Incubater of extremism and cauldron of corruption
News is sizzling these days about crypto mining and LEARNS. My question is: What’s the relation?
At first glance crypto mining and LEARNS appear to have absolutely nothing in common. One, crypto mining, is straight out of a science fiction economics book. The other, LEARNS, is a decades old school voucher program.
First, let’s look at both crypto mining and LEARNS separately.
Crypto mining is a highly technical process like mining for gold, where cryptocurrency (think Bitcoin) is the gold. To “mine” cryptocurrency, you need a specialized computer, an energy supply, dependable internet, and a cooling system. When you put large groups of these computers together, it becomes a crypto mine. These crypto mines take up a lot of space and are often located in rural areas. One of the biggest public complaints against crypto mining is the consistent and extremely loud noises that are generated for computer operations and cooling. They prove a disturbance to the local community.
One of the major concerns for utilities is the massive amount of energy required for crypto mining, and so its tremendous stress on a locality’s electric grid. Only a month ago, The Houston Chronicle reported how Texas crypto miners risked collapsing the electric grid because they didn’t share data with regulators.
LEARNS is a 145-page omnibus law that totally overhauls Arkansas’s public education system. LEARNS includes fundamental changes to everything from student testing and required volunteerism. LEARNS places new financial challenges on our public schools, especially small rural schools. Some of whom will end up closing because of LEARNS.
One of the chief complaints about LEARNS: It sends our public tax money to private schools without holding those private and religious schools to the same requirements.
A first glance at crypto mining & LEARNS and I’d say that there is no relation between them.
I have no problem with crypto mines and the innovative economic opportunities they bring. That is, if crypto miners don’t create disturbances in their communities, and don’t endanger the public’s power grid. I also have no problem with improvements to our education system and educational outcomes for all learners across Arkansas.
But look more closely at the laws surrounding both crypto mining and LEARNS. Examine the process that Sarah Sanders and her legislative supermajority used to make those laws. Then you have to say, “Yep, it’s all connected.” Crypto mining and LEARNS were birthed from the same process and have the same DNA. Let’s take a closer look:
Limited input: Arkansans, and some legislators, tried to provide reasonable input into the negative impacts of crypto mining and LEARNS. They were ignored.
Rushed: LEARNS was introduced with very limited time for processing, same with the crypto mining law.
Done in secret: Despite having all the votes, everything was done behind the scenes. There is still a cloud of secrecy.
Not well thought out: The Sanders crew didn’t take time to think about the impact of these laws. There are so many more similarities, but the biggest one is that Sarah Sanders and her supermajority wanted to force LEARNS and crypto mining into law. They did not care what regular Arkansans thought.
Arkansas deserves better.
SIGN THE PETITION
Fortunately, you can have your voice heard. You can lift direct democracy by signing the Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024 petition. This is how we make sure that the power stays with the people.
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