Thank you for paying attention to this important issue. I think everyone can agree that public education is important, that local control has mostly been successful and that consolidation of control for corporate profits will be a disaster. I'd like to invite educators who want to know more about Microsoft and Bill Gate's international propaganda efforts <a href="http://www.techrights.org">to visit and comment at Techrights, a free software watchdog, news and advocacy site</a>. In particular, <a href="">there is this analysis of the dissent article</a> and <a href="http://techrights.org/wiki/index.php/Gates_Foundation_Critique">this Gates Foundation critique</a>. Together, we can understand the issues and protect our rights.
The corruption of public education for the benefit of Microsoft and other large companies is a growing concern of free software advocates. Free software use by public schools to save money and to better teach computer science is natural and should be flourishing but well intentioned efforts have been consistently blocked by idiotic administrators who would rather pour millions of dollars into buggy, insecure and restricted software that teaches nothing but helpless obedience. From your article, we see the larger picture of institutional hijack and other players involved.
Of all the interests hijacking public schools, big publishers like Microsoft have a direct profit motive. Bill Gates, as a major shareholder in Microsoft, pharmaceutical and tobacco companies has at least three direct profit motives. The profit motive of petroleum companies seems more indirect.
Many arguments can be made for and against "charter schools, high-stakes standardized testing for students, merit pay for teachers whose students improve their test scores, firing teachers and closing schools when scores don’t rise adequately, and longitudinal data collection on the performance of every student and teacher". However it is obvious that the present educational system has failed a number of generations of the less affluent. To stand by nonchalantly, as we have for decades, would only perpetuate and worsen the present poverty and inequality levels.
I applaude Bill Gates for having the courage of bringing awareness to this critical problem that would eventually threaten the stability and future of our nation.
Mutternich.....not true dearheart. One only needs a good birth certificate which lists parents names and place of birth. Mine does. I have been abroad and had my "papers" checked....by OUR military. They held me up for 2 hours while they called the US to verify my records of my being a US citizen. They also asked me who my grandparents were and other information only I would know. Our government has much more information on us...than we can imagine....depends only on how deep they care to dig to check it. If people don't have papers....they probably are not a "natural" born US citizen.
The government is trying very hard to destroy the paper trail in recent years. For many reasons.... just look at Obamas' paperwork....hidden at a cost of millions to keep it secret. WHY? What is he hiding and from whom?
...that both of your parents, all four of your grandparents, all eight of your great grandparents, all 16 of your great great grand parents, and all 32 of your great great great grandparents were born in this country? No hanky-panky with the German handyman for any of those grandmas?
See, to keep our great nation's citizenry truly pure, the burden of proof is on you as far as I'm concerned. So that's 62 birth certificates, in addition to your own, I expect to see from you.
The 'education' system per SE is an ongoing corrupt institution. It s roots are corrupt--these lot of new money bags are just the continuuing corruption. Anyone want to know the beginings of the ENFORCED 'education' system checkout John Taylor Gatto!
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