Reactions to Travel Restrictions Highlight Public Education Failure

Ironically, some of the ballyhoo surrounding the travel restrictions serves to highlight the failure permeating our system of public education.  One report describes how “tech giants” joined in an amicus curiae brief against the executive order.  The report states, “The ban prevents tech companies from attracting talent,” indicating they can not source enough “talent” from within the United States.

Public education is in shambles.  There is no other way to put it.  Story after story, report after report describe the problem from a variety of perspectives.  Attempting to counter these reports and stories, some elected officials employ a form of progressive sleight of hand to try to convince us the problem is not real.  One such ploy is reporting graduation rates are rising, thereby arguing education is improving. In perhaps one of the most egregious stories, in New York, “Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña cite the city wide 72 percent graduation rate as evidence that schools are improving. Rarely noted — only an average 37 percent of students graduate ready for college.” 

Only “37 percent of students graduate ready for college.”  Really?  And the same New York Post article reports, “But the stats are even worse at other schools such as Urban Assembly HS of Music and Art in Brooklyn, which boasted a 82.5 percent graduation rate but only 3.8 percent of the senior class was college ready.”  A measly 3.8 percent of a senior class was evaluated as college ready.  Almost concurrently the Mayor of New York touts “a record high graduation rate of 72.6 percent in 2016 after five straight years of improvement.”  Of course, teacher unions clap loudly at the otherwise abysmal results, with the Post reporting, “The teachers union also hailed the results.”  Even if accepting the claim of a 72.6 percent graduation rate, the level of college preparedness is highly questionable based on other reports.

The preceding examples come from one public school system in New York City, that bastion of liberal policies and approaches.  It can be argued that if New York City cannot provide quality public education, then it likely cannot be provided elsewhere.  And the tech sector relies on a highly educated workforce, though sadly the nation is meeting its public education responsibilities, with the former CEO of Sun Microsystems declaring public education is failing.  And this circles back to the views of “tech giants.”     

The tech giants complain about an inability to attract talent from overseas, implying if not outright stating they cannot find the talent they require within our country: a country with more than 50 million students in elementary and secondary education, according to The National Center for Education Statistics estimates.  Certainly the raw talent needed by the tech giants should be found in such a large student population.  Apparently not, if we are to believe the tech giants.

If nothing else decries the state of public education, certainly the complaints of leading tech companies that hire enormous number of employees must stand out.  Regardless of what the elected officials and school unions would have us believe, the public school system is failing too many of our citizens.  When major employers cannot find adequately numbers of prepared individuals for the workforce they need from local resources, and so complain about travel restrictions closing off some sources of potential employees, it rings as an indictment against public education. 

Ironic, isn’t it, that an unintended consequence of the ballyhoo surrounding travel restrictions is the stark and unambiguous condemnation of public education.    

Come Wednesday morning, one thing is certain

Come Wednesday morning, one thing is certain.

Half the country will be angry, disappointed, and genuinely concerned.

And what will that anger, disappointment, and genuine concern portend?

The divisiveness building over the past two presidential administrations will rise to extraordinary levels.  Arguably much, much worse than those fed by the machinations over the past nearly eight years.  

To study an ineffective Congress, one merely needs to look at how Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker of the House Pelosi colluded to deliberately withheld votes and changed long, honored procedures to ram through some bills, while intentionally letting contentious, though important bills lay dormant.  At a time the Democrats held both chambers, major problems (national debt, immigration, and tax reform to name a few) requiring Congressional action remained unaddressed.  Likewise, when Republicans held majorities in both chambers, Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Speakers of the House Boehner and Ryan did not force matters with the President by crafting and sending legislation to floors votes and eventually the President.  The floor votes and potential presidential vetoes would have irrefutably demonstrated to the electorate which party really supported the interests of the nation and which was obstructionist.  As a result, the Republican majorities in both chambers failed to take up the fight to rein in a lawless president and the nation suffered.

And what will the post election anger, disappointment, and genuine concern portend? 

Regardless of which candidate claims victory, it is unlikely there will a mandate voted into either or both chambers of Congress.  Majorities (if any) will remain relatively slim, with the Senate majority currently up for grabs.  So the ineffectiveness defining recent Congresses will continue.  If anything, due to the unprecedented nature of the 2016 election, even further retrenchment is highly likely.  Ideologues from both parties will fire off combative and conflicting statements of blame.  Unsubstantiated assertions and allegations will flood the media.  All the while, important matters (national debt, immigration, tax reform, national security, education) will get no better and may even become worse.

And half of the nation will continue to be angry, disappointed, and genuinely concerned. 

Once in office, the newly elected president may continue to unlawfully expand employment of executive orders as a form of governance.  Whether Congress or the courts will rein in  such lawlessness is doubtful based on recent history.  And with an eight member Supreme Court, contentious judicial nominations will become major illustrations of government dysfunction.

Legal challenges of all sorts will be levied, again, regardless of who claims victory.  Hearings, lawsuits, FOIA requests, etc. will proliferate.

All the while, half of the electorate will be angry, disappointed, and genuinely concerned.

Perhaps, just perhaps, a shift will occur because of this anger, disappointment, and concern.  Maybe some elected officials will look to the 2016 election and see that it as a wake up signal, regardless of political leanings.  It is possible the enough elected officials may wake up and recognize that they must tackle, by some form of of compromise, the serious matters facing our country.  One good start: instead of omnibus appropriation and spending bills, separate bills (as intended) will be legislated and sent to the president for signature.  Maybe enough elected officials will see the need to remove riders and amendments, so that basic matters can be addressed.  Maybe enough elected officials will recognize the time is right to once and for all tackle wasteful pork in the national budget.   Maybe, just maybe, the word compromise will enter the daily vocabulary.

If not, by then the entire electorate will be justifiably angry, disappointed, and genuinely concerned.  And that would portend a legitimate national crisis.