YOUR VIEWS

Obama’s real record

Scott McLaughlin (Your Views, Jan. 15) goes on and on extolling former President Obama’s accomplishments and his narcissistic farewell speech, but Obama’s real record shows it differently. Ninety-five million Americans are out of the workforce. The 4.6 percent unemployment rate is laughable and false. In some cities in the Rust Belt, the published rate exceeds 25 percent. McLaughlin says the stock market went up a lot. Is it because of Obama and does it reflect the current economy? No. Obama strangled the economy with high taxes that caused our businesses to move out of the country. That and his business-punishing regulations increased joblessness. The stock market has gone up largely because people have no place else to go with their money because of low bond rates and low CD rates, which were caused by Obama’s dismal economy.

Obamacare is an admitted failure even by most truthful Democrats. Rates and deductibles have skyrocketed. This is killing the middle class. Obama is our worst president.

Ken Moore, Oklahoma City

Grave mistake

Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education is a grave mistake. DeVos has no relevant, practical experience. She has no experience in education, save spending several years actively undermining public education in Michigan. She has never attended a public school, studied education, been a public school parent or worked in a school. As a former resident of Michigan, I watched her spend years promoting a largely unsuccessful private and for-profit charter school system in Detroit that diverted millions of public dollars from underfunded public schools. She actively thwarted efforts to ensure oversight and accountability, giving free rein to fraud, waste and discrimination.

Michigan was established as a result of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which stated, in part: “Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” But DeVos has worked at every turn to betray that promise. Her efforts have harmed many lives, far more than they benefited, ensuring that thousands of Michigan children in failing private and for-profit charter schools —and many more in crumbling, underfunded public schools —were cheated of the education and future they deserve.

Her destructive behavior and indifference to its consequences should not be rewarded — especially not with the opportunity to harm even more American children and families.

Steven Ellis, Oklahoma City

The real problem

America’s schools are failing. The United States ranks 40th in math, 25th in science and 24th in reading behind countries like Estonia — despite spending 31 percent more on education per pupil than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average. Yet teachers unions blame the problem on “disinvestment following the 2008 recession.” Now union bosses are viciously attacking Education Secretary-designate Betsy DeVos — a supporter of education reform — as “an actual danger to students.”

Why? Because DeVos believes in school choice, merit-based pay and tenure reform — all of which threaten Big Labor’s public school monopoly. In her home state of Michigan, charter schools consistently outperform traditional public schools, providing students with two months of additional gains in reading and math every year. Stanford University research shows that “charter schools have significantly better results … for minority students who are in poverty.”

Why should they be stuck in failing public schools? Education funding isn’t the problem. It’s Big Labor, America’s school bully.

Richard Berman, Washington, D.C.

Berman is executive director of the Center for Union Facts.