The left is one of the strongest supporters of "our democracy," on one condition: They win the election. If it looks like Republicans might win, then it’s obviously an undemocratic plot designed to take us back to the Middle Ages.
That's confusing, since leftist energy policy appears to be designed to do just that, but it’s a topic for another column.
This strange phenomenon is being played out in West Virginia this fall.
The Associated Press (AP), which never fails to impute dangerous motives to Republicans when they might win an election, tells us "By law, all government agencies in West Virginia are required to submit new rules and regulations each year to lawmakers for final approval. The only agency exempt is the Department of Education. Amendment 4 would change that."
State school board members there are appointed to the longest terms in the US: nine years and removing one is a herculean task. Amendment 4 would serve as a check on the state school board and the department of education and add accountability to the system.
Judging by the reaction of teacher unions and educrats, you’d think the amendment also advocated school choice!
"Dale Lee, the head of the state’s largest public educators' union, said educators feel 'disrespected' and called the proposed amendment 'just another way of our politicians trying to erode our public schools with their own private agenda.'"
Calling it "our public schools" wasn’t an accident.
Teacher unions and educrats truly believe the school system belongs to them and the job of parents is to provide funding, children and then shut up.
Teachers and the education bureaucracy are unaccountable, and they like it that way.
Legislators, naturally enough, think if democracy is good for the legislature, it’s also good for the schools.
Parents are tired of perverts using the schools to sexualize and groom young children without parent’s knowledge. And they are equally weary with the same zealots injecting discussions of race and anti-white bias into every lesson plan.
Adding accountability is equally important at the granular level in education.
For decades U.S. education "experts" have been addicted to various education fads. One of the worst is banning the use of phonics in teaching reading and instead substituting "whole word" reading techniques.
As Newsmax contributor Tom Basile points out, "Phonics teaches reading by having the student break down each word into its individual sounds and then blending those sounds together. Thousands of schools have, unfortunately, adopted the 'whole word' method or 'sight words,' which is essentially memorization."
Phonics gives students the tools to analyze and break down an unfamiliar word so they can read it, while "whole word" instruction urges them to memorize the dictionary.
This is an important topic because reading test scores for students — after the introduction of "whole word" reading — "are the worst in more than 30 years."
West Virginia schools are ranked 45th in the nation by U.S. News in its education report card and the National Assessment of Educational Progress has West Virginia even lower at 48th.
As late as 2000 the West Virginia Department of Education had information on phonics instruction on its website. But now, Inspiration for Instruction tells us “The West Virginia Department of Education no longer has these lessons posted.”
We aren’t claiming a lack of phonics instruction is solely responsible for West Virginia’s education woes, but it is certainly a contributor.
And before this November parents who wanted emphasis placed on phonics had the option of going to the state department of education — which removed information on phonics instruction from its website — or doing nothing and hoping for the best.
After November, assuming the amendment passes, parents can go directly to their state legislator or state senator and make their voices heard. Legislators, in turn, could put pressure on state educrats to respond to parents.
That’s how a real democracy works. And you have to ask yourself, why do teacher unions and educrats fight so hard against it?
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker's bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.