Millions Spent on Common Core Messaging But OK Parents Still Won!
The following have been paying millions on messaging for Common Core: Bill Gates, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Governors Association (which is a private club of Republicans, Democrats and Corporations that have no business making policy for states since they are not accountable to taxpayers), GE, Exxon, Federal and State Departments of Ed, et.al.
Despite all the money spent, parents along with a few courageous teachers are winning the argument by showing the FACTS! In the words of Winston Churchill: “Never, never, never give up!” Never give up fighting statists that think the world would be a better place if you would let them be in charge of your life. Never drop your kids off at school and not check up on what they are being taught. Never believe a shiny brochure over a home-printed handout!
They had to pass it to see what was in it. They have spent money trying to indoctrinate educators, money on shiny brochures to tell parents and communities about how wonderful CC is, money to try to make people believe that states have the new “Oklahoma/Alabama/Colorado Academic Standards” which we immediately proved were nothing but Common Core under a new name. They spent money on TV ads, newspaper editorials, lobbyists, campaign donations, created new agencies like Stand on Children in many states… They named it Stand for Children, but they don’t stand for children so we appropriately renamed them.
They spent money with the National PTA because they thought they could purchase some grassroots. The Teachers Unions all got donations to “like” Common Core. They have given campaign donations and created pacs to get statists elected in State Legislatures. The list is endless, but much of it can be found on the Gates Foundation donation page if you like to research. They are still at it, even in Oklahoma. But even with their millions, they are losing the argument.
Just imagine if there was an even playing field, and the parent-researchers had the funds to spend informing folks that the Corporate Crony Educrats have. Not only are we not paid for the hours of research and time spent travelling the State, attending Legislative Committee Meetings and interim studies, other than having some very understanding and supportive husbands we have no budget. Zip, zero, zilch, nada. I know from my time on the board of Restore Oklahoma Public Education, we have the same $30 in our account that was there when I signed on almost four years ago. From time to time we pass the plate to collect some gas money, and sometimes folks pick up the tab for some printing or for dinner, and our awesome Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello threw in half and helped grassroots get the money together for our Common Core is Not OK t-shirts for our rally, but that was about it for our budget. Once some ladies from western Oklahoma gave us a big basket of homemade bread, jams and other goodies. We were in Heaven!
When Common Core began to hit Oklahoma classrooms, groups of parents and teachers and citizens started popping up all over the state, we got the attention of more legislators and BOOM, we finally got a repeal bill passed, and then confirmed by our State Supreme Court. Amazing. I love the tagline “Band of Mothers” given to us by Joel Gehrke of National Review.
Their $Millions vs. our gas money makes this Rasmussen poll a miracle, and should encourage parents and educators everywhere. We are winning. They own the media and we are still winning. They take our tax dollars and use it against us, but we are still winning!
From Rasmussen Reports: “Breaking the numbers down further, less than one third of Republicans thought Common Core would improve education, while 55 percent did not. A separate poll released last week by Pew Research revealed that conservatives of all stripes reject the national standards by a more than two-to-one margin, putting establishment GOP bigwigs such as Jeb Bush firmly on the fringe.”
It is time to visit the school board meetings, both local and state. It is time to visit your State Legislators and inform them. It is time to visit local Chamber of Commerce members. Most have no idea. They believe the shiny brochures if that is the only source of information they have. You might overcome the campaign donation promises of your State Chamber if you rationally show them what Common Core Standards with all the strings attached really consist of, and the impact they will have on the future for their children. You might win over the majority of the members of your local chamber. Legislators are just people. Businessmen and women have families. You need to get to know them anyway, and inform them. And you can.
Find your state’s group of #stopcommoncore parents and teachers and join! Educate yourself! In addition to PolitiChicks, visit websites like www.restoreokpubliceducation.com, http://americanprinciplesproject.org/, and http://truthinamericaneducation.com/ along with many others, and you will be armed and ready to educate the educators, school board members and legislators. All these resources give you links to prove the facts.
It is time to hold Governors on both sides of the aisle accountable! They all seem to be in agreement that they should collect our children’s data to sell to/share with “stakeholders” (Let me refer you to the Corporate Fellows of the NGA) to pick and choose their future employees rather than to educate your children to become all that God created them to be.
They will be giving legislators and educators shiny brochures; the Governor will be sending staff, the corporations want to nudge them into training children to be their future workforce rather than their competition, and if parents and teachers don’t rise up, they will just quietly legislate your freedom away until they own your children. Oh, whoa. Was that radical? Think I’m crazy? Here is a video of Arne Duncan stating that he wants your children 14 hours a day, 7 days a week and 12 months a year:
Governors are pushing it into our states like Governor Fallin (R), whose education agenda as Chair of the National Governors Association sounded like a speech of Hu Jintao, President of China. BEWARE. She eventually signed our repeal bill, but not without a big fight.
They know they can outspend us by zillions, and really thought they would squash us like bugs. They assume they can outlast us. This has been going on for a very long time under one name or another. Arm yourself with truth, and do not let them get away with lies. It is absolutely ludicrous that parents and teachers don’t want high standards for their children. Do not let anyone get away with stating that premise! Set the record straight.
In spite of the odds, in spite of their endless money spent on messaging and perceived power, we are winning! The truth is winning. Join the fight. Shine the light.
