Polluting the Water

Remember when Donald Trump railed against Washington Bureaucrats? When

he promised to bring an end to political corruption and drain the swamp in

Washington D.C.?

Well, that was four months ago, and Trump hasnt done too much draining. If

anything hes just dumped more sewage in.

Because on Feb. 7 Betsy DeVos was confirmed to be the next secretary of

education, and shes the epitome of a Political insider. Just look at her track record:

Between 1997 and 2015, DeVos and her husband made $47,559,870 in

campaign contributions, according to the Washington Post. Thats a whole lot of

mullah, and enough to potentially sway any politician for the wrong reason. But if

one was hoping to accuse DeVos of having too much political influence, he neednt

bother, because odds are shell confess before he has the chance.

My family is the biggest contributor of soft money to the Republican National

Committee, she wrote in a 1997 roll call of a publication covering congress. I have

decided to stop taking offense, at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now

I simply concede the point. They are right. We do expect something in return. We

expect to foster a conservative governing philosophy consisting of limited

government and respect for traditional American virtues. We expect a return on our

investment.

The issue with that, of course, is that her version of traditional American

values might not line up with everyone elses. But lets step aside from DeVoss
campaign contributions for a moment and analyze her as the next secretary of

education.

Because if DeVos was qualified to oversee the future of this nations children,

then her political donations wouldnt matter, right?

Perhaps. But theres no need to answer that question, because she is not

qualified. Not in the slightest. This newspaper is not exaggerating when it says it

would rather take an upside down mop with a bucket for a head than DeVos.

Now, this may seem harsh, so to ease anguish and dispel any thats

overreacting allegations, lets take a look at the facts.

DeVos has time and again said that she would be a strong advocate for

great public schools.

But during her hearing, hundreds of students and alumni from her former

school, Calvin College, wrote to senators and urged them not to vote for her, saying

that she did not have a strong commitment to public education.

And when asked when she believed in applying the same standards to public,

private and charter schools, DeVos refused to answer the question, instead stating

over and over again that she supports accountability.

She also seemed to be unfamiliar with the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act, which makes sure public schools provide disabled students with a

proper education, and oversees how states and public agencies aid millions of

students.
 And, in addition, DeVos argued that states should determine whether or not

guns should be allowed in schools, claiming that guns might be needed in Wyoming

to protect students from potential Grizzly bear attacks.

Its an absurd statement, and one thats borderline satire. But then again, a

lot of things said and done in this political season have been farcical, so why be

surprised now?

Betsy DeVos is the next secretary of education.

Trump promised to clean things up, and instead he dumped chili all over the

floor.

Oh well. At least students in Wyoming will be protected from those pesky

grizzlies.