Tonight, Rachel was particularly struck by the point James Heckman, Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and winner of a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, made about the broad political appeal pre-K education should have, and recommended sharing that explanation with people who might have missed it.
Should you feel so inclined, here is the direct link to the video.
If you'd like to make the video playable within Facebook, copy and paste this link.
James Heckman, Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and winner of a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, explains to Rachel Maddow that pre-K education is a family strategy with benefits that would appeal to both ends of the political spectrum because it helps strengthen family values, is economically productive and also promotes equality and social mobility.
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How can you argue with this? Oh...wait. Republicans aren't bound by facts.
Let us try their approach...
A) publicschools are tools of the devil devoid of religious dogma!
B) more schooling equals higher taxes
C) This is just an excuse to integrate kids at a younger age
D) Education is a bad thing, what kids need is common sense
E) HHmmm.E, that was my GPA in high school-before I dropped out
Obama suggested it, therefore it is a bad idea. He is indoctrinating children with his socialist liberal agenda.
One may be forgiven for thinking so.
The "have-nots" want to improve their lot, don't they?
The "haves" want to hire and employ able, effective people with at least basic social skills, don't they?
Oh, wait. I forgot. If you gut the goose, you get ALL of the golden eggs right away...
If you cut the horse's oats with sawdust, your feed bill is lower...
Rachel, you have got to be kidding. You are trying to provide the Republicans with a positive motive where we all know the entire purpose of the Republicans is to destroy Government so that they can install their laisses fairre type of business without overview. As a big news story, the Republicans don't like Big Government, so they will try to embarrass anyone who is making it work and they will work their hardest to kill Big Government. This is their stated objective. Their objective, however, is treasonous.
How can we deal with this lack of belief in Democracy or the Constitution by the Republicans. Simple, we sue them for treason and we get them thrown out of Congress because of their treason. We do so in the name of We the People, and we make this Constitutional Challenge against those who believe they are above the Constitution (could be Democratic or Republican, but mostly Republicans act to place themselves above the Constitution to favor the .1%). We the People can deal with this type of assault on the Federal Government by litigating it in Federal Court as treason (attempting to overthrow the Constitution as well as the will and General Welfare of We the People) by the Republicans. Far more important, we can publicize this over blogs, newspapers, TV shows, etc. as sheer attack on the American fabric by the usurping .1%.
This type of Constitutional Challenge is something that the Republicans will never get over, because the vast majority of We the People know it is their true intent and purpose by the corrupt anti-constitutional .1% attacking America. The REpublicans have never been called on their clear intent for a very long time, now is their turn. It is simple, recognize and define the Republicans for what the Republicans are, Constitutional traitors. As such, mock and treat them appropriately, and let them define their treasonous actions if they can. If not, make evident that their actions are unconstitutional.
Rachel, you are exactly right when you described Oklahoma as the reddest of red states, and being a Democrat in this red state is tough especially since EVERYTHING about this state is red, including the dirt. Thank you for providing and sharing information about the pre-K program in our public schools; however, I don't see this program going anywhere else. Republicans, their organizations, such as Chiefs for Change, and their involvement in ALEC are dismantling public education piece by piece, all in the name of "reform." Adding a new program that will educate children in poverty or continuing to finance a program is simply not part of their plan.
Ok this actualy touches on something that sort of hit me earlier in the week. I was reading the New Republic article that discusses how the republican party became the way they are today. It goes into the origins of the philosophy of nullification and John C. Calhoun...it's extremely good and I highly recommend it
But what particularly struck me was the part where they were discussing the reactions of southern whites to desegregation of schools. The amount of pure anger and outrage that it generated and just how doggedly resistant southern whites were to it even in the face of the federal government.
Of all of the things that the GOP carries as standards into battle their seeming war on the department of education always seemd the most bizarre to me...but I think I understand it now.
I think its a platform for a form of reverse segregation. A way for the last elements of the segregated south to once again set themselves apart from people whom they view as "Other" and "Not like them" be they Latino, African-American, Jewish or what ever you happen to be that is different then they are.
So you want to know "How can you be against this?"
That's How
Here's the link for the New Republic piece...I recommend reading it in a very broad context you will see things you didn't notice before.
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112365/why-republicans-are-party-white-people
I find that Republicans are so messed up they don't even like win win solutions.
Brilliant political strategy... present all of this feel good legislation and leave the Republicans to look like the bad guys when they don't support the additional costs..
when we can't pay for what we already have.
Just what we need more tax payer schools.
Instead of all this pre-K BS, how about making it a law that people have to complete the 12th grade!!!!
2012 dept of education budget $80 billion +.... And for what?
This was a very interesting segment. I agree with Professor Heckman that pre-K education would address inequality but this assumes that Republicans in Washington value equality. While it was very interesting that there is universal Pre-K in Oklahoma in a very red state, the Republicans at the federal level are more Darwinian and would not favor Oklahoma's Rawlsian form of social justice. Why would rich people want poor people's kids to have the same advantages? This would mess up their plans because the rich people's kids would not have a leg up! Imagine, poor kids starting with the same advantages as a rich kids? Oh, that would be a Rawlsian/Lefty ideal but a Darwinian/Republican nightmare!