THE VIRTUECRAT….Reed Hundt writes that back when he was chairman of the FCC he spent some time seeking support for legislation that would pay for internet access in all classrooms and libraries in the country. He asked Bill Bennett if he’d be willing to help:
Since Mr. Bennett had been Secretary of Education I asked him to support the bill in the crucial stage when we needed Republican allies. He told me he would not help, because he did not want public schools to obtain new funding, new capability, new tools for success. He wanted them, he said, to fail so that they could be replaced with vouchers, charter schools, religious schools, and other forms of private education. Well, I thought, at least he’s candid about his true views.
Indeed he is, as we’re even more aware of now thanks to events of recent days. He’s quite a guy, isn’t he? A real conservative hero.
POSTSCRIPT: By the way, two years ago I wrote that I thought there was a similar agenda behind NCLB: it was a stealth attempt to eventually label every public school in the country as “failing,” thus ginning up support for vouchers and privatization. I’ve had a number of liberals tell me I’m wrong about that, but nobody has really explained why I’m wrong. Stuff like this just convinces me more than ever that I’m not.
