Although that blog title is definitely click bait for anyone
looking for Super Bowl related articles, I’m not talking about football. I’m
actually talking about the bane of our collective existence: politics. Never in
the history of this country has the US been this saturated with media coverage
of politics but the team dynamics of sports isn’t used in vain though.
Right now it’s Team Trump versus Team Anti Trump, where one
side calls the other nearsighted idiots for such an abundant amount of reasons
that we would do much better by dropping the team mentality and thinking more
like citizens and yes, that’s a judgment call.
But this post is a lot more than about politics, it’s
actually about education and the nominee for Secretary of Education: Betsy
DeVos. Although most nominations have been questionable to say the least, DeVos
has to be in the top 3 weakest nominations and although I could rant and rave
about it, and push for my side of the argument, I did something different: I
wrote the senators in my state that might have a say in it and voiced my concern.
Being a largely Republican state, many would insist I wasted my time, but at
least I tried something and didn’t just go off on a rant on social media.
Seeing how most things are unfolding, I’m doing my best to
be a responsible citizen and voice my opinion in a way where my message is
carried across without being overly aggressive about my point of view. If you
insult people and call them idiots, odds are high they won’t listen and will
just strike back. If you voice your opinion as a concerned citizen, maybe there’s
a better chance of the message at least being read and a dialogue existing.
The fact remains, I’m extremely worried about this
nomination for Secretary of Education as well as several other positions. If
you want to read what I wrote, below is an exact copy of the message I sent to
Senator Johnny Isakson and Senator David Perdue:
--
Good morning, senator:
I’m writing in regards to the nomination of Miss Betsy DeVos
for Secretary of Education. In these highly charged times, people are rallying
for their teams and although I get that, I'm more of the mind to get the right
person for the job so rather than just jump the gun, I decided to do some
research in regards to her background. Although I might find some things in her
résumé that could be used to support her nomination, I find several others that
make me think better of it, among them her responses during several hearings
with members of the democratic party. Although I’m well aware that these
hearings are designed to grill people, that doesn’t change the fact that some
of her responses were actually worrying to me, namely her responses to topics
such as: the state of guns near or on school grounds, student safety in
general, and education standards. We’re all human and sometimes we don’t have
all the answers, but time after time I heard answers that continued to worry
me, especially for a position that is so vital for the nation.
At this point in time, I believe the US really needs to
buckle down and not only push for better students, but to help develop students
so that we may be more competitive on a global scale and to ensure we have
future professionals that can help us face the variety of challenges we shall
face as a nation. I won't ask you to approve or deny Miss DeVos because of my
beliefs or opinion, but I do sincerely request that you give this some real
thought. Politics have become a team sport and people root for their team even
if it's the wrong call. I honestly believe we can find someone more suited to
the position that will be fully capable to respond to the intense demands and
challenges this position encompasses.
Thank you for your time.
---
I did this not because I’m “reeling from losing the election”.
We’re past that. I wrote these two senators because regardless of whoever is
President, DeVos’s inability to reply to easy questions was worrying. Student
safety didn’t get a straight answer, guns in schools got a weird answer, and so
forth.
I didn’t write this as a liberal or a democrat. I wrote it
as a human concerned for the country he is living in. No team mentality. No
logos. No jerseys. Just concern and the desire to make a difference.
Peace, love, and democracy
No comments:
Post a Comment