Pre-K: Where God Dare Not Go
Okay, I know Pre-K is rough because those little rug rats will kill you and then eat you. But I had no idea how rough it is until Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s semi-mildly progressive plan for Pre-K education in Texas was attacked by Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who lives in the dank, dark, and dreadful Tea Party world.
All twenty members of Patrick’s “advisory board” oppose the Abbott plan, and oppose is kinda an understatement.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s tea party advisory panel on Tuesday blasted Gov. Greg Abbott’s quality pre-K legislation as “socialistic” and “a threat to parental rights,” contributing friction to the already tense balancing act between the state’s top Republican leaders.
“We are experimenting at great cost to taxpayers with a program that removes our young children from homes and half-day religious preschools and mothers’ day out programs to a Godless environment …
Okay, the letter goes on and on but I kinda had to stop there.
It is news to me that Pre-K is Godless. Every Pre-K class I have ever visited has an adult present who loudly proclaims, “Oh Dear God!” at least hourly. Those kids are savages and even calling on God rarely stops Buster from attempting to gouge out Casey’s eyes.
But they keep on going —
This interference by the State tramples up our parental rights,” the letter added. “The early removal of children from parents’ care is historically promoted in socialistic countries, not free societies which respect parental rights.”
Y’all, seriously. Is there a non-socialistic magic button between Pre-K and regular K? How about 5th grade? Is 5th grade socialist?
I dunno. Dan Patrick and his Tea Party punch bowl get crazier and crazzzzzier.
Texas politicians, mostly those elected, just get crazier and more dangerous by the day. Next up, bill to allow Pre-K-ers to open carry in their homes.
1To quote pre-K instructors: “Oh, Dear God” what did they do when Dan Patrick was elected?
2I was a regular substitute at the Pre-K program in Greenville TX in what originally was the all-black high school on the other side of the tracks. Only 300 children got to go there, based on low income for those who spoke English, and need for a Spanish-language class for the other half of the school. This was in a town of around 25,000 which is still a small town by Texas standards. As I worked on my teaching certificate and M.Ed., especially since I needed time with these kids for my Early Childhood-12 Special Ed qualification, the system that’s been in place in Oklahoma was the best one to study. Starting in the late ’90s, they instituted universal Pre-K. So they have documentation on just how well this works, including long-term results on quality of life as an adult. Of course, actual research by actual educators isn’t on the reading list for Republicans in general and Abbot’s team in particular. No more than is required for the State Board of Education, those elected folks who basically write the textbooks for 10% of American schoolchildren…
3Mary K Croft puts her finger right on the underlying issue.
Pre-K benefits poor working families, poor unemployed families, minorities and immigrants disproportionately to rich white folk (for which “Christian” seems to be the new euphemism)
and the reich wing nutjobs cloak screwing the poor (for which “freedom” seems to be the new euphemism)
don’t want anybody dirty next to their simon-pure hatchlings (for which “real Americans” seems to be the new euphemism)
in an environment of equality (for which “Godless” seems to be the new euphemism).
4Somehow the smoldering mess between Abbott and Patrick seems to me to be a good thing. The more they hiss and spit at each other, the more and better we can carry out our own lives. But, hey, that’s just me. I wonder what they would do if they ever heard of what an entire country (France) is doing for pre-k. They are called matronelles and the staff will tell you that it is open to children from all income brackets and to mothers who work at home. The usual question is: why aren’t the stay at home moms taking care of their toddlers? Usual answer: because moms can’t be everything to everyone all the time. In sum, there is just no good reason to keep a kid out of pre-k. And it is funded via taxes. I can just see certain heads exploding in Austin. Heck, I put both my kids in a pre-k system and it did them a world of good. Me, too!!!
5So according to this guy if it does not happen in a church, it is Godless?? Would not want to go to work with him or be in his home. I cannot imagine such Godless areas.
6On a totally different side note: when I opened this site and glanced at the picture, I thought it was going to be a post about Jeb. I had not noticed before how much Jeb and Danny looked alike. Or is it just me?
7Yeah, I’m pretty sure in Dan’s world millions of parents are freaked out at the thought of their little sweet faced children going off to school to use water colors, eat lunch, socialize with their peers and deny Jesus.
I don’t believe in a hell below—but if their is one— Dan Patrick is definitely going to go.
8O.K. …. JJ: this is where I spit out my coffee all over the computer screen……” It is news to me that Pre-K is Godless. Every Pre-K class I have ever visited has an adult present who loudly proclaims, “Oh Dear God!” at least hourly.”
Knowing what we all know about Dan Patrick… he’s of the opinion ….(I believe) that we shouldn’t have any Pre-K but in church schools… and that certain religious schools should get our tax dollars.
Additionally….. we actually have Tea Party Citizen’s Advisory Board… advising the Lite-Gov??? Who Knew???
9You get what you pay for…. and we got Dan Patrick. He is a dangerous fool.
Chipster… you left out “Liberty”. That euphemism gets used a whole lot nowadays, too.
And yes, I was surprised how much Dingleberry Dan and JEB look alike, too. They are both sow-jaws ugly.
10If the issue were not education, I’d encourage these idiots to emulate the calico cat and the gingham dog. Destroy each other and leave the scraps. Unfortunately, there are children present. I despair of the next 4-8 years of these two making “policy” about anything.
11Speaking of parental rights in TX, this is heartbreaking:
12http://www.thegailygrind.com/2014/06/18/texas-judge-denies-two-gay-dads-parental-rights-biological-twin-sons/
I have a feeling this boils down to “My kids are completely under my control and nobody else has any right to tell me what to do with them, like vaccinate them, educate them, not beat them, and not indoctrinate them with my knuckle-dragging version of what I think Christianity is.”
Furthermore, pre-K might imply that the mother has a job outside the house, and we can’t have that, because she’s completely under his control too.
Dang, I get tired of them and I wish these people would just go somewhere. Except for not freeing the slaves, letting them just secede might have been a good thing.
13@Mary K Croft
14Be careful there. I spent 12 of the worst years of my life in Greenvile. The underlying problem is that G’vile has been paralyzed since the Dred Scott decision didn’t go their way.
Whew … I thought this was something about Jeb, too!! It is, however, a terrible thing regardless of who is in the picture!
15Maybe Dan Patrick is “right” to be afraid of removing kids from parents’ total mind control. My parents controlled my mind till I went off to a state university and encountered people who were not xeroxes of me. I didn’t become godless, but I sure as heck began my leftward journey from Reagan voter to Christian socialism. (Now I live in fear of total cybereducation from pre-K to PhD.)
16By “Godless environment”, I presume he means in the company of teachers who are dedicated to educate, not inculcate anybody’s religion. We all know how frightened rwnj’s are of facts, educated people and science, so reading up on how successful Pre-K programs are, is so much grist for the hate mill.
17The lives of thousands of children will be affected by this lost opportunity.
Okay, I agree it’s important to keep us up to date with Dan Patrick’s machinations, but not to keep us up at night with scarey photos of him!
I just see his righteous prissy face and remember that he’s running our Senate and get very disturbed. Please no photos of Dan P..rick.
18Patrick needs professional help.
19At first glance, I too thought it was Jeb. Maybe it’s just my failing eyesight, but it’s getting so I have a hard time telling one idiot from another.
Well, what with the Rapture coming right around the corner and all, there’s no real reason to educate the kids. I sometimes wish these folks would give all their wealth to worthwhile charities, shut up, go home, and just wait for the end to come. At the very least, I wish they’d go home and shut up.
20I am so sick of the “socialistic” label. It is worse than meaningless.
As far as I know there isn’t a country, government, culture or even cult on this planet that does not utilize a combination of socialism and capitalism. They are not mutually exclusive concepts in a complex society.
21LynnN: AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
22Looks like Patrick hired himself a chorus.
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