Now that the inauguration is over and Trump has been sworn in, it's time to focus on something a little bit more important: his cabinet picks. Even though he promised to "drain the swap" he decided to bring in billionaires and lobbyists to form his cabinet. While most of the picks are equally awful, the absolute worst person picked would have to be Betsy DeVos.
Betsy DeVos has been tapped for the position of education secretary. Out of all the people that could have be chosen, Trump picked her.
Below, I've compiled a small list of reasons why she should not be secretary of education.
1. She Isn't Qualified
Don't let the smile fool you, this is a picture of a woman who has absolutely no business in education. During one of her confirmation hearings, Senator Elizabeth Warren asked DeVos some very important questions like "have you ever been in charge of a trillion dollar loan program?" or "have you ever directly managed a bank?" Because the secretary of education is such an important job, you would think she would have had more positive answers. However, both of these questions were answered with a resounding "no." DeVos has also never taken a student loan, her children have never taken student loans, and when asked if she would enforce the laws that keep universities and colleges from cheating their students, she said that she would make sure the laws are "reviewed."
So let's face it America, DeVos is not qualified for such a demanding position.
2. She Wants To Take Away Funding From Public Schools
The school that you see above is a good example of what will happen to public schools if Betsy DeVos is confirmed as the secretary of education. Her plan is to take away funding from public schools so there will be more money for rich parents to send their kids to private schools. Apparently, she isn't aware of the fact that 90% of children attend public schools. Or maybe she does and she simply doesn't care.
From 1994 to 2014, DeVos has donated $100 million dollars to different organizations, but almost half of that $100 million went to private Christian schools. She doesn't want a separation of church and state and this is her plan to try and bring church back into the education system. To put it quite simply, she's trying to privatize education and that is just unacceptable.
3. She's A Lobbyist
The only reason why she was picked to be considered for education secretary is because she has money. Trump picked her because he's a businessman and sees that she can make a profit. What is not being seen, however, is that her profits come at a price and that price is children's education. She's a lobbyist. All she cares about is doing what's right for her, not for America's students and teachers and that is unacceptable.
She is literally paying her way into an important position and for American public schools this is very dangerous. Just because she has money, it does not make her qualified for this position.
As a college student, to even think that this woman could be in charge of the loan system is terrifying. So many students who wish to further their education after high school depend on student loans and she could so easily take them away. If she doesn't take away loans, she could just as easily make tuition so unaffordable that loans won't even make a difference!
I don't care if you're a republican and I don't care if you're a democrat. Education is something that does not belong to one political party or the other. Education is something that everyone has a right to and this woman is the biggest threat to education out there. Our country has worked so hard over the years to ensure that everyone gets the chance to attend school and now here DeVos is, trying to take away that right. It's horrific.
She is not right for American education and she is certainly not right for education secretary.
