When Lies Rule

Anti Fed Ed Warriors, we’ve heard, down through the ages, many phrases about truth and freedom. Many times these two words are combined in what we read, see, and, hear.

Other times the truth we’re told isn’t really the truth at all, but a manipulation with a hidden agenda lurking close by.
ESAs (Education Savings Accounts) are one such example. The advertised ‘truth’ is these taxpayer funded bank accounts will give parents total freedom to help educate their child as they best see fit. However, the real truth is that these bank accounts track purchases. Purchases which can show compliance with the State’s system, or, show an unacceptable purchase and be denied.

Many Anti Common Core Warriors (aka: Anti Fed Ed Warriors) have spent much time and research into how badly we’ve been lied to about ESAs. Education Savings Accounts have other names, depending on where you live.
Here on my blog, I’ve published many articles about how the federal government is planning on spending billions of our money for ‘Freedom Scholarships’, which are in reality, ESAs. Vouchers, tax credits, and Coverdell Accounts are other names used for ESAs.

So, where’s the root of the lie behind ESAs? In ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). Between the mandate for all education to be aligned to the same thing (page 17), there’s the PfS (Pay for Success System) which was also mandated.

This is where the ESAs come in. Then, the massive data trails ESAs contribute to. These trails all lead to workforce based alignment so that your education of ‘choice’ leads to some sort of job skill. These trails are tied to SIBs (Social Impact Bonds) and blockchain systems. These SIBs and Blockchains are meant to control you, not to help you be free.

Enter The Supreme Court:

Warriors, if you’ve not heard the Supreme Court will be ruling anytime between now and late June 2020 on the case “Espinoza vs Montana Dept. of Revenue”. At the heart of this case centers on a parent’s choice to use an ESA for a religious school program. Montana is one of the Blaine Amendment States. Montana also offers parents a $150 tax credit toward education expenses but has denied them in this particular court case.

Blaine Amendments were created to force separation in education, especially when the Catholic immigrants were coming to America in the 1800s. In the Espinoza vs MT Dept. of Revenue case, it’s being claimed that the age old law is appliable and is used no matter what type of religious school or program it is.

The problem is that 39 States have some sort of separation between schools and religion, depending on their level of interpretation of Blaine Amendments. Ten States have no type of Blaine Amendment at all. So exactly what IS the problem the Supreme Court needs to rule on? Use of public funds for religious (often, private) education. Because there’s a federal level to the Blaine Amendments AND different levels of interpretation at the State level, there’s a very fine line that’s no easy to find. Thus, the Supreme Court must define that line.

The Supreme Court has already ruled on Blaine Amendments and education before. This research paper published by Harvard gives an excellent breakdown of the State level Blaine definitions, the federal aspect, and, how an 1800s law is in the way of ‘school choice’.

All that said, the fact that ‘school choice’ is before the Supreme Court is a really big problem. Why? One of the biggest ESA/school choice voices is Justice Kavanaugh. The Justice has defended Jeb Bush (2000). As we know it is Jeb Bush who is the main funder of the Yellow Scarves and School Choice Week. It’s also the fact that President Trump nominated Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Justice AND that Trump is in full support of ESAs (Those billions in ‘freedom scholarships’).

How else is there a problem? The fallacy of school choice could be rubber stamped as ‘constitutional’ by the highest Court in the land. BUT, ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) is NOT constitutional. So how can you have constitutionally okayed funding for what isn’t constitutional OR binding to federal laws already on the books?

Warriors, we also need to remember that the HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Assoc.) has joined forces with Jeb Bush’s School Choice fallacy campaign. Below is an image I created for Twitter showing the words from page 17 of ESSA and how it destroyed true school choice. Something Bush, HSLDA, DeVos, Trump, and folks like Sen. Ted Cruz or Rep. Andy Biggs will not acknowledge.

Related Resources:

1) From 2016, the Federalist Society article on Blaine Amendments and ‘school choice’.
2) From 2017, The Supreme Court blog’s account of the Trinity Case cited in both the Harvard publication and the Federalist Society’s.
3) From 2018, the Education Next article about Colorado, Blaine Amendments, and, ESAs.
4) In 2004, this article showed how anti-catholicism was still being used in education via Blaine Amendments.
5) The 74’s article on Justice Kavanaugh before he was approved shows the Bush connection.
6) The Forbes article on Kavanaugh.
7) The NEA timeline on the Justice.
8) From 2017, Kavanaugh’s own words from a speech he gave praising his judicial heroes. One, was Justice Rehnquist. On page 12 and 13, look for the mention of religion and education. Don’t miss the first 3 pages where Kavanaugh expresses his admiration for the U.S. Constitution.
9) Earlier this year, the Guardian and Open Secrets worked together to uncover the dark money trail to groups who pushed Brett Kavanaugh as one of the top picks for the Supreme Court. The money trail goes through the Koch Brothers, too. We know, as Anti Fed Ed Warriors, that the Koch Brothers are a big part of the CCSS Machine.

Closing:
Warriors, given the current COVID-19 restructure of all education being conducted at home, don’t be surprised if and when the Supreme Court rules in favor of the uses for ESAs. After all, there are Bills in Congress right now which will amend the IRS tax codes for ESAs, vouchers, freedom scholarships, and, tax credits to be expanded to included on-line learning. Can you see the connections? I can.

On May 20, 2020, this excerpt from my article on the topic, “S 1425 from Sen. Rand Paul will amend the IRS tax code where Coverdell Accounts (ESAs, Education Savings Accounts)are concerned. The ESAs are a favorite lie of the CCSS Machine. This Bill was introduced May 13, 2020.”

Lastly, the CARES Act and HEROES Act also come into play. Watch for how and if the Supreme Court uses either.
Haven’t we been lied to enough? To be ruled in lies is our reality, will it be our future, too?