The United Gates of America

[proud2BlibKansan]

The title is not a mistake. In the New York Times, we finally see coverage of a phenomenon some of us have been writing about for year. The piece begins by telling about a small committed group of apparently grass roots organized teachers who testified before the Indiana legislature and wrote an op ed asking to eliminate seniority-based layoff policies.

They described themselves simply as local teachers who favored school reform — one sympathetic state representative, Mary Ann Sullivan, said, “They seemed like genuine, real people versus the teachers’ union lobbyists.” They were, but they were also recruits in a national organization, Teach Plus, financed significantly by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To see how pervasive the influence of the money of Bill Gates is, I strongly urge you to read Behind Grass-Roots School Advocacy, Bill Gates

And remember this:

In some cases, Mr. Gates is creating entirely new advocacy groups. The foundation is also paying Harvard-trained data specialists to work inside school districts, not only to crunch numbers but also to change practices. It is bankrolling many of the Washington analysts who interpret education issues for journalists and giving grants to some media organizations.

more . . . http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/22/978218/-The-United-Gates-of-America

[izquierdista]

1. With his stellar academic record...

why should anyone pay the slightest bit of attention to him?

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. He's buying their attention

That's why.

[izquierdista]

3. Money is a poor substitute for thinking

It can buys lots of things: loyalty, obsequious fawning, material things, etc.; but it can't buy results to replace misguided thinking.

[JackRiddler]

12. Money buys policy, votes, and other money. Doesn't matter if he's stupid. Are the Kochs smarter?

[WinkyDink]

4. What's Bill Gate's basic problem? WHY does he want to "transform" (shall we say) schools?

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. I don't know. Perhaps he's trying to make his mark on the world with his money

:shrug:

[Hannah Bell]

7. you really don't have an idea why?

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. I doubt he needs the money.

Profit is the general motivation here but how much more money does Bill Gates need?

[Hannah Bell]

9. you're looking at things from the pov of an ordinary person. profit per se not the point --

nor profit for bill gates alone.

power & structuring markets imo.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Definitely power

I see Bill making a speech in his old age where he brags about educating the current workforce. At least I suspect that's his dream.

[Hannah Bell]

11. the thought is revolting. imo though it's not about gates personally or his legacy.

but of course, that's just my theory.

[Hannah Bell]

6. kr. the gates-broad people are everywhere. 5th column of corruption.

[JackRiddler]

13. While all (correctly) decry the Kochs, Scaife, DeVos et al., Gates buys even more influence...

in much the same cause, which is not "liberal" vs. "conservative," but expanding the power of the ruling class to define the lives of the lower class according to its own vision. Class war and creating the desired population. It's not simply about making money from schools privatization and computers replacing teachers. (Although what do you think all the Windows computer giveaways to schools are supposed to be?!) It's also that the vision of the billionaires should be stamped on the world, giving their lives of plunder a retroactive moral wash.

[Starry Messenger]

14. k&r