Bi-partisan Self-interest in Politics Destroys Children’s Future – By Dave Trabert (Real Clear Policy) / Apr 19 2023
The struggle to get kids a decent education validates Thomas Sowell’s premise on the priorities of most politicians – their first priority is to get elected, their second is to get re-elected, and their third priority is a distant thought.
Most often, this manifests in the excuses offered for opposing school choice. But it is also displayed when legislators break with their party and stand up for children.
Rep. Marvin Robinson represents parents in one of the worst-performing school districts in Kansas. Nearly 60% of USD 500 Kansas City students cannot read or do math at grade level, and only 10% are proficient. Outcomes remain stubbornly low despite funding that now exceeds $20,000 per student. Robinson voted (twice) for legislation to give poor kids access to other educational opportunities, and his fellow Democrats are furious. He says one female Democrat in the Legislature told him he should die after he was the lone Democrat voting to override Governor Kelly’s third veto of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which prevents biological males from competing in women’s sports.
