Everything you said in your post is correct, and depressing.
Three times Washingtonians have voted down the privatization of our public schools but the monied class wants their hands on the public purse. There has been no honest discussion of charter school realities. The facts that charters don't do a better job of educating students and that they promote segregation and drain needed resources from traditional schools, that really do take all comers, are well documented but the corporate elites (who are sponsoring this shit) don't care about good public policy they just want our wealth.
That's what an American philanthropist looks like.

Last edited Mon Nov 5, 2012, 03:39 AM - Edit history (1)

covering it. The Seattle Times, our local rag both support 1240 (& as one local blogger has documented, the Times is suppressing counter-evidence).

Most people don't have the time or inclination to dig.

I've found that rather than rebut the arguments in the false paradigm presented by the media (schools getting worse, 'bad teachers,' 'bad schools,' etc), which gets you bogged down in minutia (sp?), it's best just to cut to the chase: wall street, finance capital, education for profit, and your local tax dollars being siphoned away to support the global monied classes.

Yesterday I converted a romney voter on this issue. I was very surprised at how receptive he was to the global capital/privatization argument -- when presented as a loss of control over local resources and a triumph of big capital over local people.

But I have a bad feeling that 1240 is going to pass.

There is no way to fight this stuff except with boots on the ground, getting out & talking to people, sponsoring educational events at the local level, going in & talking to college kids, citizens' groups, etc. and recruiting more people willing to put some unpaid time in. And I really don't think it takes that much money, but it does take a good organization that's really dedicated to going to the grassroots.

No one with money is interested in creating such an organization. Not the major parties, not (apparently) what's left of the 'left'.

and (on edit) the far right is taking over the anti-corporate rhetoric that is properly the territory of the left. An anti-corporate video whose talking heads = ron paul, pat buchanan, edward griffin:

.....but here is something that will create a fair playing field once again: During a second term, President Obama will be able to "pack" the Supreme Court with liberal justices. Citizen's United is doomed to be overturned.

but I hope you are right that he has that opportunity. If he does get that chance, I'm sure he will "pack" the court.

voted against it.

I'm an IAM member and they also recommend voting "no" as well. Not sure how much they have contributed....

Count my husband, myself and my son (with three school age kids) voting no on the prop.

are on the same ballot with charter schools is to bring out more conservatives -- to vote against the first two but vote *for* the last one, which is the most important one to the ruling class.

By the way, I was thinking of this thread listening to the radio yesterday. You know the story about George Lucas selling Lucasfilm to Disney? Guess who he's pledged to give the money to in his will.

foundation.

like all the super-rich assholes.

Not surprised to hear he has his own outfit too.

pretty much buy the table if it remains persistent and keeps raising the ante every time it loses a hand.

to mention that money lets you mark and shuffle the deck, call the game and deal every hand.