Betsy DeVos sat in front of the United States Senate to be deemed fit or unfit for the role of Education Secretary on January 17.

All Betsy DeVos had to do was prove that she knew anything, literally ANYTHING, about the United States education system. Senate confirmations are largely not a bipartisan issue, and in the words of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), "The senate's role in this process is...to make sure every nominee is not only qualified for the position and free of conflicts of interest, but that he or she will have families and workers first, and not millionaires, billionaires, or big corporations."

It's pretty easy to meet those criteria: know what you're talking about, and make sure that you're in it for the American people, not for yourself or for those lining your pockets. That's not difficult! But Betsy DeVos meets none of these expectations. And that should leave you terrified.

Betsy DeVos may not necessarily have bad intentions for the American education system. She has not (yet) proven herself to be a cartoonish Disney villain, cackling as she peers into her crystal ball from Cartier (though I will not be surprised when she does). But she has proven herself to be grossly, even comically incompetent for any sort of leadership role.

First of all, Betsy DeVos has no experience with public schools. Not even tangentially. She went to private schools her whole life, as did her husband and children. In her exchange with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), she cleverly refused to answer any difficult questions, often responding with some version of "I don't know" or repeating banal, surface-level facts on the public school system.

This proves that even if she has memorized facts about the public school system, she has zero actual understanding of it. Remember when you took trig in high school and forgot everything the moment the school year was over? What if you suddenly had to be the national Secretary of Trigonometry? You'd have the same level of knowledge and expertise that Betsy DeVos has on public education. So how in the world did she even receive this nomination?

Well, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said it just as well as I could. "Do you think if [DeVos] were not a multi-billionaire...that [DeVos] would be sitting here today?"

Absolutely not.

The Secretary of Education should not want to defund public schools. America is built on public schools. The majority of doctors, politicians, lawyers, ambassadors, and other successful people went to public school. The majority of successful people used free, public education in order to learn and to become successful. Betsy DeVos wants to take education away from the people who can't afford to pay private school prices.

Betsy DeVos wants to make education a privilege.

Betsy DeVos wants to further disenfranchise anyone without the fortune of being born rich.

Betsy DeVos wants to take education away from the poor, for no reason except that she understands nothing about the public school system.

If America doesn't have education, then America has nothing.

Let me repeat, for those in the back.

If America doesn't have education, then America has nothing.

You should be horrified. If Betsy DeVos becomes Secretary of Education, it means that millions of children -- yes, children -- would lose a right to schooling. It means that we, the younger generation, will have to rebuild everything she tore down. It means that our friends, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and children will lose their opportunities to succeed. It means that even if by some stroke of luck we manage to keep public schools, they may be nearly indistinguishable from churches.

You should be scared. Scared enough to call your local senator (use this handy tool to find out who yours is) and tell them that you oppose the appointment for Betsy DeVos. Senators represent their constituents. Senators listen. Senators work for their people. Betsy DeVos will work only for herself and for the rich.

Watch the full Senate hearing here.