The American Federation for Children (AFC) is putting significant money and resources toward 3 Milwaukee elections. The AFC is a Michigan-based right wing organization with ties to Milwaukee’s voucher movement and in support of mayoral control of public schools. They are supporting Jeff Plale against Chris Larson, Angel Sanchez against Jocasta Zamarripa and Stephanie Findley in the Northside primary. This is being done with hopes of furthering the voucher cause and destroying American public education.
The American Federation for Children (found at http://www.federationforchildren.com/) is led by Elisabeth “Betsy” DeVos. She is the former chairman of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Michigan and wife of former Alticor (Amway) president Dick DeVos, the 2006 Republican candidate for governor of Michigan. In 2005, DeVos launched the most expensive gubernatorial campaign in the history of Michigan, totaling more than $41 million. Her brother, Erik, founded Blackwater USA, a private mercenary security firm which has operations in Iraq. (Wikipedia)
The AFC is a rancid organization as indicated above. It is no surprise that in Milwaukee, now with mayoral control, thew right would concentrate its interests. WI was the home of the vouchers (See my book Vouchers and the Privatization of Education 2000).
Those interested in the charter school charlatans must understand that the agenda and goal is federal vouchers for schools. Charters were and are simply a Trojan Horse for vouchers.
Vouchers did not sell well for the right wing back in the day, so they shifted to softening up the public with hold them and hit them charter schools or their McChoice.
Now that the public sector is economically devestated, vouchers will come back parallel with the rise of cyber charters and cyber schools. Hand in glove they will form the new factories of despair for the continued debasement of childhood and the commodifcation of everything that exists.
Comment by weilunion — September 5, 2010 @ 3:14 pm |