Compassionate Cronyism

Following the lead of the big-hearted education bosses in Louisiana to delay for one year the intellectual and emotional genocide against the State's poor and minority children, Spellings announced yesterday that the Federal testing sanctions will take a break next year as well, at least in schools with Katrina refugees. In a Brownie-esque fit of pique that clearly shows that she has more access to power than good sense, Susan Aspey, in the role of ED's bad cop, snapped to reporters:

"It's important to note that is not Waiver City . . . No one has gotten a waiver yet, and these schools will have to show that they did not meet the state standards because of this disaster and these displaced students."

Gracious in defeat, they are not. It should be noted that the disaster she refers to is Katrina, even though the much larger disaster, of course, is NCLB itself. Relief from that one will have to wait until '07.

In making the announcement, Spellings tried to defend the private school voucher giveaway of $488,000,000 that is planned during the Gulf Coast disaster. Waiting in the wings, of course, to see if this compasionate cronyism will stick in Congress, are the education industry corporate welfare artists like Whittle (no relation to Tucker Carlson, I understand), Big Bill Bennett, etc.

Please call your Congressman today to vote No on the half-billion dollar private school voucher giveaway.