March 4, 2020 Issue, Page 3 of 10

Page Text

Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma ‘Wednesday, March 4, 2020 Opinion Page Parents justified in student privacy concerns “ElkCituNews By Jonathan Small race, income, and disabil- allow —_anti-school-choice Recently, thousands of ity. Families are rightfully radicals to identify specific which experts agree has con- tributed to strong economic Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 Oklahoma students’ names concerned by those require- families? If you don’t think growth. At the state level and home addresses were ments because the legisla- there’s reason for concern on Spending Gov. Kevin Stitt wants to cut obtained from the Oklahoma tion did not include student- that front, you have not seen regulations by 25 percent. So Department of Education privacy safeguards typically the vitriol school-choice op- why has a GOP-controlled and used for mailers. Parents included in other reporting ponents aim at low-income were understandably upset. mandates. families online. Legislature chosen to head it like they In Arizona, the state De- It’s not unreasonable LNH recipients are not the opposite direction when partment of Education re- for parents to worry that it unreasonable in expecting it comes to a program that leased parent names and won't take long for people privacy to be safeguarded serves needy children? individual account infor- to identify students by name because those protections The Oklahoma Council stole it mation for more than 7,000 if a report shows a private are given elsewhere to other of Public Affairs believes in student-beneficiaries of a school has just a handful of students, For example, when accountability. But the trou- school-choice program. Par- LNH recipients and one is a state testing results are re- bling provisions of HB 1230 ents were understandably low-income black child with leased by school district, the do nothing to deter or identi- By Mike Davis upset. autism. data is withheld in instances fy potential fraud. They only When does government have the right to spend taxpayer But now Oklahoma law- Children served by LNH where the number of test- money? When should the government be forbidden from makers are telling parents private-school scholarships taking students is so low that create potential hardship for spending taxpayer money? 1889 Institute has developed not to worry about student either have special needs, reporting on results could families that already face five questions that should be asked before any government privacy, even though newly such as autism, or are foster allow identification by infer- more than their fair share of passed legislation mandates and adopted children. Many ence. challenges. To make Okla- entity spends a single dime. These questions are: reporting requirements that are survivors of abuse-in- The children with special homa a place where more 1. Is a program consistent with the mission of Oklaho- experts believe could allow cluding, at times, severe bul- needs targeted by HB 1230 families can thrive, Okla- ma’s government? This purpose was spelled out in our state identification of individual lying in public schools that deserve comparable protec- homa policymakers should constitution: “Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in students. prompted suicide attempts tions. stand up for those families, order to secure and perpetuate the blessing of liberty; to House Bill 1230 im- before the LNH program The Republican Party of- not add to their burdens. secure just and rightful government; to promote our mutual poses new regulations for Why ten presents itself as a cham- provided an alternative. Jonathan Small serves as welfare and happiness, we, the people of the State of Okla- the Lindsey Nicole Henry should the state make it pos- pion of deregulation in the (LNH) Scholarship Program sible for those children’s for- name of individual liberty president of the Oklahoma homa, do ordain and establish this Constitution.” Secure Council of Public Affairs that include releasing LNH mer tormentors to identify and job creation. President and perpetuate liberty (notice this comes first). Secure just them and their new school? Trump has slashed regula- (www.ocpathink.org<http:// data by school site and recip- and rightful government. Promote (not provide or estab- ient demographics including And why should the state tions at the federal level, www.oepathink.org/>). lish) mutual welfare and happiness. 2. Is the program or agency fulfilling a need only govern- ment can effectively fill? Government is funded through Bernie’s assault on our cliché of greatness threat of force. If you refuse to pay taxes, eventually men with guns will come for you. Therefore, government must by Robert C. Koehler — what I like to think of as mosphere behind the scenes before the Nevada caucus, “Excuse me, occasionally evolution — actually start at MSNBC, and throughout Sanders’ response: “I don’t not to step in where it is not needed. Lawmakers should it might be a good idea to be claiming political traction the corporate media, prior to carefully consider whether the use of force to accomplish a honest about American for- again? Matthews’ remark. care, frankly, who Putin given end is morally justified before committing taxpayer eign policy.” Sanders is leading in the Sanders had relatives mur- wants to be president. My money. I don’t think I’ve heard polls and has won the early dered in the Holocaust, for message to Putin is clear: 3. Are the benefits from a program or agency unambigu- that much honesty from a state caucuses and prima- God’s sake, but how could mainstream-party presiden- ries, but there’s no telling such a stupid comment form Stay out of American elec- ous, obvious, and universal? Ideally, the benefits from gov- tial candidate in virtually if he’ll succeed in actually in a pundit’s consciousness tions, and as president I will ernment programs would also be measurable. When this is half a century. And suddenly claiming the Democratic as a newsworthy observation make sure that you do.” infeasible, they should be large and obvious. The benefits this race begins to matter in nomination or, my God, de- about *any* candidate’s vic- of courts, police, fire departments, and sewer systems are a way that seems like . . . feating the orange-haired tory? The anti-Sanders, and And then there was the obvious, though impossible to measure. These benefits ac- oh my God, a return of de- ‘one, much less pushing a therefore _anti-progressive, New York Times, throwing crue to everyone. mocracy? Suddenly I don’t progressive, peace- and en- atmosphere at MSNBC must such poison seeds into the 4. Do the benefits ofa program indisputably outweigh the feel utterly marginalized as vironment-conscious agenda have been wide open and un- costs? Remember to factor in the total cost of the program, a voter, as an American, left through Congress. But this contained. wind as “his support for the not only the state’s contribution. For example, Oklahoma with nothing but cynical de- much seems apparent right And indeed, consider one Sandinistas” — as though spair as I wait to learn which now: He’s beating — and,I of the primary lines of attack there weren’t legitimate rea- would only be on the hook for 10% of Medicaid expan- “lesser evil” the Dems will hope, deconstructing — the on Sanders, the democratic sion, but if the benefits cannot be shown to outweigh the serve up for me as a candi- centrist media. socialist, by the corporate sons to support them and cost of both state and federal investments, then Medicaid date. These highly paid bounc- media: red-baiting. extreme controversy during should not be expanded. The words are those of ers are so used to defining Red-baiting is a throwback the Reagan years about U.S. 5. Does the existing program show evidence of past suc- Bernie Sanders, of course, the political limits of the to the unrestrained Cold War cess? Success means measuring effects, not effort. Look at standing up to the red-bait- American spectator democ- era, in the early ‘50s — the support for the anti-Sandini- tangible results of a program, such as student performance ing the moderators and some racy — ie., establishing McCarthy era, the HUAC sta rebels in of the other candidates werethe nature of reality (it’s a Activities_Committee> era on a national standards tests. Effort is the input into the Nicaragua, known as the slinging at him during the big horse race) — they are — when a grotesquely hypo- program, like how many 4 year olds are enrolled in pre-k. latest debate, trying their ever more contemptuous of critical moral righteousness contras. And in the same For all our spending on pre-k, there is no evidence of a best to bring him down. someone like Sanders, not to gained sufficient govern- paragraph, the Times seems positive impact. It should therefore be cancelled or restruc- He went on: “That in- mention the constituency for mental power to limit Amer- to summon the ghost of Jo- tured. cludes the fact that America whom he speaks. A glaring icans’ freedom of speech and These principles apply to all levels of government and has overthrown [democrat- example of this contempt thought by poisoning certain seph McCarthy, informing all forms of spending. There is no such thing as non-tax- ic] governments all over the was Chris Matthews’ idi- political positions with the America that Sanders had a world — in Chile, in Guate- otic blather on MSNBC last label “communist.” Has this payer-funded government spending. Federal money spent “honeymoon in the Soviet mala, in Iran.” week, in the wake of Sand- era returned? by states? Do you pay federal taxes? Money from corpo- Well, yeah, but... we’re ers’ big win in the Nevada Sanders has been lam- Union.” rate taxes? Do you buy things from corporations? still the greatest country on caucus, managing in a twist- basted recently for such Can you imagine electing Government actors spend taxpayer money. They have a the planet, right? I get why ed analogy to compare this sins as saying something responsibility to spend it like they earned it, not like they the corporate media hates victory to the Nazi invasion good about Fidel Castro a president so arrogant he stole it. Sanders and wants to get rid of France in 1940. telling Anderson Cooper on actually claims the right to Mike Davis is a Research Fellow at 1889 Insti- of him ASAP. The American Well, it turns out Mat- “60 Minutes”: “It’s unfair think for himself and chal- tute. He can be reached at mdavis@ 1889institute.org. poli 1 center (as it likes to thews hit himself in the to simply say everything lenge U.S. foreign policy, call itself) has done a helluva head with his own hardball. is bad, When Fidel Castro org<mailto:blepak@ 1889institute.org>. job marginalizing the truth- His profoundly offensive came into office, you know past and present? A presi- wielding, anti-war, _ pro- analogy immediately gener- what he did? He had a mas- dent who honeymooned un- empathy, pro-sanity wing sive literacy program. Is that Have something ated a #FireChrisMatthews der the Soviet moon? of the American population hashtag and he was forced to a bad thing? Even though ever since the early ’70s, spew an apology in order to Fidel Castro did it?” Pundits As the media is pointing in the wake of George Mc- keep his job. have been trying desperately out, the cliché we deeply Govern’s shattering defeat “Senator Sanders,” he said to tear Sanders cherish — we're good, to share? by Nixon. Never again! The two days later on his show to shreds over this outrage taming of the liberal agenda “Hardball,” “I’m sorry for (and seem to have no memo- they're bad — is under as- cleared the way for the Rea- comparing anything from ry of the mob-linked Fulgen- sault in 2020. gan domestic counter-revo- that tragic era in which so cio Batista, the Cuban leader *Robert Koehler* <http:// lution and the U.S. military’s many suffered, especially the overthrown by the Castro Send your letter recovery from Vietnam Syn- Jewish people, to an elected revolution). drome and public distaste for war. But now that all this result in which you were a well-deserved winner. This The media has also made a point of reporting that Sand- commonwonders.com/>* (**koehlercw@ gmail. is going to be a hard-fought, is settled and endless, profit- ers has been briefed by U.S. com* <koehlercw@gmail. spewing war is quiet back- heated campaign of ideas.” com>*), syndicated by to edlitor@ectlaily- intelligence that the Rus- ground noise . .. The apology was accepted sians are attempting to help **PeaceVoice* <http:// Along comes Bernie Sand- by the Sanders campaign, his campaign, seemingly ers, giving voice to ideas and whose manager said “we because he’s the candidate wwwpeacevoice.infol>*, is realities that have long been hope to get fairer coverage least likely to defeat Trump. a Chicago award-winning news.com declared taboo in American going forward.” And maybe While the briefing occurred journalist and editor. **He political discourse, certainly they actually will! over a month ago, it only be- at the level of presidential But what’s worth ponder- came news, reported by the is the author of Courage politics. Could real change ing for a moment is the at- Washington Post. the dav Grows Strong at the Wound.*