How Intelligent People Can Be Useful Idiots Too

President of HSLDA, Home School Legal Defense Association, Michael Farris, has posted an article explaining his interaction with a defender of Common Core, David Coleman, president of the College Board. You may read the article here.

The article demonstrates how men of opposing views may have a serious discussion without name calling. But I want to point out some of the obvious problems of those of the political Left & Right who are being used as "useful idiots".

Now I must be clear. I do not mean by the phrase "useful idiots" that someone such as David Coleman is an idiot. He is obviously not an idiot. I also believe that David Coleman has "good intentions" in his desire to improve the education of American children. Even Michael Farris had to admit from listening to Coleman's presentation of Common Core,

"From a pedagogical perspective, there are clearly some good ideas contained in it."

But as Farris points out, the problem isn't about some of the so-called good ideas that are a part of Common Core, but the real fundamental problem that leads to other major problems. It is being run by the Federal Government, a centralized bureaucracy intended to grow in monopolistic power.

In other words, it is not about education, but about power dressed in education. Notice Coleman's interaction as recorded by Farris,

"To his credit, Mr. Coleman noted that he was not acting in a vacuum. There are centralized mandates for education in play virtually everywhere. And many of them have very marginal educational utility. I agreed with his assessment of many current centralized standards."

Even Coleman recognized the problems of centralized power in this section of the article:

When he asked me why I thought that the Common Core was worse than other standards, I indicated that one of my chief concerns was the creation of the database that would track students throughout their educational career.

His answer surprised me. He didn’t like the database all that well. It was not originally part of the Common Core, but other people have seized the opportunity to make a centralized data collection effort through the implementation of the Common Core.

Do you see the problem that Coleman refuses to really address. He may not like a centralized database, but he is willing to chuck liberty under the bus in order to gain what he perceives as a better American education system. But in the end, the people who desire power will gain more power and nothing will change because the foundation to the problem is not being challenged.

It is not about education. It is all about centralized power.

No Longer Fooled By the Not So Serious

Some time ago I noted how Rush was upset that 3 million or so conservative voters didn't vote this last time around. Then when the IRS scandal broke, it became Rush's scape goat for why these people didn't vote. Yes, Rush has actually been arguing on his radio show that conservative voters didn't vote because the Tea Party and others were harassed by the IRS.

Now I know we think that is completely silly, but today Rush made an observation about the Republicans that we all knew and know to be true. They were never serious. The only problem is that he refuses to speak about the obvious disconnect between the Republicans and the missing voters. He said on today's show,

RUSH: I don't think they were ever serious about repealing health care, the Republicans.  I don't think they ever were.  I think that it has been lip service from the get-go.  The votes to stop -- I mean, the leadership, House and Senate, I don't think they've ever really been serious about repealing Obamacare, especially since the Supreme Court decision.  I don't think so.

So there you have it. I have argued before and I will continue to argue as such, that many modern conservatives are in many ways more akin to Classical Liberals. They are just now hearing men like Ron Paul argue for a more consistent and real case for liberty and living it out.

Since we [I consider myself one of them] are tired of the lies from the Republican Party, and since we know they will do nothing to advance liberty, and since we know the Modern Left is just pro-Statist State, then there is no place to go but to refuse to give our consent to the ruling class by participating in their voting scheme to endorse them or to grant them justification for their existence.

Now does Rush see this connection? I think he must unless of course he is so blinded by his own failed Neo-Conservative position that he fails to make the connection. Rush is no dummy. Anyone who makes up the idea of the IRS scandal as to blame for the missing voters is purposely looking in the wrong place to fool an audience. However, at least 3 million of us are no longer fooled.

It is time to change.