Robert Morrow, Lani Popp, and the education establishment (It's a little funny)

"Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:"
Luke 18:9

There's a thought we've been having, off and on, for awhile.  It reoccurred to us yesterday.  We suppose now is as good a time as ever to say it.

 

Under anything remotely resembling normal circumstances, a strong conservative like Lani Popp is the type of State Board of Education candidate the educrat crowd would be desperate to stop.  Normally, they hate conservatives.  This time, however, they have no choice.

Case in point:

Former Republican board member Thomas Ratliff was not alone in his simple summation of the race: “Anybody but Robert Morrow will be fine.”

Facing the reality of a Robert Morrow candidacy, all of a sudden you have Thomas friggin' Ratliff [Hint: This guy] endorsing a conservative.

Lolz.

Bottom Line: Only a prude fails to see the humor in this one.

Does Freedom have a place in Education?!?

"Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life."
Proverbs 4:13

TPPF Policy Orientation: Education Savings Accounts: The Solution Texas Needs?!?

Stephanie Matthews, TPPF:

• Too many families don't have educational options.

• Education Savings Accounts can be used for virtual learning, which is fantastic for rural areas.

Thomas Ratliff, Texas Association of School Administrators (formerly of the State Board of Education):

• Blah, blah, "local control."

• If you want school choice, move.
• Note: He recently moved into Grand Prarie ISD, which has a school choice program within its district; we don't begrudge Mr. Ratliff making the decision to educate his children in the best way he sees fit, but we will simply wish that every family in Texas had the same options while noting the hypocrisy.

• Something, something, transportation to school for poor kids.

• "With tax dollars comes transparency and accountability."
• Author's Note: This is bureaucrat-speak for saddling a program with so many regulations as to render it ineffective.

• Something, something "protections."

• Something, something "your neighbors tax money."

• Author's Note: For those who are new to Texas' state level politics, you can learn more about the older history of our good friend Thomas Ratliff here.

Marty Lueken, EdChoice:

• School choice programs take up less than 2% of the education budget in every state where they exists; less than 1% of all education spending nationally.
• Author's Note: That sounds like a bug, not a feature.

• School choice saves school districts money.

• Districts deal with enrollment fluctuations all the time.

Patrick Wolf, University of Arkansas:

• Research evidence on school choice is clear about how it benefits students academically.

• Competition also benefits children who stay in government schools by forcing them to get their act together.

• States who have tried school choice have liked it and want more.

Senator Larry Taylor (Likely Education Committee Chairman):

• There are always going to be kids whose needs aren't met by the current socialized education model.

• At least 25 other states already have some sort of school choice program and most of the states who initially implemented a program have expanded it further.

• You don't need that many kids to participate in a school choice program to benefit the rest of the system.

• Rural Republicans like to argue parental choice will "destroy public education" in their community then say there just isn't the demand in their community for school choice to make a difference; they can't have it both ways.

The Increasingly Indefensible Campaign of David Simpson

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
1 Corinthians 15:33

Earlier this cycle, we endorsed David Simpson.  We've donated money.  Unfortunately, since the race moved to the runoff, David's behavior has given us serious misgivings.

When the race began, it made sense.  Both David Simpson and Bryan Hughes are pro-Life.  Both are strong fiscal conservatives, but David historically has been a little better on corporate welfare.  It was a close call, but we were comfortable that we liked David just a little bit more.

But the past few weeks have severely tested that assessment, specifically on education.

About a month ago, Empower Texans noted:

And in an email to supporters on March 10, Simpson wrote that school choice plans that would “substantially alter public education is not in the best interest of our children, their parents, or the school districts in Senate District 1.”

Then, on Wednesday, David announced an endorsement:

Mount Pleasant – Today, former Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff endorsed Representative David Simpson in his May 25th runoff bid to replace retiring Senator Kevin Eltife.

"While we don't agree on every issue, we agree that Northeast Texas needs a Senator who represents us and is not beholden to anyone or any special interests,” said Ratliff.

“Senator Ratliff’s tenure in public office was a hallmark of political courage. He served with integrity and honor. He frequently took stands on difficult issues in face of withering criticism and did so for one reason only – it was the right thing to do for Senate District 1. I am honored to have his support,” said Simpson.

“In the words of Winston Churchill, “You have enemies? Good, that means you've stood up for something." I'm sure some will attempt to twist and diminish this endorsement against me, but that's okay. Senator Ratliff and I have stood on principle and what we believe is right, not what is popular. I will continue to stand on principle,” Simpson concluded.

Ratliff served in the Texas Senate from 1988 to 2004. When Governor George W. Bush was elected to the presidency in 2000, a vacancy occurred in the lieutenant governor’s office as Rick Perry ascended to the governor’s mansion. Upon Perry’s ascension, Ratliff was elected by his Senate colleagues to serve as lieutenant governor.

So David Simpson is crawling into bed with the Ratliff family....

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Now you might be asking yourself "who is the Ratliff family"?!?  If you've never heard of Bill Ratliff, there's a good chance you've heard of his sons.  One is named Bennett and the other is Thomas.

Bennett Ratliff is a  liberal former state representative who has run against Matt Rinaldi the last several election cycles.  Most recently, Bennett Ratliff was seen accusing Matt Rinaldi of being friends with Bill Cosby.  Real winner there....

Thomas Ratliff, Bill's son and Bennett's brother, is a pro-Common Core lobbyist for Microsoft.  For the past 6 years, he has also been serving illegally on the state board of education while a registered lobbyist.  You can read our archive on Thomas Ratliff here.

Bill Ratliff, the father, sponsored George W. Bush's signature education bill as a member of the Texas Senate in 1995.  During his time in the legislature (both as a Senator and Lite Guv), he was a well known ally of the education lobby.  Since leaving office, Ratliff has continued to align himself with the education lobby.

You get the picture.

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The worst part is that, while there's no moral or substantive reason to get anywhere near the Ratliff family, it does make a certain amount of perverse political sense.

Unfortunately, Senate district 1 is a rural district where, in many communities, the school district is the largest employer.  And those educrats vote!  So if you're looking to win a low turnout runoff, and most of the grassroots organizations in the district are supporting the other guy, pandering to the educrats is a logical strategy.

Bottom Line: We're not ready to withdraw our support...yet, but the type of support David Simpson has cultivated since this race moved to the runoff is raising major red flags and is rapidly approaching the point of becoming a deal-breaker.

SB 19: Ending Thomas Ratliff-esque Conflicts of Interest

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Matthew 6:24

From Donna Garner:

“Actions Instead of Outrage – SB 19 – Dump Thomas Ratliff”
By Donna Garner
4.7.15

ACTION STEP: It is time for action instead of simply expressing outrage. People all over this state have ranted for years because Thomas Ratliff, ignoring the Texas Attorney General’s ruling, has continued to stay on the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE). He is a long-time, registered lobbyist for Microsoft and other education-related clients that do business with the SBOE/Texas Education Agency. This is called a definite, in-your-face “conflict of interest.”

Quote from Texas State Board of Education member, Thomas Ratliff, in his 4.1.15 letter to the Texas State Affairs Committee members:

“I continue to believe this section of the bill runs afoul of the First amendment of the United States Constitution by infringing on a person’s right to free speech and a right to seek redress from the government by discriminating against a person who wishes to run for offices based on what they do for a living.”

In essence, Thomas Ratliff is saying that he believes his First Amendment rights are being infringed upon even though he is a registered lobbyist doing millions of dollars’ worth of business with clients who negotiate contracts with the Texas Education Agency/Texas State Board of Education. In fact, he is on the SBOE committee that decides on these contracts.

Ratliff’s argument is similar to saying that a thief’s First Amendment rights are being infringed upon whenever he gets arrested for stealing from his boss!

• According to the 4.6.15 clarifying e-mail sent out by one of the conservative, self-sacrificing SBOE members, SB 19 authored by Sen. Van Taylor (Section 3) would make it illegal for Thomas Ratliff to run for an elected office (including the SBOE and the Legislature) if he is still a registered lobbyist. If he decides not to run for the SBOE in 2016, he would still be prohibited from lobbying for a period of one full legislative session.

The grassroots MUST take action by contacting the Texas Senate State Affairs committee (members and contact information posted below). SB 19 was left pending in the Committee on March 30, 2015.

Over 6,000 bills have been filed during the 84th Session of the Texas Legislature. We have to separate SB 19 out from the pack and pressure our elected legislators to listen to our concerns.

So far, I have heard of no legislator who thinks it is ethical for an elected official to be a registered lobbyist with a direct conflict of interest; but we have to pressure our legislators to turn their beliefs into a vote.

 Read the whole thing here.

Learn more about Thomas Ratliff's Common Core related conflicts of interest here.

David Barton Wins Million Dollar Defamation Lawsuit

"[R]ejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer"
Romans 12:12

Good for Barton:

David Barton is the founder of WallBuilders; he is is one of the foremost experts on early American history and has tens of thousands of original writings from the Founding Era (http://www.wallbuilders.com/abtbiodb.asp).

Mr. Barton and other history experts helped the SBOE to produce the most fact-based, patriotic curriculum standards in the entire United States. For instance, as part of the TEKS, Texas students are required to spend a week every year (K-12) studying the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. The TEKS standards emphasize American exceptionalism while presenting a balanced view of history. Many American heroes and heroines of character and of color were added to the new Social Studies TEKS.

For his trouble, David Barton was vilified by the leftwing media and such organizations as Texas Freedom Network.

....

During the years that Ken Mercer has served on the SBOE, he has had a number of “questionable” challengers. Among them are Judy A. Jennings and Rebecca E. Bell-Metereau.

While these women were running against Mercer, they leaned heavily on Texas Freedom Network to provide them with campaign rhetoric; and they worked with Scott Garrison, a political consultant, to produce a campaign video. In it, they tried to discredit Ken Mercer by blasting David Barton and WallBuilders as being white supremacists.

Guess what…David Barton/WallBuilders has sued Jennings/Metereau for defamation of character. David Barton/WallBuilders won, and now Jennings/Metereau have to pay him and his WallBuilders $1,000,000! How is that for justice served?

I suspect the next move for Jennings/Metereau may be to counter-sue Texas Freedom Network/Scott Garrison for providing bogus information about David Barton/WallBuilders.

David Barton is anything but a white supremacist. He and other patriots just like him are battling to preserve America’s rich Judeo-Christian heritage so that this and the next generation will be willing to give their lives to preserve it.

....

It is very encouraging to know that “open season” on conservatives has its limits. Good for David Barton/WallBuilders!

Thomas RATliff Proves We're Winning

[Author's Note: We have enough new readers that it's worth, in the spirit of full disclosure, reminding readers that Alice Linahan is a good friend of ours.]

Friday morning, Cahnman's Musings awoke to an e-mail that included this link from Voices Empower:

What a Day~ I was preparing to hit the road to Milwaukee, WI for a Franklin Center Retreat on Education and I get a call from the Texas Ethics Commission. State Board of Education Elected Official/ Microsoft Lobbyist Thomas Ratliff filed an Ethics Complaint against me. 

.... 

Yep you heard that right State Board of Education Elected Official/ Microsoft Lobbyist Thomas Ratliff filed an Ethics Complaint against me saying the work I am doing fighting against CSCOPE/Common Core is unethical because I am not registered as a paid lobbyist. Really Thomas? I would love to know who it is that is paying me to fight this battle. I haven’t seen the pay check. 

.... 

I can assure you my husband is tired of me spending so much time working for no compensation on this issue. We had a discussion last week about it as a matter a fact because I have been away from home so much. My husband said the kids are the ones who are missing out on their mother being home. To which I replied if I don’t fight for them now even though I am not getting paid and I do not get to be with them like I want to….. they will not have freedom, and the blessings we have enjoyed. I am willing to sacrifice now because if I don’t they will blame me later for not fighting for their future.  

I actually had to laugh when I saw in the Ethics complaint a picture of the 4 new tires I posted when one my tires blew out on the way to the SBOE Adhoc hearing. I did not make it by the way. 

My husband was not happy about paying for the 4 new tires because I had put over 30,000 miles in 9 months traveling around the state warning parents about CSCOPE/Common Core.  

As many of the readers of Voices Empower know I have been a politically active Texas Mom working in the grassroots since Obama was elected. Taking on the issues that I see as a clear and present danger to my children’s future. I have been helping to organize at a grassroots level to get the word out. I guess we are being successful at getting the word out about the Federal Take-Over of Education. Those involved are trying to shut down our voices. The voices of parents, teachers and the students they are harming.  

I have a feeling after listening in on the public WomenOnTheWall.org Communication Team Conference Call last night Thomas Ratliff may be feeling a little nervous.

You see those who are in the Education Establishment do not like parents actually saying….#CanISee what and how you are teaching my child. I also don’t think he likes that we are asking our school districts #CanISee what you are spending our tax dollars on to train teachers, administrators and school boards members.

The notion that Thomas Ratliff, who Greg Abbott ruled in 2011 was ineligible to serve on the SBOE over his lobbying activities, is filing an ethics complaint against Alice Linahan over failure to disclose 'lobbying clients' is laughable.

There's no glamour in what Alice does.  Alice travels the state of Texas, at her own expense, educating small groups of Moms and Dads about the dangers of CSCOPE and Common Core.  To our knowledge, the only psuedo-compensation Alice receives is occasional help to offset gas or food.

This moves reeks of fear.  Why would a 'respected' member of the education establishment draw attention to the actions of a diligent Texas mom?!?   Members of the establishment usually ignore the grassroots...until they're effective!  We spoke with Alice late Friday afternoon and found her in surprisingly good spirits.  The Texas education debate just got more interesting.

Does Thomas Ratliff Support Eating Cow Manure?!?

Michelle Smith of Concerned Women for America attended today's CSCOPE hearing; from her Facebook page:

Calvin Russell gives excellent example to SBOE panelist about CSCOPE "If I am eating ice cream, and I find out there is cow manure in it, I will stop eating it. I believe the districts should stop using it until the SBOE has had time to fully review it."

Ratliff, of course, wants districts to continue using this discredited curriculum.

Thomas Ratliff compares Founders to Al Qaeda

Tonight's CSCOPE debate was dominated by inside baseball.  Our eyes glazed over on multiple occasions.  The most striking part of the 'debate' was when Thomas Ratliff got sloppy.

Ratliff's obvious strategy was to bore people with details.  It worked for 45 minutes.  Then Thomas Ratliff decided to speak about Pearl Harbor and 9/11.

Thomas Ratliff on Pearl Harbor:

Not everyone sees the world the same way we do.

Thomas Ratliff on 9/11:

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

 [Author's Note:  These two comments came between 7:20 and 7:35 pm CST; unfortunately, we didn't time stamp our notes.]

Ratliff, once he realized how badly he stepped in it, backtracked by claiming he didn't want Texas schoolchildren to insult potential foreign employers.  [Insert National Debt Joke Here]

Cahnman's Musings suspects no one will change their mind about CSCOPE based on tonight's debate.  Cahnman's Musings is friends with CSCOPE activists, but still found the debate painfully boring.  The most interesting moment came around the 45 minute mark, when Thomas Ratliff got sloppy.

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Author's Note: Cahnman's Musings will post video of the debate as soon as it becomes available

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Author's Note II: From StaceInTexas:

Thomas Ratliff just said it's ok to call the founders terrorists because "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." #CSCOPE

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Author's Note III:

This badass devotional says it best:

Thou Hast Rejected Knowledge

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

 

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6)

This lament over the ancient apostasy of Israel embodies an age-long principle which surely applies to those nations today which once professed Christianity but are now dominated by humanism. Our own nation is experiencing an awful scourge of moral anarchy among our children and young people, and the reason why is because their parents and grandparents have largely "forgotten the law of thy God."

America—particularly its intellectual leadership—has "rejected knowledge," so its people are being "destroyed for lack of knowledge." This ignorance exists despite an abundance of supposed actual knowledge (i.e., "science") in our educational institutions, for such facts are almost universally taught in a secular context. Our teachers have forgotten that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7).

Even in evangelical and fundamentalist churches and schools today, there is often too little emphasis on knowledge and too much on experience. Christian faith is not "feeling"; it is volitional commitment to a true intellectual understanding of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish," said Christ (Luke 13:5). The Greek word for "repent" means "change your mind!" One can only believe right if he first thinks right, and this requires true knowledge.

Listen again to Hosea's warning: "The LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy |i.e., 'kindness'|, nor knowledge of God in the land" (Hosea 4:1). "They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7).

HMM

Thomas Ratliff: A Documented Liar

Today's Austin American-Statesman has dueling Op-Eds on CSCOPE.  Peggy Venable of Americans for Prosperity has a fantastic piece outlining the problems of CSCOPE.  State Board of Education member Thomas Ratliff (R(ino) -- Microsoft) counters with a fraudulent and mendacious defense.

Ratliff asserts:

The allegations are also when extremists claim that CSCOPE is aligned with the Common Core curriculum promoted by the federal government. It’s simply not true. CSCOPE was developed by Texas educators for Texas educators to teach Texas standards to Texas kids. Period. Again, more fear-mongering.

Except for the fact that Linda Darling-Hammond helped design both:

CSCOPE documents also claim connection to Linda Hammond, a proponent of the nationalized Common Core movement that Texas has rejected in favor of its own standards.

 (Sidenote: Back in December, we broke a pretty big story on LDH's background).

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Ratliff also claims:

The allegations are also when extremists talk about parents being denied access to what their children are being taught. If that’s the case, schools are breaking the law and should be held accountable. Chapter 26 of the Texas Education Code provides for “Parental Rights and Responsibilities,” including the right to see what happens in their child’s classroom. The fact is many of these extremists are not parents of public school students. Don’t blame CSCOPE for following Texas law. In fact, CSCOPE lessons are now online for anyone to see. Yet the extremists still want it banned from the classrooms. Transparency obviously isn’t the issue. Censorship and winning a political battle is the issue.

 Cue Peggy Venable:

Last year, it took State Board of Education Chairman Barbara Cargill six months before she was finally granted access to the lesson plans. Parents were denied access to CSCOPE material in violation of state law, which requires lesson plans be available to them. [Emphasis Ours]

 In other words, Ratliff's co-board member experienced what Ratliff claims never happened.

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In another whopper, Ratliff alleges:

The allegations are when the extremists talk about the “Communist” “Marxist” “Socialist” “anti-American” “pro-Muslim” curriculum. First, they need to make up their mind if it’s Communist, Marxist or Socialist. In a state as “red” as Texas, do people really believe kids are being taught to hate America?...These allegations are simply fear-mongering designed to incite a mob.

 Funny, because you can see these lessons here, or here, or here, or here, or here.

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Thomas Ratliff is a smart guy.  He knows that what's he's saying isn't true, but he says it anyway.  That's why Thomas Ratliff is now a documented liar.

BREAKING NEWS: Dan Patrick to Debate Thomas Ratliff over CSCOPE

With the 83rd Texas Legislature sine done, the time has come for the much anticipated CSCOPE debate between Dan Patrick and Thomas Ratliff:

Patrick to Ratliff: I’m Coming to East Texas, Will You Be There? by DanPatrickTX

Background: Ratliff had been trying to claim that Patrick was afraid to debate him because Patrick had been tied up with Legislative stuff.

Get your popcorn; this'll be fun....