Four Ways Trump Can Scrap Biden’s ‘Equity’ Discrimination And Promote Real Equality
There are at least four steps Trump can take immediately to make good on campaign promises to vanquish DEI from the federal bureaucracy.
Imagine these words as the first speech delivered by Donald Trump’s incoming secretary of education.
Today, I am here to deliver bitter medicine: American education has failed. Teachers and parents, administrators and government — and even students — all bear some responsibility.
Just as Sputnik spurred the urgency that sent Americans to the moon, we need a bold initiative to revolutionize education.
The most common explanations for our educational crisis are inadequate funding, overuse of standardized testing, and systemic prejudice. They are false.
Our schools do not lack funding. No country spends more on public education.
The poor results of standardized tests indicate our failures; they are not the cause.
Our schools are not prejudiced. The most aggressive education reforms since 1955 directly aimed to eliminate systemic discrimination.
For decades, we ignored signs of trouble, but the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the depth of our challenges. The problems are so pervasive and complex that there is no quick fix. We cannot merely repair; we must rebuild.
Since 2020, American families have struggled mightily. The declining quality of education prompted affluent families to opt out of public schools, leaving middle- and working-class families with diminished resources and influence to push for reform. States' refusal to enact school choice reforms widened the wealth gap and limited generational mobility.
But lower- and middle-class families bear some responsibility, too. The rise of single-parent households, less common among affluent families, has been catastrophic. When the only adult in the home works up to 60 hours a week to make ends meet, there is little time for homework help, PTA meetings, or engaging with school officials. Even in households with two working parents, time and energy are often in short supply.
Teachers, for their part, have good reason to despair. Despite the monumental importance of their work, many are underpaid. They face administrators who value standardized test scores above all else.
Meanwhile, declining standards for decorum and discipline, often justified in the name of “social justice,” have made schools unsafe for both teachers and students.
Violence and insubordination create an environment unfit for serious learning. Some parents treat schools as day-care centers or demand good grades for minimal effort. Worse, parents of disruptive students often refuse to ensure that their children do not rob others of the opportunity to learn.
Yet teachers, too, have failed. They inflate grades to keep their jobs but do no favors for students unprepared for future challenges. This, in turn, lowers the quality of education for students ready for more advanced work, driving gifted students out of public schools.
Another harsh truth is that many teachers are unprepared for the job. The education system has failed for so long that many teachers have never mastered the material they are supposed to teach. Colleges steer future educators toward education majors, where coursework focuses more on leftist “social justice” ideology than on subject mastery. Some graduates believe their mission is to “dismantle” an “unjust” society by creating anti-American activists.
When these activist teachers enter classrooms, they often abandon their duty to transmit America’s culture, knowledge, and values. Instead, they teach students to disdain their nation, its people, its past, and its way of life. This undermines social cohesion and deprives disadvantaged students of the tools they need to succeed.
Outdated curricula exacerbate these issues. Most schools still use models from the late 20th century, failing to address how computing, the internet, and artificial intelligence have transformed how we read, write, and learn. Even in innovative schools, teachers often struggle to balance the needs of non-native, non-English speakers with those of native English speakers, diluting the educational experience for the latter.
Our colleges and universities are also broken. Admitting underprepared students has lowered academic standards nationwide. General education curricula often assume a need for remediation, leaving motivated students without the challenge or preparation they deserve.
Government-run financial aid has inflated tuition costs while diminishing the value of college degrees. Proposals to cancel student debt signal to universities that they can continue raising prices without consequence, encouraging predatory admission policies that saddle students with unmanageable debt.
How do we revitalize American education? Nothing short of an academic Sputnik will suffice. Just as Sputnik spurred the urgency that sent Americans to the moon, we need a bold initiative to revolutionize education.
And that is just the beginning.
The destiny of our nation depends on education. The effort to revitalize our schools must be as bold as our aspirations. Together, we will bring American education into the 21st century. Together, we will make American education great again.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearEducation and made available via RealClearWire.
Over the weekend, Vivek Ramaswamy, who is poised to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk, met with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo to elucidate their plans to slash federal agencies regardless of Deep State opposition.
Dave Rubin plays the clip of their conversation.
“Are you expecting to close down entire agencies?” Bartiromo asked, referring to Trump’s claims that he intends to shut down the Department of Education.
“We expect mass reductions; we expect certain agencies to be deleted outright; we expect mass reductions in force in areas of the federal government that are bloated; we expect massive cuts among federal contractors and others who are over-billing the federal government — so yes,” was Ramaswamy’s blunt answer.
Bartiromo’s next question was how he plans to get around “the Deep State.”
“Didn't President Biden put in plans to ensure that you're not going to be able to fire those people at all? How do you get around that?” she asked.
“President Biden has made a lot of changes trying to entrench the administrative state,” Ramaswamy confirmed, noting that the “Supreme Court has slapped them on the wrist numerous times” for this.
However, granted that we have “a president of the United States like Donald Trump elected with the mandate he's been given, both chambers of Congress belong to Republicans, a 6-3 conservative majority in the Supreme Court,” he’s hopeful that major change will happen.
“If we don't downsize the federal government now, it's never going to happen in the future,” he told Bartiromo, adding that “the key is to move quickly, to move effectively."
“Have you thought about moving some of these departments or agencies out of Washington?” Bartiromo asked next.
“Yes,” Ramaswamy stated, noting that they should be able to drastically cut federal agents by simply requiring employees to report to work in person.
“A lot of them won’t want to do that,” he said.
Further, they intend to “move many of [the agencies] out to be where they're more accountable to the people.”
While the plan sounds brutal, Ramaswamy said that their intention “is not to be cruel.”
“Most of them … are individually good people, and we want to be compassionate and generous in how we handle this transition, but the real issue is there's just too many of them,” he explained. “We shouldn't have 4 million civil servants who aren’t even elected or can’t be removed from their positions. It’s anti-democratic.”
Dave can’t wait to see Ramaswamy and Musk “find all the missing money and the ridiculous inefficiencies."
“Not only will businesses really start flourishing, but you will have more money in your pocket," he says.
Further, the DOGE plans to be 100% transparent in weeding out unnecessary agencies. In a recent tweet, Elon Musk outlined the DOGE's plans to be transparent.
“All actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be posted online for maximum transparency. Any time the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know! We will also have a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars. This will be both extremely tragic and extremely entertaining.”
“This is what we’ve all wanted!” says Dave.
To hear more about the plans for the DOGE, watch the clip above.
To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday in New York City. The indictment was unsealed Tuesday morning, and it outlined three federal charges against the rap star.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York presented charges against Combs for racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and interstate transportation for prostitution.
'The freak offs sometimes lasted days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers, and often involved a variety of narcotics — such as ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB [gamma hydroxybutyrate] — which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant.'
According to the indictment, “Members and associates of the Combs Enterprise engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other activities, sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told reporters during a Tuesday press conference, "A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City. Today, he's been indicted and will face justice in the Southern District of New York."
Federal prosecutors are seeking to detain Combs ahead of trial.
"So we will be seeking detention," Williams said. "There is a presumption of detention in a case like this, and we think that's warranted."
Williams was asked if Combs could be in danger while behind bars — a reference to the death of Jeffrey Epstein in jail.
"We are concerned with anyone's safety whenever they are detained prior to trial, it's part of our obligation," Williams responded. "But I do not draw any sort of connection between Jeffrey Epstein's suicide and what may or may not happen to any other defendant while they are detained pretrial. Our position is that pretrial detention is warranted [for Combs] under the law and based on the facts of this case."
Williams declared that the investigation was not done and refused to take future charges off the table.
"This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly," he stated.
Williams added, “Between at least 2008 and the present, Combs abused, threatened, and coerced victims to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
He continued, “Sean Combs led and participated in a racketeering conspiracy that used the business empire he controlled to carry out criminal activity, including sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and the obstruction of justice.”
According to prosecutors, Combs “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern” of physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse “toward women and other individuals.”
The complaint also alleges that on numerous occasions, Combs “assaulted women by, among other things, striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them.”
The indictment claims Combs used his businesses and employees “to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his abuse and commercial sex.” According to the complaint, the businesses included Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises, and Combs Global.
He 'subjected victims [to] physical, emotional, and verbal abuse so that they would participate in the freak offs.'
Prosecutors alleged Combs was able to garner “absolute loyalty” from business members through “acts of violence and threats.” The Combs Enterprise reportedly avoided detection for illegal activities through “acts of intimidation, manipulation, bribery, and threats of retaliation against individuals who witnessed the crimes committed by members and associates of the enterprise.”
The alleged physical abuse victims purportedly were inflicted with injuries that would take “days or weeks to heal."
The indictment describes sex acts known as “freak offs,” for which Combs allegedly organized the transportation of sex workers across state lines and internationally — and often recorded them.
Williams told reporters, "The freak offs sometimes lasted days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers, and often involved a variety of narcotics — such as ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB [gamma hydroxybutyrate] — which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant.”
The sex acts also involved IV fluids and lighting, according to the three-count indictment.
During these sex performances, Combs is alleged to have “subjected victims to physical, emotional, and verbal abuse.” The victims were reportedly threatened with a loss of income or livelihood if they declined to participate in the sex parties.
Williams claimed Diddy would become “violent” when he “didn’t get his way," adding that he "subjected victims [to] physical, emotional, and verbal abuse so that they would participate in the freak offs."
Williams also noted evidence of the freak offs — "electronic devices that contain images and videos of the freak offs with multiple victims" — seized from raids on Combs’ properties in Miami and Los Angeles in March.
Federal prosecutors said more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and other lubricants were seized from Combs' homes that were used in these sex performances.
Law enforcement also seized three AR-15 rifles, ammunition, and a large-capacity drum magazine. The serial numbers on the AR-15s had been defaced, according to prosecutors.
Following Combs' arrest Monday, his attorney — Marc Agnifilo — described the entertainment mogul as “an innocent man with nothing to hide.”
“To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation, and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges,” Agnifilo said.
However, Williams disagreed and stated: “Generally, and with increasing frequency, the word cooperative or cooperating has taken on tremendous elasticity, and it no longer really bears any relation to what the word means when we use it in a very specific context. Responding to lawful process and the like does not qualify as cooperation when we use that term here.”
If convicted on all charges, Combs faces up to life in prison.
In May, disturbing footage surfaced of Diddy brutally assaulting his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura at a California hotel in 2016. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said the rapper would not be prosecuted.
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