Betsy DeVos is Sending Out Thank-You Cards for Vouchers
Tennesseans across the state are receiving bright & shiny postcards in their mailboxes thanking state legislators for their controversial vote to undermine public education with the new ESA voucher plan.
You remember the ESA voucher vote, don't you?
Oh, let's take a stroll down memory lane and refresh you on what happened that flippity do-da day.
As the ESA bill made its way to a floor vote, lawmakers began blowing the whistle on House leadership. Tweets and newspaper articles made claims that state legislators were alternately being strong-armed and incentivized into voting for the Governor's ESA voucher bill. But when the bill came up for a vote, there was a dead tie in the House. A tie vote means that the bill failed. But the now disgraced Speaker Glen Casada refused to officially "take" the vote for nearly an hour, trying to persuade at least one lawmaker to change his mind. He succeeded with the now infamous Farragut Flipper, Rep. Zachary. After being assured his district would not be included in the bill, Zachary betrayed his constituents and changed his vote. ESAs became law in Tennessee. But that was not the end. Word leaked out that an FBI investigation was underway. Casada stepped down as Speaker of the House. New allegations emerged that state Representative John Mark Windle was promised a promotion in the Tennessee National Guard in exchange for a Yes vote on vouchers. Casada denied having the power to grant promotions in the National Guard saying only the Governor could do such a thing.
And now… We have thank-you cards being mailed out to those lawmakers who provided us with this dumpster fire. So, who is paying for this slick marketing campaign praising these flipper sell-outs?
Surprise, surprise…. It's none other than Betsy DeVos' favorite "let's-turn-our-schools-into-Amway-franchises" organization, American Federation for Children.
The postcard asks you to text "TNEDU" to 52886 to say thank you.
Well, we got a better idea…
You remember the ESA voucher vote, don't you?
Oh, let's take a stroll down memory lane and refresh you on what happened that flippity do-da day.
As the ESA bill made its way to a floor vote, lawmakers began blowing the whistle on House leadership. Tweets and newspaper articles made claims that state legislators were alternately being strong-armed and incentivized into voting for the Governor's ESA voucher bill. But when the bill came up for a vote, there was a dead tie in the House. A tie vote means that the bill failed. But the now disgraced Speaker Glen Casada refused to officially "take" the vote for nearly an hour, trying to persuade at least one lawmaker to change his mind. He succeeded with the now infamous Farragut Flipper, Rep. Zachary. After being assured his district would not be included in the bill, Zachary betrayed his constituents and changed his vote. ESAs became law in Tennessee. But that was not the end. Word leaked out that an FBI investigation was underway. Casada stepped down as Speaker of the House. New allegations emerged that state Representative John Mark Windle was promised a promotion in the Tennessee National Guard in exchange for a Yes vote on vouchers. Casada denied having the power to grant promotions in the National Guard saying only the Governor could do such a thing.
And now… We have thank-you cards being mailed out to those lawmakers who provided us with this dumpster fire. So, who is paying for this slick marketing campaign praising these flipper sell-outs?
Surprise, surprise…. It's none other than Betsy DeVos' favorite "let's-turn-our-schools-into-Amway-franchises" organization, American Federation for Children.
The postcard asks you to text "TNEDU" to 52886 to say thank you.
Well, we got a better idea…
We think these lawmakers deserve a big fat "F"
- F for failing Tennessee's schoolchildren
- F for failing to listen to their constituents
- F for failing to behave ethically
So, if you are inclined to text them, you might want to replace the "TNED" with a big fat "F" and tell them thanks a lot for selling out Tennessee's public schools...
