Cory Booker, the Facebook Money, and the Rule of Law

[Hannah Bell]

....wondering just what will happen to the future of this country now that it seems little punk billionaires/insecure jerks like Zuckerberg and Bill Gates get to make all the policy calls on governmental matters. Zuckerberg, for example, is calling for the closing of many Newark schools, the firing of teachers, and the institution of merit pay, as a way to improve the Newark school system. And since he just gave the system $100 million, I bet he gets his way, even if many in Newark do not agree with those new policies. In addition, Newark only gets ALL the Zuckerberg money if Booker retains control of the city's schools...

Here's how illegal it is: If Cory Booker even thinks of making a decision affecting Newark schools, he and Gov. Chris Christie will find themselves in a lawsuit faster than you can say Facebook, the head of the Education Law Center said yesterday....

"He, right now, statutorally is in charge of the Newark schools," Booker said of the governor....Not so, Sciarra said...So Christie doesn't actually have the legal power to hand the school system to Booker, not even through the jive-ass dodge he used by naming Booker a "special assistant to the governor." No matter, education reform is more important than other niceties like the rule of law. That seems to be the message we get from the education reform/hedge fund movement these days.

They keep saying they've "waited" too long for change, and since democracy is too slow to bring about change, they're going to do it through anti-democratic means. They lost the election in D.C. when the will of the people threw Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee out on their arrogant asses. But now they will have Newark to work with as their next high profile sandbox for education...

Maybe that money will be enough to make Newark a better place to live and work. But you know once they make their political points and break the unions, the Zuckerbergs and the Goldmans will be out of there and the poor black people of the city will be right where they are today.

http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2010/09/cory-booker-facebook-money-and-rule-of.html

[Jim Sagle]

1. Change they'll extract until every cent is gone.

[Javaman]

2. "billionaires/insecure jerks like Zuckerberg and Bill Gates..."

"...get to make all the policy calls on governmental matters"

They already do. Sadly.