LARRY ELDER’S AUDACIOUS BID
Going for Greatness as Governor of California
As a fan of #LarryElder, I’ve enjoyed hearing many of his opinions on policy and political issues on TV and radio. A few years ago, I felt fortunate to meet him in person at FreedomFest (#FFest21, http://www.freedomfest.com), sharing a few minutes after a speech he gave. This year, he returned to #FF21 in the free state of South Dakota. But this July, he shared his vision for California, shortly after triumphing over a last-ditch effort to keep him off the ballot to replace Gavin Newsom.
Between the delays in achieving ballot access and the success Newsom had in speeding up the recall election date, he’s left with little time to get his exciting platform to the public.
I’ve rarely done much promotion of candidates (more on initiatives), but after hearing Elder speak, I’m determined to be more active this time. In fact, I wrote this blog on the flight from RAP-DEN, flying home from #FF21.
Action Plan
I believe that after you read this (and following blogs), you’ll feel inspired to get the word out too…and to vote for him. In this tight timeframe, he needs all the help he can get. Share my blog and his website. I believe that with Governor Elder, we can get California back on the right track.
The Education Fix
Today, we’ll talk about his vision for the education of our children. Few knew exactly how bad California public schools had become, but as parents helped their kids dial into their very short Zoom classes, parents learned what the unions considered education; actually, indoctrination rather than the essential learnings needed for later success. CRT, socialism and environmental wackiness sucked up the time, ignoring what matters.
Home schooling and charter schools have long offered a much better option, but particularly in recent years, powerful teachers’ unions have strived to eliminate their competition. Elder speaks about how online public schools particularly impact minority and poor youth, who may not have parental expertise to help them thru their struggles dealing with lower quality internet and just getting the work done. In person, a student struggling in one area can get help; online, nothing was offered.
Elder says, “I will never sacrifice the dreams of just one California child to appease teachers’ unions, who denounce parents and families as “white supremacists” simply because they want their kids back in school.
I will never support taxpayer funded schools that indoctrinate children with hate… That teach white kids are “oppressors.” And those black kids are “victims.””
All parents want their children to succeed, but they need help to make that happen, help the teachers’ unions are refusing to supply
Elder knows that he faces extreme challenges to transform a broken state. He will face a Democrat super-majority state senate and legislature, invested in the unions that pay for their elections. But courtesy of the strategies employed by Newsom, he has a plan of action that allows him to move quickly.
Emergency powers, seized during the pandemic, give Elder the power to make rapid changes to give families more educational options and allow them to abandon the failing public schools. Though he hasn’t articulated a particular plan, options he might consider are to take over low-quality schools and offer them to charter companies who would offer better education. A more traditional curriculum could be mandated, eliminating the time-wasters filling the hours now. Perhaps the school year could be extended. I personally look at the huge amounts of vacation and holiday most teachers enjoy; it seems that if you compared their compensation to us regular folks with 2-3 weeks of vacation, they are actually paid reasonably well. Add 25% to the pay and most are paid quite well. Let’s up the pay once teachers begin to work year-round, as many countries do now.
A Call to Action
Is education an emergency? Ask yourself, if you have children, whether you feel good about the schools your kids attend. Check out Pacific Research Institute and Lance Izumi’s great work, “Not as Good as You Think,” about what are considered better California schools. When you think about what our future will be like with a horde of uneducated kids, that should scare everyone.
Join with Larry Elder to fix this. Donate, volunteer and vote for a real alternative for California. We have this amazing chance. Let’s take it and make California Golden again.
