At any rate, since Mr. Bennett had been Secretary of Education I asked him to support the bill in the crucial stage when we needed Republican allies. He told me he would not help, because he did not want public schools to obtain new funding, new capability, new tools for success. He wanted them, he said, to fail so that they could be replaced with vouchers,charter schools, religious schools, and other forms of private education.
This is the part that bugs me. Most conservatives I know do not hate government--nor do they hate public schools. They want effective and efficient government. They want better public schools, not the elimination of public schools. Why do all these conservatives support idiots like Bennett and Bush?
7 comments:
This is the key to "No Child Left Behind," or as I like to think of it, "No Child Left a Dime."
You wrote:
"Why do all these conservatives support idiots like Bennett and Bush?"
As a conservative who supports George Bush and Bill Bennett (whose comments were laughably taken out of context), I can tell you that my reasoning is that they are not Democrats, and thusly, not advocating collectivism.
And while I may have criticisms against this current administration's spend-thrify ways, the fact that they're not Democrats trumps all else. Really.
More details: www.atlasblogged.com
Actually, I don't think I took Bennett's remarks out of context. I know he was making an anti-abortion comment. But to make the race connection he did was stupid. He could have easily said that aborting all white babies would have immediately dropped the crime rate.
But your response is telling. You support a guy who is not really a conservative (no fiscal responsibility to be seen, no responsible foreign policy, and no governmental transparency) all because they are not democrats? Really?
Under Clinton, with all of their problems, we had a better economy, better environment, and more responsible foreign policy. The same could be said for George H. W. Bush as well. See, I am not a knee jerk liberal.
You, however, are a knee-jerk conservative. Don't expect respect for that. My post was and is critical of conservatives who seek to destroy the government and undermine our social contract. If you support that, then you better be well off. Because if they get their way, you won't be able to avord education for your kids, healthcare for anyone, and certainly there will only be your local church if a disaster hits.
Oh, and one more thing: collectivism? Are you serious? Are you really trying to say that democrats are socialists?
If you are, then I suggest you know nothing about either socialism or the Democratic party. Or liberalism in this country--both classic and contemporary. You show very little knowledge of our history and the role that the state has played, nor the role that the corporation has played.
Not impressive.
I wonder if we could combat global warming by simply aborting partisan jackasses. I'm not saying that it would be a good idea, but clearly it would mean that there would be a lot less hot air.
Regardless of whether his remarks were taken out of context, it is clear that Bennett is equating being Black with being a criminal. All 'x' are 'y' is sloppy thinking, and, in this case, it's racist.
It's always interesting to me when labels trump what might otherwise be a sincerely held principle. For example:
Note anonymous' support for the Bush administration's "spend-thrify ways" despite his/her apparent fiscal conservatism simply because he (GWB) proudly wears a Republican brand. (Let's not kid ourselves, U.S. political parties are simply Coke-and-Pepsi style brands with similar marketing arms).
Similarly, note the continuing support Clinton enjoyed among those whose mission included combatting sexual harassment in the workplace. Why? He was a Democrat and Democrats "support women's issues" (whatever that means).
I think the old saying, "he may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch" really rings true. It's really a twisted form of unconditional love, in a sense, isn't it?
Anon, really did answer your question, though you disagree with him. Why do they support Social Darwinism, because Bush is a Republican.
Clarence Page, columnist for the Chicago Tribune, has an excellent take on Bennett's recent comments on abortion and the crime rate. See
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0510020077oct02,1,2362556.column?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed
Post a Comment