When Republicans took control of the North Carolina legislature in 2011, they began a drumbeat of criticism claiming public schools were failing. They offered little evidence, but were trying to undermine public support for schools. They slashed funding for both K-12 and higher education, making broad cuts that damaged our education system. Over the past fourteen years, they have broken public education.
Republicans singled out teachers for derision, claiming they only worked nine months a year and less than eight hours a day. They made deep cuts to support staff like assistant teachers, librarians, and school counselors. Today, the state has among the lowest per pupil spending and lowest teacher pay in the nation. Teachers and students are leaving North Carolina public schools at levels not seen in decades.
Instead of fixing the problems in public schools, legislators shifted money to private schools and corporate charters. They now offer vouchers to wealthy families, effectively taking from the poor to give to the rich. Republican legislators in some of the poorest districts in the state remain silent while money that should be educating their constituents are going to wealthy families in prosperous counties.
Elon Musk is using similar tactics. He’s claiming to have uncovered massive waste and fraud as justification for slashing public programs. “Waste and fraud” has become a rallying cry for Republicans. They’ve offered scant evidence of Musk’s claims, but have allowed him to destroy entire programs. Musk and Trump are breaking what is working with little concern for the consequences.
Republicans are looking for money to pay for a massive tax cut for the wealthy and corporations. They’ve taken a cleaver to the federal government instead of a scalpel, chopping whole programs instead of identifying inefficiencies, fraud, or waste. They’re demonizing federal employees, just like Republicans in North Carolina demeaned teachers.
North Carolina was the prototype for what Trump and his authoritarians are doing. They are breaking programs to justify slashing them and transferring money that funded them to the rich. As per pupil spending shrank in North Carolina, Republicans offered major tax cuts to the wealthiest citizens. To protect their power, they have attacked democracy, effectively disenfranchising millions of voters through gerrymandering and making voting more difficult for constituencies that might oppose them.
Musk and Trump are following a similar path. They are gutting key government programs and preparing to shift huge amounts of money to the wealthiest Americans, including themselves. They are also quickly moving to make the military and law enforcement loyal to them instead of the Constitution. They appear to be making moves to ensure they stay in power regardless of the will of the people.
The Constitution was specifically designed for Congress to put restraints on the executive branch. Republicans in Congress have shirked their responsibilities and fallen in line behind Trump. By doing so, they’ve opened up the government to real fraud and abuse instead of Musk’s dubious claims.
Outstanding post, Thomas. Ypu drew a strait line from N. Carolina to Trump's DC. You are calling his toadies and thier real agenda to plunder our country.
Thanks for being a fearless and formidable voice for all of us. We need leaders like you to survive in this ugly chapter, which has barely begun.
I’m so glad someone remembers this history of the Republicans tearing down the public schools and defunding teachers such that many left the state to work in other places. Thank you for this review of what has happened.