To Save America, by Newt Gingrich: on Education
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
2005: slow the rate of increase of education spending
In June 2005, Schwarzenegger backed ballot initiatives for educational reform. Proposition 76 would have authorized the governor to slow the rate of increase of state spending on education and other public services. Education spending is always a
heated topic, so it was no shock that a poll showed 35% supported Proposition 76 while 42% opposed it.However, Proposition 74--increasing the amount of time it takes for teachers to gain tenure from two to five years--and
Proposition 75--requiring unions to obtain their members' permission to use any portion of union dues for political donations--were initially very popular, earing 61% and 57% approval, respectively.
These two measures threatened the power
of unions and would have substantially weakened the Sacramento political machine. So the machine responded with total war. It was the most expensive special election in history. The result: the ballot initiatives were defeated.
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p. 75
May 17, 2010
Newt Gingrich:
School prayer ban shows secular socialists oppose God
The left-wing Democrats who currently control the White House, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and many state capitols are committed to a secular-socialist ideology that is alien to America's history and traditions.Traditional
America values hard work, entrepreneurship, innovation, and merit-based upward mobility. But the secular-socialist machine rewards its members, punishes "overachievers," kills job by over-taxing small businesses, and even exploits your
death to tax the savings you hope to pass on to your children and grandchildren.
Traditional America was based on a profound belief that "we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights."
But secular socialists are so opposed to God in public life that they can't tolerate school prayer or even allow a cross to stand in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p. 2
May 17, 2010
Newt Gingrich:
Since 1963 school prayer ban, teen pregnancy & drugs are up
The move toward secularism has harmed American society. Look at the problems affecting today's teenagers, compared to the same data for 1963, the year the Supreme Court banned school prayer.- Drug addiction is up.
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Teenage pregnancy is up.
- Drinking is up.
- Violence is up.
- Rape in schools is up.
- Assaults on teachers are up.
- The display of disrespectful attitudes is up.
Did the elimination of school prayer help our schools? No. To the contrary, the decline of morality in school and in society overall has given rise to a destructive pattern that the late
Senator Pat Moynihan captured perfectly in his article, "Defining Deviancy Down."
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p. 32
May 17, 2010
Newt Gingrich:
Don't ban Bibles from public schools
To protect religious liberty in education we should adhere to the following:- Since it is the prerogative of parents to choose the instruction that is best for their child, we must preserve the homeschooling option.
- School districts should be
allowed to offer optional religious instruction including Bible study. Providing this option in no way constitutes an establishment of religion.
- Parents should be free to choose the school of their choice, including religious schools. They should be
given an education credit coupon (a Pell Grant for K-12) allowing them more options to choose a school that best fits their own values.
- Parents must have the right to choose which value instruction their child receives and therefore must be able to
opt out without qualification.
- US history classes should study the influences of religion on the Founders and other historical figures.
- Religious texts, including Bibles and scriptures, should not be banned in public schools.
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p.274-276
May 17, 2010
Page last updated: Feb 25, 2019