Cato Institute on Republican School Policy

At Conservative Forum on Bush, Everybody's a Critic
By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, March 8, 2006; A02

He [David Boez] blamed Bush for "a 48 percent increase in spending in just six years," a "federalization of public schools" and "the biggest entitlement since LBJ."

My, my - who knew? Could it be the fact that every State Department of Education recites chapter and verse NCLB Talking Points?

Um, let's see...

Is there a State Education administrator who has not said, "We have to raise expectations!" No they aren't talking about themselves thinking independently or freeing themselves of their Orwellian doublespeak, they're talking about the object of their disappointment, the students.

Cato's speakers goes on to say,

He began by predicting a big tax increase "to finance the inevitable growth of government that is in the pipeline that President Bush is largely responsible for." He also said many fellow conservatives don't know about the "quite dreadful" traits of the administration, such as the absence of "anybody who does any serious analysis" on policy issues.

Boaz assured the audience that he told the White House that "if there's a rebuttal to what Bruce has said, please come and provide it."

Instead, Sullivan was on hand to second the critique. "This is a big-government agenda," he said. "It is fueled by a new ideology, the ideology of Christian fundamentalism." The bearded pundit offered his own indictment of Bush: "complete contempt" for democratic processes, torture of detainees, ignoring habeas corpus and a "vast expansion of the federal government." The notion, he said, that the "Thatcher-Reagan legacy that many of us grew up to love and support would end this way is an astonishing paradox and a great tragedy."

The question period gave the two a chance to come up with new insults.

"If Bush were running today against Bill Clinton, I'd vote for Clinton," Bartlett served.

"You have to understand the people in this administration have no principles," Sullivan volleyed. "Any principles that get in the way of the electoral map have to be dispensed with."

Vote to get federal and State Departments of Education abolished. They are out-of-control and are wasting our time, money, patience, and good will. School policy has been federalized and for the worse. At least the blame is being accurately pin-pointed.