Voucher issue resurfaces (DeVoses funded 2000 voucher drive)

[UrbScotty]

I saw two excellent things on Michigan Liberal today: a post about the meetup Nancy Skinner is expected to attend (with mention of DU and a link to Sharon's post), and a thorough discussion of Dick and Betsy DeVos's support of vouchers, which led to Michigan voters soundly defeating his voucher proposal (and, some say, led to Gore and Stabenow winning in Michigan) in 2000.

Too bad I'm only allowed to post a few paragraphs of it. You should check it out in its entrirety.

The headline story of the Grand Rapids Press this morning puts the voucher issue back in the spotlight and shows how the DeVos family has funded these initiatives here in Michigan and across the country to the tune of millions of dollars. DeVos is saying one thing to the voters, but his money speaks the truth on what his intentions really are. Go read for a breakdown of the the river of funding on this issue here and elsewhere.

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In the Heritage Speech, Dick lays out the plan- punishment for the nay-sayers and general secrecy on the goal. More evidence that Dick threatens retaliation against fellow Republicans and anyone else that won't follow his wishes.

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"We need to be cautious about talking too much about these activities, and the political work that needs to go on will go on at the grassroots, it will go on quietly and it will go on in the form that politics is done, one person at a time speaking to another person in privacy," DeVos said at the time.

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One thing is for sure- it will be hard to be a Republican under a DeVos administration. Dick seems more than willing to use threats to get his way, perhaps even at the expense of sacrificing someone else's career. It would be difficult to face your constituents after being forced to bow to his wishes on wildly unpopular ideas.

If I were Mark Brewer or Jennifer Granholm, I'd center the campaign around DeVos's support of vouchers and his cutting of Michigan jobs while investing in Communist China (in addition to that which Granholm has done in spite of the Republican legislature).

[SharonRB]

1. Looks like we're already getting more publicity about the

meetup than we had anticipated! I hope we have a great turnout of DUers and others.

Looks like it's probably going to be at Heritage Park between 10 and 11 Mile Roads west of Farmington.

[Lefty48197]

2. They're hoping we'll forget about the DeVos family's voucher plan:

They're hoping that nobody noticed that the DeVos family was behind the efforts to defund Michigan's public schools. They're hoping that we don't remember that Dick & Betsy declared war on public education, and then single-handedly funded the effort to END OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

They're hoping we'll forget...

Sorry Dick, we remember, and we have every intention of reminding the voters of Michigan what you tried to do to us.

The sickest part is that when the DeVos family and the rest of the Republican party were trying to create the voucher system, they even had the nerve to say that it would "improve" the public schools by giving them some "competition".

Absolute BULLSHIT! What the DeVos family's voucher plan would have done is siphon millions of dollars out of the public schools, even if not one additional student decided to go to the private schools. The DeVos plan would have taken $3000, or $4000, for every single student that CURRENTLY ATTENDS PRIVATE SCHOOLS, out of the Public Schools' general funds.

If the plan had been enacted, and if there were, say, 10,000 Detroit children in private schools at that time (the number is probably higher), then the DeVos family would take $4000 for every single one of those students out of the public school fund. The public schools would have the exact same number of students, teachers, books, and buildings, but they would have to do it with 40 million bucks LESS. Not one less student to educate, but forty million bucks less to do it with.

Great plan Dick. Nah, you weren't trying to destroy the public schools, you're just too damned stupid to figure out the consequences of your own plan.

[noonwitch]

6. Not even Engler would back his voucher plan-only Card. Maida

Engler knew the public wouldn't want it.

DeVos can't win without Oakland County. The Oakland County GOP is a very different group than West Michigan GOP. Brooks hates those religious fanatics and will likely be focusing more on getting Bouchard elected to the Senate than on the governor's race, as Bouchard is one of his guys. Oakland County is a swing county in statewide and national elections because their GOP are not social conservatives.

Macomb county is pretty split-the south part votes overwhelmingly democratic and the north is pretty much neocon.

Bouchard is also the only GOP senate candidate who has a prayer against Debbie Stabenow. Keith Butler is the leader of a cultish church, and nobody has heard of the other guy, whose name I've forgotten. Bouchard could beat her, under the right circumstances.

[weeksbr1]

3. That's exactly what's happening...

"If I were Mark Brewer or Jennifer Granholm, I'd center the campaign around DeVos's support of vouchers"

The G4G campaign sent out an e-mail to it's supporters today stating how DeVos is STILL funding pro-voucher groups despite his claims that he's "given up on the idea." Sorry I don't have the exact message anymore, I deleted the e-mail before I read this post, but it's probably at granholmforgov.com if you look around there.

[EmmitFitzhume]

4. Another example

of Dick respecting what Michiganders want. I could have sworn DeVos promised to respect the wishes of the voters on the voucher issue.

As weeksbr1 said, the Granholm campaign does seem to be pushing this issue and it's a good one to further expose intentions of DeVos.

On another positive note for Governor Granholm, the http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060711/BUSINESS06/607110404/1007/NEWS05">news that Google will open a facility in Ann Arbor and hire up to 1,000 jobs is a great accomplishment. Google is a great company to have in the state and with the rate they are growing this could lead to even more jobs.

[weeksbr1]

5. Did anyone see her Google press conference?

The Gov. was amazing! She really spanked a reporter who asked her a mean and stupid question about whether or not she and the EDC were taking credit for Google coming when it was really thanks to UofM.

She said something like, "I will not respond to naysayers who cannot be happy about Google coming to our state to create 1,000 new jobs for whatever reason. If you aren't happy that they are coming, you must have other motivations." That's not exactly it - in fact, it was much better when she said it. I guess that's why she's the Gov. and I'm a lowly blogger. ;)