Militarism, hypocrisy, and the Democratic Party: Hillary Clinton speaks to students in San Diego

[IndianaGreen]

Militarism, hypocrisy, and the Democratic Party: Hillary Clinton speaks to students in San Diego

By Matthew Brennan and Josué Olmos
13 February 2008

Taking into account her audience, Clinton focused much of her remarks on education policy, offering a series of palliatives that will do nothing to address the serious economic problems facing students. She decried the failure of the Bush administration’s education policy over the past seven years, calling for an end to the No Child Left Behind Act, for tax credits to families with children in college, for increased federal grants, and for cuts in interest rates on college loans.

Clinton did not discuss the role of the Democratic Party in facilitating the Bush administration’s education policy over the last seven years. Nor did she seriously address soaring tuition costs and the attack on school funding, despite her call for “making college affordable again.” Throughout the country, college fees continue to skyrocket, forcing students to take out more loans even as they face declining job prospects upon graduation.

Students in California, including at San Diego State University, will have to confront the consequences of an austerity budget proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor is responding to the state’s budget crisis brought on by the declining housing market by proposing massive cuts in social programs, including $313 million in funds from the California State University system.

Since taking control of Congress in 2006, the Democrats have done nothing to alter educational policies Clinton criticized in her speech, from the national standardized testing policy to outdated classroom procedures. Furthermore, Clinton, along with several other leading Democrats, voted in favor of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, an act she referred to throughout the afternoon as an “unfunded mandate.”

Clinton’s most substantial proposal for addressing college costs was for “two years of national service opportunity in order to be able to get grants to go to college.” Those who agree to this service would receive $10,000 a year in education grants. Several other leading Democratic presidential candidates have made similar-sounding proposals, most notably Barack Obama. In these proposals, “civil service” is combined with “military service,” to obscure in idealistic sounding language proposals that are a step toward the reintroduction of the draft.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/feb2008/clin-f13.shtml

[Jed Dilligan]

1. God, what is it with her?

She somehow drops a little bit of poison into every little thing she proposes.

[Deja Q]

2. Splendid. What of those who are physically insufficient to get into national service?

Clinton did not discuss the role of the Democratic Party in facilitating the Bush administration’s education policy over the last seven years. Nor did she seriously address soaring tuition costs and the attack on school funding, despite her call for “making college affordable again.” Throughout the country, college fees continue to skyrocket, forcing students to take out more loans even as they face declining job prospects upon graduation.

The first sentence is arguable to have been avoided.

The remainder of it, IMHO, should have been given at least a token address.

And yet dingdongs on MSN and other forums say it's all about shoppin' on credit cards that causes debt and our economic state (an unsubstantiated claim).