By
Lora J. Mackel
Knowing he cannot win this election on charm alone, George W. Bush is infusing his lagging campaign with a resurrection of the hot button issue of education. In an effort to energize his voting base and to appeal to undecided voters, Bush boldly stated this morning that America was in the middle of a "educational recession." Not surprisingly, Bush lays the blame for the "recession" wholly at the feet of the Clinton-Gore administration instead of conceding that equal blame belongs to a Republican congress and a faulty local tax system. As usual, political interests are focused on important issues without a hope of changing them for the better. For as much as Bush would like the voting public to believe that his Republicans are the champions of the urban poor and education, their record and proposals show them as more conservative than compassionate.
As it stands, the two major party candidates are locked in a statistical dead heat. This is not particularly good news for either candidate, and with mere weeks until the election, Bush and Gore are trying desperately to distinguish themselves as the election's most serious candidate. Is it with this deadlock in mind that Bush kicked off his educationally-themed week?
Having been fully briefed on the fears and concerns of the undecided voter, Bush started his week off saying that America's public educational system is an abysmal failure. Bush's speech, given at Beaverton High School, went on to blame poor performance on "low federal expectations." Fully satisfied that he had the crowd behind him, Bush then went on to promise if that he was elected he would set " high standards and hold people accountable."
Bush then went on to further explain his plan. Under a Bush education plan, schools that perform poorly on tests would be given a portion of the $1 billion he plans to set aside. The schools would then have three years to improve, or they would have their funding yanked. Parents of the area would then be given that federal money in the form of vouchers. There is a problem with this plan because Bush has been trying to give money "back to the American people" this entire election, and many people are wondering how Bush is going to fund all his proposed plans, like his Medicare plan and this new educational plan, and still make good on his earnest promise to let the surplus work for the electorate.
Besides, the real crisis facing American public schools is not a lack of standards but a lack of funding, resources and committed teachers. Part of this very real problem lies in its basis in local public funding determined by local property taxes. Because local property taxes determine the local revenue for schools, it is not surprising that schools in impoverished areas do poorly. Nothing in Bush's plan would do anything to fix this fundamental flaw in the American system.
In his speech Monday, Bush was very careful to tow the Republican line and endorse what he called "local control" of public education. This statement, decoded, means that Bush is more conservative than compassionate. His party is committed to remaining minimally involved in local schools, even when they know the local system is failing millions of kids in areas like East Saint Louis, South Central LA, inner city New York and countless other urban and rural areas in the United States. Basically, Bush renewed his party's commitment to keep a system that helps, as Leonard Cohen would say, "The poor stay poor, the rich stay rich. That is how is goes, and everybody knows." Bush masquerades as a man concerned about public education, but in truth his educational plan is unapologetically conservative and unhelpful.
Bush's selection of educational issues at this crucial point in the election is no mistake. Bush needs some new votes, fast. Polls have consistently shown that Bush's supporters are mostly men. Education is an issue that women, in polls, rank as a high priority. This explains Bush's renewed interest in education.
To his credit, Bush is right in his assessment of public education as a failure. In a country as prosperous as ours, it is criminal that so many children make it through school without the benefit of a useful education. Bush's policies, however, are not the answer to this pressing problem.
Do not be fooled, Bush's interest in education is a pure political calculation. Furthermore, Bush's proposals are nothing more than traditional Republican ideas given a "compassionate" spin. One of the burdens of running to the middle in a polarized political system is that you are always lying to someone. In this case, Bush is lying to the people concerned with the public educational system. However, anyone with a real interest in public education will see through Bush's proposals and vote against him.
