On January 20th the scepter and orb were transferred to Trump and the early theme of the era of Trump 2.0 is off and running: retribution Executive Orders flew out of the White House, institutionalizing a host of MAGA favorites, among them a major theme of the Trump campaign, opposing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts,Continue reading “Trump versus the NYS Board of Regents”
Tag Archives: politics
In Praise of the UFT Staff
Over the past year the opposition caucuses have been demeaning the folks who keep the union running, for the most part invisible, the staff. The borough offices are staffed by part timers who work a few days a week supporting the full time staff who worked their way up the informal internship system. I wasContinue reading “In Praise of the UFT Staff”
Tic Tok As the Clock Edges Toward Armageddon (January 20th, 2025)
On Christmas Eve morning I jumped up early, it was snowing, I got to Russ & Daughters, a New York institution a few minutes after it opened, already packed with the cognoscenti. Smoked Salmon (Nova, Gaspe, Scotch, Norwegian, Pastrami), Sable, an array of herring and on and on. The food of the Gods and Goddesses.Continue reading “Tic Tok As the Clock Edges Toward Armageddon (January 20th, 2025)”
A Bubbling Cauldron: Dividing Billions of Foundation Aid Dollars
The news is dominated by the Trump election, the Adams indictment, the new police commissioner, the healthcare corporation executive murder, the chancellor of the month, and, buried behind the headlines the battle over Foundation Aid, the formula that determines the distribution of state dollars to schools. A little history: New York is a property taxContinue reading “A Bubbling Cauldron: Dividing Billions of Foundation Aid Dollars”
From the Classrooms: One Army, Union Members Prepared to Fight for Our Schools and Our Students
I was chatting with a group of elementary school teachers. “Do you know there’s an election for UFT leadership in the spring?” “No” “Do you know who leads the union now and how are they doing?” One of the teachers had been a delegate, she liked Mulgrew’s opening report, said it was thorough. “Do you knowContinue reading “From the Classrooms: One Army, Union Members Prepared to Fight for Our Schools and Our Students”
Will Public Education and Teacher Unions Survive Trump?
The pundits are suggesting names for the next Secretary of Education, that’s if the Department of Education survives. Betsy De Vos is campaigning as well as the Commissioner of Education in Oklahoma who ordered posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Do you post the Protestant or the Catholic commandments? They’re different! Are you working onContinue reading “Will Public Education and Teacher Unions Survive Trump?”
An Autopsy: Did Trump Win or Did Harris Lose?
I must live in a bubble, a Harris bubble. I’m surrounded by smart, politically engaged women; this was the election of a lifetime. I was certain, a tsunami of women voters would determine the outcome. We would see an enormous turnout. Pollsters were predicting a close, a very close election, days, maybe weeks before a winnerContinue reading “An Autopsy: Did Trump Win or Did Harris Lose?”
Kamala Wins as an Unexpected Tsunami of Women Voters Swamp Trump (my taro cards are never wrong)
Nate Silver writes The Tilt in the NYT, parsing polling, Nate is not a pollster, he’s a journalist (and a professional poker player) writing about polls. Polls vary from pollster to pollster, a week away from election day The Tilt, sort of, without confidence, predicts a Trump victory, In an election where the seven battleground states are all pollingContinue reading “Kamala Wins as an Unexpected Tsunami of Women Voters Swamp Trump (my taro cards are never wrong)”
Is the US Constitution a Misogynistic and Racist Document?
Supreme Court Justices Thomas, Alito and other conservative justices refer to themselves as Originalists, basing their decisions on the original intent of the founders. The founders, the fifty-five white, male elites, some slave holders, others businessmen, some expressed their opposition to slavery, none were abolitionists. While Madison viewed slavery as repugnant he never freed hisContinue reading “Is the US Constitution a Misogynistic and Racist Document?”
Will “Unexpected Voters” Determine the Outcome of the Presidential Election?
The self described newspaper of record, the N.Y. Times displays graphs, red lines and blue lines and comments on polls almost every day. What is a poll? A poll is a prediction of a particular event at a specific time. Newspapers, media in general, rarely discusses the methodologies that vary from pollster to pollster norContinue reading “Will “Unexpected Voters” Determine the Outcome of the Presidential Election?”
Ed in the Apple: Blogging on the Intersection of Education and Politics Title 