Democracy is For Some People
” None of us is free until all of us are free.” Martin Luther King
Let me start by being very clear.
I am a patriot. I am a believer in the stated ideological foundations of the United States of America.
I am a believer, for instance, in the ideal of democracy.
NOUN
a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives:
“capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third world”
synonyms: representative government · elective governmentPowered by OxfordDictionaries · © Oxford University Press\
Yes, good old-fashioned democracy. The governing by the whole population “typically through elected representatives.”
And when I, as an idealistic citizen of the United States of America, see situations that undermine democracy I get a wee bit upset.
With this context in mind, let me bring you up to date on the establishment and recommendations of the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren.
First of all, let’s go back to the ideal of democracy and the fact that this coalition is making recommendations to the Governor of the State of Michigan, Rick Snyder. Consider:
* That the democratically elected Detroit Board of Education, in exile since the imposition of a governor appointed (i.e., not democratically elected) emergency financial manager, did not have a say in the recommendations.
* That it is clear who did have a say- the members of the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren.
With all due respect, how were they picked?
Honestly, I’m not sure. Everywhere I search, news articles say this coalition was “created” or mysteriously “formed.”
Duh. We know the coalition was created, and that, as a result of this creation, it also was formed. So much for investigative journalism.
Who created it? The evidence suggests that it came from the Skillman Foundation. It’s important to note that a foundation has co-opted, intentionally or not, the task of what was formerly given to democratically elected governmental agencies. A foundation has somehow taken, been given, or had this task land its lap.
To me, as a believer in the democratic principles supposedly inherent in these United States, that is a problem.
The coalition has 5 co-chairs, and for the sake of my framing, as an example, I would like to focus on one of them, John Rakolta. Now, I don’t pretend to know John, his perspective or his intentions. In fact, I think it’s important to note that, Democracy is For Some People | educarenow: