Secretary of Education pushes fake news about charter schools

Betsy DeVos spoke recently at Harvard and asserted that charter schools in her home state of Michigan generally get better test scores than traditional schools. 

A 2016 report by Politico, however, said:

Despite two decades of charter-school growth, the state’s overall academic progress has failed to keep pace with other states: Michigan ranks near the bottom for fourth- and eighth-grade math and fourth-grade reading on a nationally representative test, nicknamed the “Nation’s Report Card.” Notably, the state’s charter schools scored worse on that test than their traditional public-school counterparts, according to an analysis of federal data (emphasis added).

Bernie Sanders: Why We Need Medicare for All

Senator Bernie Sanders lays out a compelling case for "Medicare for All." This is what I argued for–a single-payer system–during the debates over the Affordable Care Act. We've changed the name, because some lunkheads complained about "socialized medicine" as if they even knew what that means. Oh heavens. Your freakin' police and fire departments are socialized. The military has socialized medicine now. Get over it. 

How can we afford medical care for everyone? Don't build one aircraft carrier. Don't build stuff the military doesn't want but is put in the budget because some member of congress wants to send a contract to a manufacturer in their district. How about closing a military base or two that we've maintained in Europe an Asia since the end of World War II. All a good start. How about not invading countries and staying for years? Savings? Trillions of dollars.

It is worth your time to read this important article.

So-Called-President Values Lawlessness

So-called-President Trump just pardoned a lawless oaf who was convicted contempt of court. Former-Sheriff Joe Arpaio was twice found guilty of contempt of court–once civil and once federal. Now that's a record any lawman should be proud.

Why twice convicted?  Federal authorities are responsible for enforcing immigration laws. However, Joe "Toughest-Sheriff-in-America" (as he called himself) Arpaio ordered his deputies to check the legal status of people they encountered. Joe instructed deputies to arrest undocumented individuals and turn them over to immigration authorities for deportation, even if they had committed no crime other than lacking documentation. A federal district judge ordered the sheriff in 2011 to halt the practice of stopping suspected undocumented immigrants. When Arpaio publicly refused to do so, the judge found him to be in civil contempt of court and recommended the criminal charge. In July, another federal judge convicted him of contempt of court, finding Arpaio had shown a "flagrant disregard" for the law and had "willfully violated the [2011] order."

Is this all they could get in a President when they bought and paid for one? Is it appropriate for even a so-called president to pardon clowns who flagrantly disregard and willfully violate the law. So much for a "law and order" president.

More: http://bzfd.it/2wcIgHA


You are going to have such great health care and at a lower cost.

"We failed. Boy am I pissed. And really embarrassed."

So the Republican attempt to deliver on their seven-year promise to reform health care tanks ingloriously. And the So-Called President blames Democrats. He needs to be reminded that Republican Senators sank their own health care bill. That bozo needs to be reminded also that the Democrats were not asked to help. Not to mention that not one hearing was held on the proposed bill. In McConnell's failed legislative strategy to right the bill in secret (not even the rest of Republican senate

Trump's new, yet faulty logic is to let "Obamacare" fail and then begin again. How cynical. Take the health insurance away from 30,000,000 Americans? Throw the insurance markets into turmoil? What is wrong with this loser-of-the-popular vote? Why not fix it? Make it a bipartisan attempt to fix what is wrong with the insurance market for individuals. Don't take health care away from those who already have health care.

As candidate Trump said during his campaign, "You are going to have such great health care and at a lower cost." Still waiting.

The beginning of the end ...

The cover up is on. Trump fired the FBI chief who is conducting an investigation to get at the possible collusion between Trump's campaign and ties to Russia.

But Trump didn't care for Comey long before today's action. Three things:

  1. Comey exonerated Hillary Clinton in the FBI investigation of her email practices (remember Trump was in full "Lock her up" mode at the time);
  2. After Trump became president Comey never backed up Trump's accusation that President Obama had spied on him; and
  3. Comey told Congress, during sworn testimony, that the bureau was investigating ties between Trump's campaign and Russia.

That's enough to make a very, very small man very, very pissed. 

I predicted before the So-Called President's inauguration that Trump would not last his full term. Remember Trump saying the job was harder than it looks? Time to bail. 

But this development means the White House in full cover up mode. Firing Comey will have the opposite effect from the one desired. I suspect that agents in the FBI will double down on the investigation on Trump and Russia ties.