Key Trump Personnel Stephen Bannon and Betsy DeVos Support Group That Wants to End Public Education and Replace It With Church Schools

At Least They Are Open About It

Those of us who believe that the right wing religious nuts want to abolish not only the Department of Education but public education itself now have proof that they and the administration are in cahoots.  From the Washington Post is a story about the Council on National Policy, a group which has as its active supporters the guru to the President Stephen Bannon, Commie Conway and the not-so-smart new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her family.

Here’s some of what they believe

It also says states should encourage K-12 public schools to post the Ten Commandments, teach Bible classes and recognize holidays such as Easter and Christmas; promote instruction “from a Judeo-Christian perspective”; and remove “secular-based sex education materials from school facilities.”

It calls for the termination of the Common Core academic standards and an end to the government collection of student data, which has generated concerns among activists on the right and the left.

The goal, it says, is a “gradual, voluntary return at all levels to free-market private schools, church schools and home schools as the normative American practice.”

Now the group is entitled to its views and entitled to push its views.  But the group is pretty clandestine.

Names of the council’s members are closely held. But the Southern Poverty Law Center published a 2014 membership directory showing that Stephen K. Bannon — now chief White House strategist for President Trump — was a member and that Kellyanne Conway — now counselor to the president — served on the council’s executive committee.

Its hundreds of members are a who’s who of prominent figures on the Christian right, including former lawmakers and leaders in social activism, business and think tanks. Their thrice-yearly meetings are held in undisclosed locations, and every four years GOP presidential candidates show up to address the crowd and seek their favor.

You see, these right winger know they cannot get America to support them if everyone knew their positions, so the stealth movement using useful idiots like DeVos and Conway are about the only strategy they have.  And the danger to America, with everyone distracted by other things it just might work.