Too many red state elected officials are passive bystanders when it comes to the left-wing establishing beachheads in their states.
We've written in the past about red state mayors and governors who blithely clasp left companies to their bosoms to the detriment of their cities and states. (Details are here.)
We even thoughtfully provided steps these officials could take to de-toxify left-adherent employees moving along with the companies.
It was excellent advice and it was roundly ignored.
Education is another area where red state elected officials would rather wring their hands and complain instead of doing the work necessary to root out left indoctrinators.
It's almost universal, until you get to Oklahoma.
There, Oklahoma Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters isn't afraid of criticism from the regime media and comb-over conservatives as he fights to reform education.
We wrote about Walters here when he revoked the teaching certificate of an "educator" who was disappointed that President Trump's attempted assassin only shot Trump in the ear on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
As this school year opens, Oklahoma is suffering from a teacher shortage.
So much so that the state is offering a bounty of up to $50,000 for teachers who move into Oklahoma from other states.
Only Oklahoma and Superintendent Walters are doing a much more stringent vetting program for teachers from California and New York than Sleepy Joe Biden did for Afghan "translators."
Newsmax' Charlie McCarthy reports "Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the state's top education official said is designed to safeguard against 'radical leftist ideology.'
"Republican Ryan Walters, superintendent of Oklahoma's public schools, said any teacher coming from the two blue states will be required to pass an assessment exam administered by PragerU, an Oklahoma-based conservative nonprofit, before getting a state certification."
The Oklahoma State Department of Education issued a statement explaining, "We have also been recruiting the best America First teachers, certifying over 4,000 new educators who are committed to putting students before woke politics, and our summer learning programs have been a tremendous success."
Fox News also thought the story was newsworthy noting, "The new assessment will evaluate educators on three main aspects: knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, 'understanding of American exceptionalism' and 'grasp of fundamental biological differences between boys and girls,' according to a news release about the new assessment.
"The goal of the new assessment is to ensure educators align with OSDE's commitment to an education 'rooted in truth, patriotism and core values,' and aims to instill 'pride' in the nation's history among students."
Teachers from California and New York aren’t the only transplants coming in for increased scrutiny. They are just the first.
We would suggest Oklahoma take a hard look at any teacher moving from a blue state.
Walters is doing what all red state education officials should be doing but aren't.
These passive officials were elected to pursue conservative policies but once the votes are totaled doing the work to implement conservative policy might attract negative publicity or criticism from rich left-wingers
The result is all talk and no action.
Not for Walters.
He has declared war on leftist indoctrination in the classroom.
"We’re sending a clear message: Oklahoma's schools will not be a haven for woke agendas pushed in places like California and New York.
"If you want to teach here, you’d better know the Constitution, respect what makes America great, and understand basic biology. We’re raising a generation of patriots, not activists and I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep leftist propaganda out of our classrooms."
We only regret that Walters can't do something about higher education in his state.
That's the purview of college and university trustees who have been asleep at the switch for over 50 years.
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.