“It sounds like big government” is what former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ about actions being taken by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to address wokeness being taught in Sunshine State schools.
Talk show host Erick Erickson responds that Hogan’s position is not a good one.
Larry Hogan is essentially saying that setting standards for education, which he supports, is fine so long as conservatives are not the ones setting those standards. Then it becomes a problem. This is not a good position to take. https://t.co/XJfl41RSHh
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) February 19, 2023
National Review editor Rich Lowry calls Hogan “wrong” about the issue.
Larry Hogan is wrong about this. Public authorities control public schools. They always have and will. The question is whether the education blob gets to run out of control and impose its political agenda on the schools or not. https://t.co/6uLrtqQxbg
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) February 19, 2023
That measures must be taken to address insanity and wokeness being taught in public schools is disturbing. Rather than respond to the problematic nature of what is being addressed, the former Maryland governor commented on how it is being addressed. The point Erickson and Lowry make is that schools are public and are therefore subject to public standards. Standards not set by Gov. DeSantis, who won reelection by more than 1.5 million votes this past November, will be set by some other facet of “big government.” It is about what the standards set by government should be, not whether there should be standards. If Gov. DeSantis were to attempt to force-feed woke ideology through the public school system, conservatives would (as well they should) oppose it.
Education is a service. As in other service industries, choices and competition apply pressure to all purveyors of the service. Scholastic opportunities that are not infected by woke nonsense will apply pressure to those in “government” to set standards that prevent public schools from pushing such things.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated to clarify the number of votes by which Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection.
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