For 45 years Republican presidential candidates have promised to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. A winning issue with voters, but just a throwaway line for politicians.
An empty promise they had no intention of implementing.
How do we know?
Easy, the Department of Education still stands and is still wasting money and impeding your children’s education.
That may be changing now.
Fox News reports, "Trump has said that his goal is to "immediately" close the DoEd and that, in the process, he wants McMahon [new secretary of education] to 'put herself out of a job.'"
Even better, Linda McMahon has embraced the role.
And talk about hitting the ground running.
Fox reports, "Linda McMahon, in her first act as secretary of education, is informing all employees that she will lead a 'momentous final mission' to send education back to the states, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital."
She writes, "Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the president they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education — a momentous final mission — quickly and responsibly."
That phrase "final mission" is music to your columnists' ears.
Abolishing the department will require the cooperation of the comb-over conservatives in Congress. That's unlikely given the track record of these timid creatures.
The next best is winding down the department from the inside.
Firing the ideologues and retaining the few employees who will follow the orders of the duly elected president.
It’s not ideal, but it will have to do until we can elect a Congress that does what it promised to do.
And we beg you not to fall for the dishonest protesters who claim Republicans are damaging our children’s futures.
Since the DoEd was founded during the disaster that was Jimmy Carter’s presidency, taxpayers have seen over $1 trillion of their dollars spent by the department while educational outcomes decline.
For the left, spending more money is always the solution to education failures.
That’s because to them education spending isn’t about learning, it’s about more patronage for the left. It gives left-adherents more jobs in school administrations and the research grants do the same in colleges and universities.
We think after $1 trillion down the drain, it’s time to try something new.
"Removing red tape and bureaucratic barriers will empower parents to make the best educational choices for their children," McMahon wrote.
"An effective transfer of educational oversight to the states will mean more autonomy for local communities. Teachers, too, will benefit from less micromanagement in the classroom — enabling them to get back to basics."
McMahon says the department will now work from three basic principles. ". . . parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education, taxpayer-funded education should refocus on 'meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history — not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology,' and that post-secondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs."
The new secretary sums up her mission with a conclusion that is important to everyone with school-age children, "must start thinking about our final mission at the department as an overhaul — a last chance to restore the culture of liberty and excellence that made American education great."
We can only agree and wish her success.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Mr. Reagan is an in-demand speaker with Premiere Speaker's Bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now With Added Humor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.