so that all that happens, good and bad, can be laid at the feet of the deity, or three that there is such a deity but that deity does not intervene in human affairs, perhaps because the deity has a secret plan for humans, or perhaps because such a deity just likes to observe.  None of the three options promotes beseeching and worshipping the deity as all three options eliminate the likelihood of divine intervention.  None of the three possibilities provide evidence of such a being.

Are you and your people atheists then? I ask.  She smiles.  We were never theists so to be atheist has no meaning.  Early in our history there were many things we did not know and did not understand but we simply perceived those things as unknown or challenges.  We did not make up answers, we sought answers.  That is one of the reasons why you are so interesting to us.  You made up answers and despite your knowledge still hold on to those beliefs.

Is there no God?  No heaven, no hell, no life after death? I ask.  We have found no evidence to support any of those beliefs, she says.  There is no life before birth and no life after death.  There are no such mythical places as heaven and hell housing post mortem spirits for all eternity.  In fact we see such beliefs as silly and child-like.  But I do not wish to offend.  Your life form tends to react irrationally if beliefs are challenged.

I ask, what is your moral base?  What is your code of ethics?  Sitio smiles again.  Simple, she says.  If a behavior benefits others it is good.  If a behavior benefits the individual at the expense of others it is bad.  We do not deal with rights or wrongs, just consequences as either good or bad. 

I tell her I do not understand.  Yes you do, you just do not apply that code everywhere and to everyone.  A mother is exhausted caring for her sick child.  She wants to leave and go somewhere to have an alcoholic beverage.  If she does, she leaves the sick child unattended but she benefits.  If she leaves is that good or bad?  OK, I get that.  A “good” mom would stay with the child rather than seek selfish benefits.  But life is more complicated than that.  No, she says, it is not if I am mother to all and child to all.

My head hurts.

Sitio smiles her enigmatic smile again and tells me she has enjoyed our conversation very much.  She learned much and has much to ponder.  I tell her I feel the same.  Good, she says, we shall do this again.

She turns, walks into the woods and with a wind and a wush she is gone. 

Wow.  Not surprising that someone from the stars is over my head.

New Study Disputes Long Held Beliefs

A study was published today simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association.  The study has far reaching medical impact, but probably even more probable social impact.  The following is a list of the findings.

Race is not contagious.  Despite the fear of many White folks, being in the same space as an African American is not likely to change the White person to a Black person.  In fact, the study focused on the 325 million Americans alive today and could not find one instance of contagious race.  Every person born white remained white despite their contact with Hispanic, Arab, Black, etc. people.

Sexual preference is not contagious.  Despite the fear of many heterosexual parents, being in the same space as a homosexual, a pan sexual, a transsexual, etc. is not likely to change the sexual preference of the heterosexual person.  The study focused on the 325 million Americans alive today and could not find one instance of change in sexual preference due to sharing a bathroom or sitting in a classroom or any other event where proximity was a concern.  Every heterosexual person remained heterosexual despite their contact with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or queer person.

The DNA of Christians is not different from other humans.  Despite attitudes to the contrary, after a review of over 200 million Christians and 200 million non-Christians the researchers found that there was no substantial differences in DNA between Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.  A surprising discovery was made in this area, however.  Christians who attend mega churches, fundamentalist churches and evangelical churches average one standard deviation below the average IQ of other believers and non-believers.  Atheists are one standard deviation above all believers.

Education is contagious.  Parents with high levels of education tend to promote high levels of education in their children.  Parents with low levels of education tend to disparage college degrees, attend a fundamentalist church, and watch Fox News.  Their children end up preferring belief systems to scientific fact and raise their own children accordingly.  Parents with high levels of education tend to raise very well educated liberals.

Of all the variables of interest, only education tends to have a contagious component.  Children surrounded by highly educated adults and highly educated peers tend to develop to a high level of education themselves, capable of sorting fact from fiction, belief from fact, and demagoguery from integrity.  Conservative thinkers do not promote dramatic increases in learning nor do they celebrate scientific, mathematical, and fine arts success.  They envision K-12 education as an institution that exists solely to promote extra-curricular activities and college education as a total waste of time and money.  There remains a clear basis for their bliss.

Who Needs Protection?

As rumors fly today that Trump will go around Congress to reduce the taxes on capital gains I wonder what the hell we are doing.  Who are we promoting?  Who are we protecting?  Who is benefitting from a year and a half of policy reversals?

I suppose the first real question is, should the federal government ever intervene with rules and regs in areas of concern?  I know libertarians and many conservatives say “no” to this question.  They argue that the government should govern less, not more.  I believe they are wrong.  If the federal government governed less we would still have slavery, we would still have segregation, we would not protect workers, we would not ensure the food we eat and fluids we drink are safe, we would not serve children with disabilities, we would not have allowed women to vote, we would not ensure that children do not starve, we would not ensure that workers receive at least some sort of minimum wage, we would not have ensured that minorities have the right to sit anywhere on a bus or in a diner, we would not have provided some sort of health care for the poor, we would not have monitored the environmental impact of business practices, we would have allowed the majority religion to enact laws promoting their beliefs, women would have no say in their own reproductive rights, women could be harassed, and on and on and on.  In fact, it has always seemed to me that libertarians and some conservatives must oppose all the advancements in our society, or that they do not see treating all humans the same as a good thing.  So my answer is hell yes the federal government must intervene to ensure equal treatment of humans regardless of wealth, race, sexual identity, religious belief, etc.  To not do so means we do not believe all men (sic) are created equal, but we believe that the strong and wealthy should rule.

So, who are we protecting now?  Who are we watching out for?  The answer is clear to me.  We are watching out for wealthy, white, Christian, heterosexual, men, corporations, banks, finance institutions and shareholders.  We are not watching out for poor people or people of color.  We are not watching out for our environment.  We are not watching out for groups who have historically experienced discrimination.  We are not watching out for women’s rights, or the rights of people with different religious views or the rights of people with non-heterosexual orientations.  We are not watching out for labor.  We are not watching out for public education.  We are not watching out for those who have no health insurance.  We are no longer saying, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”  Nor are we following the words of Jefferson, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost”.

What is most interesting to me is the notion that the government that governs least governs best is quickly forgotten when promoting government rules and programs that help the conservatives.  As the economy crashed in 2008 it was the stock brokers and banks and auto industry who were first in line to receive handouts, and now as the tariffs hurt our farmers we quickly consider throwing money at them to help them.  Meanwhile, Flint has unsafe water and Puerto Rico continues to suffer from Maria and the President is threatening a government shutdown if he does not get funding for his wall.  Handouts to the wealthy are OK, just not for the poor.  Building walls is OK, but not building bridges for those who suffer elsewhere.  Giving the wealthy more money and policies to help them is OK, just not those who need it the most.

We are protecting those who least need protection.  We are protecting those who seek power and control without limits.  We are protecting those who are wealthy but still want more.  We are protecting the wrong groups.  We are protecting liars and sexual predators and con men.  And in doing so, we are losing what it means to be America. 

Congratulations Trump Supporters!

As children are separated from their parents at our borders, as Trump prepares to add another conservative to the Supreme Court, as the tariffs begin to backfire, as unemployment begins to rise, as interest rates begin to rise, as our allies turn more and more against us, as it has become OK to attack anyone who is different or thinks differently, as prejudice and misogyny become acceptable, as key leadership roles are doled out based on who you know and not what you know, as we return our policies and practices to the 1950’s, and as the wealthiest of Americans grow ever more so, it occurs to me we have not as a nation stopped to thank those who continue to support this President and praise those supporters for their accomplishments.  So this is my salute to Trump supporters.

First, congratulations on your decision to be born in the United States of America.  The number of people world-wide who did not make this decision vastly outnumber those of you who chose so wisely.  You are to be commended.  Further congratulations should go to Trump supporters whose lineage does not include any immigrants and were obviously placed here by God on the 6^th day.

Congratulations that you chose to be born an Anglo.  The number of people in our country who did not make this decision are our fastest growing segment, so you are to be commended for making this choice as well.

Congratulations that you chose to be born to an English-speaking family.  So many Americans did not make this decision and continue to be handicapped in our country by their language skills.  Once again, you chose wisely and are to be commended.

Congratulations that you chose to be raised in a “Christian” family, or that you have had a “born again” experience.  It is not everyone who is able to claim Christianity while supporting anti-Christian policies and for your mental ability to do so should earn you praise and recognition.  Further, your ability to support Supreme Court decisions and enacting laws and policies that make your particular religious beliefs the law of the land is equally remarkable considering one of the fundamental values of this country.  It is truly remarkable that you can simultaneously claim Christianity and patriotism when your beliefs are the antithesis of both.

Congratulations that you chose to be born a male.  That is clearly a stellar decision and positions you for all sorts of perks that women do not receive.  And congratulations if you did not choose to be born a male but as a woman chose to support male hegemony, misogyny and use of women as sex objects.  That is a remarkable mental and emotional position to hold and few women world-wide are able to be so submissive.  You are to be commended.

Congratulations to all Trump supporters who clearly support making profit over protecting the only planet we have and the humans that live here.  Non-Trump supporters cannot understand why we would allow oil companies, pharmaceutical companies, and the like to do what they wish despite the evidence that it harms us all.  Non-Trump supporters cannot understand why protections for workers in the work place should be decreased because it helps profits.  Non-Trump supporters cannot understand how our nation can fund Trump’s properties and a military parade, but not fund aid to American citizens in Puerto Rico and cure deadly drinking water in Flint.  Once again, the ability of Trump supporters to support such policies is well beyond anything non-Trump supporters can understand.

Congratulations to all gun-loving Trump supporters who are able somehow to witness 154 mass shootings in 2018 and believe that we do not need more restrictions on gun purchases despite the evidence that such restrictions work.  It cannot be that Trump supporters support killing innocent people, and yet their ability to oppose anything that might reduce such horror is intellectually beyond the understanding of non-Trump supporters.

Congratulations to all Trump supporters for the fact that you have achieved a rarefied intellectual position whereby you can support a liar, a racist, a misogynist, a con man, a narcissist, and a person ignorant of economics, US history, US traditions, our constitution and our fundamental human rights and somehow think this is best for our nation.  Few non-Trump supporters can even begin to grasp how you are able to do this so it is, in fact, a rarefied position.  The ability to live with such cognitive dissonance is beyond most other Americans and you should be commended for such.

Congratulations to all Trump supporters who have helped establish that whites rule, conservatives rule, men rule, the rich rule and big business rules instead of a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people.  You should be proud.

If God Had a Sense of Humor

If there is a God I cannot imagine that he or she is conservative.  And if he or she had a sense of humor, then the following would be confirmation:

Donald Trump awakes looking like Halle Berry with a Nigerian birth certificate.  He is consistently groped at all his rallies.

Jeff Sessions awakes to discover he is a transgender Black person.

Kelly Ann Conway awakes to discover she is mute.

Sarah Sanders awakes to discover her nose grows longer every time she lies.

Mike Pence awakes to find Jesus at the foot of his bed warning him against blasphemy and heresy for his stand on women’s rights and homosexuals, and if he doesn’t change his ways he will turn to salt.

Paul Ryan awakes to discover he looks the same but his penis has been replaced by a vagina.

Mitch McConnell awakes to discover he looks and sounds just like Nancy Pelosi.

Fox News and all affiliates awake to discover they have no electricity and cannot broadcast.

The Koch brothers awake to discover they are gay and have an incestual relationship that is publicly known.

Ann Coulter awakes looking just like Michele Obama.

Every member of Trump’s Cabinet awake to find they have changed gender and race.

Hilary Clinton awakes looking just like Wonder Woman.

All Republicans now have to live in the world they are attempting to create as a member of the group they most despise and fear.  Anglos become Black or Hispanic, American citizens become immigrants, gun owners’ weapons disappear, the straight awake gay, males awake female and pregnant, the rich awake poverty stricken, CEO’s awake non-unionized certified teachers, and the healthy awake with serious health issues and no insurance.  

What a learning opportunity that would be for all these folks!  I’d be LMAO.

But, God is not funny or fun and I am not counting on any of the above to happen.  Just wish it would.

The Bigfoot Maneuver

Donald Trump is the master of avoiding accountability and shifting blame.  Frankly, other than some college girlfriends, I have never seen anything like it and I am fascinated by such an ability.  He claims to have the largest crowd ever at his inauguration, an obvious lie, and blames the media for depicting otherwise.  He claims he wins with a landslide, an obvious lie, and he blames fraudulent voters.  He claims to be a stable genius and in no way demonstrates either his stability or his genius.  When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico Trump argued that we did not respond because it was not as big a deal as Katrina, that Puerto Rico was bankrupt, that we did not have enough money in the budget to help, the island was in bad shape before the storm and that the military mismanaged distributing food.  Harvard estimates 4,600 Americans died in the storm and as of March 11% of the island was still without electricity.  Once again, Trump blames others.

His most recent maneuver was at the G7 meeting where he stood firm on tariffs he has imposed on our allies, yes, our allies.  Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Greece, Netherlands, Austria, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic now have tariffs on imported steel and aluminum by Presidential order.  Congress did not approve this.  Trump did.  And every time one of those nations makes a public statement against the imposition of the tariffs, Trump refers to them as weak, or back-stabbers, or worse.  Worse, while insulting our allies he spends time promoting Russia’s entry into the G-7.  He leaves the summit early and he refused to sign a document endorsed by the other 6 nations.  Amazing.  Fox news backs him up.  No one else on the world stage does.  In fact, Fox News is banned in most European nations because it repeatedly broadcasts lies in the name of news.

Trump can walk into a room and intentionally step on everyone’s toes.  When they complain he simply says it happened because their feet were too big.  The Bigfoot Maneuver.  It is not Trump’s fault.  It is the fault of the people in the room.  His position is clear, if you do not like what Trump has said or done it is your fault and you must be a traitor, or weak.  Fake news to him is anything that is critical of him. 

Most amazing of all is that there is a solid 30 to 40% of Americans who believe this man despite the fact he has told a documented 3,000+ lies in the year and half he has been in office.

The following events this week help reveal the warped reality in Trump land.  The Supreme Court confirms it is OK to discriminate based on religious beliefs.  Really?  My faith is anti-some groups of people and it is OK that I practice that?  No one challenges the nature of such a faith?  Nope.  Conservative judges allow conservative Christians to discriminate.  Wonder what would happen if I owned a business and refused to serve Christians because I believe they are harming the fabric of America?

Net neutrality is dead.  Now the big media and communications can charge the lowly consumer more and increase their profits.  We now have a government that is for big business, by big business and of big business.

Trump faked the celebration of the Eagle’s Super Bowl victory because the Eagle players did not want to go.  His staffers were on the lawn of the White House pretending to be Eagle fans.  And while he was at it, Trump forgot the words to “God Bless America” while he was on camera.  If ever there was a man willing to bend reality to his false reality, Trump is that man.

Fox News runs a special on “The Truth About UFO’s.”  Really.

Seven states, guess where, are suing the federal government over DACA, or the Dreamers Act.  This is currently federal law.  It has not been overturned by the courts nor has it been replaced by new legislation.  It is the law of the land.  The Trump Department of Justice has announced they will not defend the DACA act against this suit because they think the act is illegal.  Whoa.  That is not for the DOJ to decide, that is for the courts to decide.  Simply put, if Trump does not like the federal law even though it is the law, his department of justice will not defend the law making the department of justice violate the law.  It is a new reality.  Good thing this DOJ was not in office when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

And on and on.  Trump is rewriting American values and seems oblivious to reality, the law, the Constitution, etc.  He has passed no legislation other than a tax reform bill that rewards the rich and punishes everyone else and dramatically increases the federal debt.  He cannot afford to help Puerto Rico, but he can afford millions of dollars of tax payer money playing golf at his resort and millions of dollars for a military parade.  His reality is not reality. 

He only survives because he is a master of the Bigfoot Maneuver.  Or the blame the victim maneuver.  Or the pass the buck maneuver.  Or the right-hand of god syndrome, or whatever.  And he survives because a small percentage of Americans are aligned with his version of reality.  To have such a man as the President of the United States is totally unacceptable.  To find fellow Americans who support such a man is more than sad, it is tragic.

Public School Leaders Should Be Liberals

If you want to be an astrophysicist and you believe the earth is flat and the sun orbits the earth I would strongly recommend you consider other career options.  Your beliefs and your profession are in direct conflict.  If you want to be a biologist and do not support the scientific theory of evolution I would strongly recommend that you consider other career options.  If you are an atheist and aspire to be a preacher, if you are a pacifist and aspire to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, if you hate technology and aspire to be a computer technician, if you hate contact sports and aspire to coach football, if you are very concerned about our environment and global warming and aspire to be the CEO of an oil company, etc., etc., then I would strongly recommend you consider other career options. 

If you are a member of the board of a public school system, if you are a superintendent of schools, if you are a principal, if you are a teacher and you are conservative, then I strongly recommend you vacate your position or have an epiphany.  Your beliefs and your profession are in direct conflict.  Hopefully this piece will encourage epiphanies.

Public schools in the US are supported by tax payers for the purpose of providing education to all the kids in the community.  Not some of the kids.  All of the kids.  Not just the brightest kids.  All of the kids.  Not just kids without disabilities.  All of the kids.  Not just white kids.  All of the kids.  Any governmental operation that provides a universal service regardless of prerequisites is by definition a liberal operation.  Operations that are competitive or have entrance requirements tend to be conservative.

Even more, the employees of public education are paid by tax dollars.  The buildings and equipment of public schools are owned by the public.  In short, public education is a socialistic operation.  It is not free enterprise, it is not competitive.  It is equally applied to all and owned by all.  That in its simplest form is socialistic.  It is democratic socialism.

Conservatives do not support public schools.  They consistently reduce funding.  They consistently increase accountability.  They consistently attempt to channel tax payer dollars to private sector interests such as charter schools or by using vouchers to decrease public school funding and reward private schools.  It is hard to imagine a conservative agenda that is helpful to public schools.  Standardized testing is a conservative push.  High teacher accountability based on test scores is a conservative push.  Judging schools and school districts based on high stakes accountability tests is a conservative push.  Forbidding teacher unions is a conservative push.  Increased teacher certification standards is a conservative push.  Standardized lock-step curriculum is a conservative push.  Text book adoption and curriculum adoption that supports the conservative party line rather than uncensored knowledge is a conservative push.  In short, anything that decreases funding for public education while making the success of public education less likely is a conservative push.  Conservatives want to reduce taxes and decrease governmental services.  And few operations are as expensive as public schools. 

Liberals support public schools.  They consistently argue that without a basic education our democracy is at risk.  Without students who are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators our future economy is at risk.  In the information age students do not need to know facts as much as they need skills to find facts and analyze facts.  That requires creative, innovative, motivated teachers.  Such teachers are hard pressed to survive in the rigid conservative schema of defined curriculum and high stakes testing.

Liberals want to increase funding of public schools.  Liberals want to eliminate all the private sector vampires attached to public schools that suck away tax payer dollars for private enterprises inclusive of charter schools and companies that generate standardized tests.  Liberals know that reducing class size is expensive, but will reap huge rewards. 

In short, if a school board member, a superintendent, a principal, a teacher supports the conservative agenda they are biting the hand that feeds them, they are working for a philosophy determined to reduce public education effectiveness so that more tax dollars flow to the pockets of private sector people.  Every time a teacher laments preparation for the high stakes testing he or she should recognize that is what conservatives want.  Every time a superintendent and school board must wrestle with the issue of increasing teacher salaries or providing support for increasing health care premiums or increasing the number of teachers to meet the needs of more kids they wrestle with the conservative impact on public schools.  All of these folks should be liberals.  If not, they are like the atheist in the pulpit.

How would you know if your school leadership is conservative or not?  There are simple tests.  Does your board and administration endorse positions at the state level that decreases school accountability and increases funding?  If not, they are conservative.  Does your board and administration promote competitive activities over providing quality education to all?  For instance, does staffing coaches take priority over staffing teachers?  If the coach to varsity player ratio is better than the teacher to kindergartner ratio they are conservative.  When election results in your area are posted is it clear that most of the teachers must have voted for the conservative candidate?  When national issues like gun safety and control arise does your school leadership land on the side of protecting students or protecting gun owners?  If they protect gun owners at the expense of students they are conservative.  Does your school leadership promote political involvement and activity of students and staff.  If not, they are conservative.  Does your school leadership feel like prayer should be implemented in school, that theories and discussions regarding critical issues should only have the conservative perspective presented, that teachers with liberal bumper stickers should be fired?  If so, they are conservative.

They shouldn’t be.  Those leaders should be liberals.  As long as tax dollars flow to employees of public schools and they in turn support policies that reduce the flow of tax dollars to public schools and policies that continue to hamstring effective instruction then public school people are working hard to undo the profession they have chosen. 

Public schools are a notion of a liberal democracy.  Many nations do not support educating all kids.  Many nations do not support providing more than one view of the world in their schools.  Many nations are simply concerned that the privileged few actually get an education.  That should not be true in America.  That should not be true in a democracy.  Until the leadership in public schools stands up and says that the agenda of the Secretary of Education for instance, is in fact un-American and anti-public schools we are at risk of the ability to maintain the notion that all men (sic) are created equal and have the right to the pursuit of happiness.

I repeat, if you are a member of the board of a public school system, if you are a superintendent of schools, if you are a principal, if you are a teacher and you are conservative, then I strongly recommend you vacate your position or have an epiphany.  Your beliefs and your profession are in direct conflict.