Category: School Choice

13-13 Fixing What Ails Oregon | Education, School Choice & Election Integrity

13-13 Fixing What Ails Oregon | Education, School Choice & Election Integrity

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Show 13-13 Summary: It’s about education, school choice, and voter integrity and how all of that is being undermined — but what we can do to fix it. Our guest is Marc Thielman, who has his hands in all of those pots and doing the stirring. So much of what ails Oregon right now can be fixed by better schools that teach real civics and history. To get there, the path is Real School Choice. And to get there, we need election integrity. What it really boils down to is we need education freedom in Oregon.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: April 1st & 2nd, 2023 | Guest: Marc Thielman

This Week – The Wrong Kind of Power

Oregon does not have an independent, superintendent of state schools. Thanks to John Kitzhaber and easily duped Oregon voters, that elected position was removed and absorbed under the dictator’s office. Oops. The governor’s office.

But that’s what really happened, isn’t it? More and more power consolidated under wannabe kings and queens. What is it with the Left and democrats — who claim they want democracy — grab all the power under a single person’s rule.

But can you believe that even with all that power in one person’s hands, now they want even more power. And it truly is just about control.

What’s Needed: Education Freedom in Oregon

So much of what ails Oregon right now can be fixed by better schools that teach real civics and history. (Two of the things socialists hate most.) To get there, the path is Real School Choice, which would allow parents to use the money already assigned to their child and send them to a school that works best for their child. And to get there, we need election integrity.

Join the fight for education freedom in Oregon! Get Real School Choice on the 2024 ballot. Head to Education Freedom for Oregon to download petition signatures and donate — even just $10, $25, or $50 is a big help!

This week we talk to Marc Thielman who is actively involved with all three of those issues. If you remember, Marc is the former superintendent of the Alsea School District. Which, we might add, was the one and only school district standing up to the governor’s and state’s overreach during covid. Marc defied the state and gave teachers and students options. (How dare he!) He did not enforce mask mandates (what?!). And kept kids in school (the outrage!). Oh. And they had a 500% enrollment increase. And not one covid case traced back to the school.

Marc Thielman on Education, School Choice, and Election Integrity

Perhaps its because Marc Thielman and the Alsea school board defied the state — successfully — that Tina Kotek think she needs even more power over schools. This, a recommendation from Melissa Goff. Who, if you didn’t know, was the superintendent of the Greater Albany Schools District. “Former” because she was such a little tyrant and bully that she was run out of her position. But now she is Kotek’s “education adviser.”

That’s like Stalin advising Chairman Mao.

Tune in to hear Marc talk about this power grab, the school shooting at The Covenant School, the damage transgenderism is doing to people, and, of course, election integrity. We saw blatant cheating in Arizona in 2022. Just in your face cheating. But the Arizona supreme court upheld one of Kari Lake’s complaints and sent back to lower court for review.

How much cheating has to happen before the courts take notice and uphold the law? Could this finally be the foot in the door?

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Mark Anderson speech to CCRW luncheon - How Republicans can win in 2024 by facing the brutal facts
13-10 Major Victories from Major Defeats | How Republicans can Win in 2024

13-10 Major Victories from Major Defeats | How Republicans can Win in 2024

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Show 13-10 Summary: This week, for once, the host of the I Spy Radio is doing all the talking. Normally, I Spy is all about researching our guest’s topics, asking questions, and letting them do the talking. But recently, the Salem’s Capitol City Republican Women group invited Mark Anderson to be their speaker at a luncheon. His spoke on how Republicans can recover from major defeats, like they saw in 2020 and 2022. Using lessons from history, combined with some pivotal I Spy Radio Shows to illustrate what’s happening, he describes how Republicans can win in 2024. So on today’s show, he gives it again to our radio audience.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: March 11th & 12th, 2023 | Mark Anderson

This Week – Mark’s Speech to the CCRW Luncheon

Salem’s Capitol City Republican Women invited I Spy’s host, Mark Anderson, to give a speech on Thursday, March 9th. This week’s show, he gives it again to his entire radio audience. Note that we cut  about 7-10 minutes from the speech to fit into a a broadcast radio “hour.”

After the show airs on our network of stations, we will post the full-length speech as the podcast version.

How Republicans can Win in 2024

Mark begins the speech with what the Hungarians faced in 1241 when they were invaded by the Mongols. In the wake of a devastating defeat that saw 1/4 of his countrymen killed and virtually all of Hungary’s towns and cities destroyed, King Bela IV had to face the brutal truth: that his country and its army were completely unprepared to deal with invaders like the Mongols.

But, as Mark highlights, major victories can come from major defeats. By facing the brutal facts. Using King Bela’s reforms, combined with pivotal past I Spy Radio shows to illustrate what is happening now, Mark examines how Republicans can win in 2024. And beat the Mongol Marxists destroying America.

Disinformation and Cognitive Warfare: The New Battlefield

Disinformation by Ron Rychlak book cover
Order the book!

One of the pivotal series of shows discussed in his speech was I Spy’s series of shows on disinformation. If you have not yet read Disinformation by Lt. General Ion Pacepa and Ron Rychlak, you need to. It explains so much about what we are experiencing in America today. As our own government uses tools of manipulation, cognitive warfare, launching disinformation campaigns against unsuspecting Americans. Mark explains how we know for sure that the “Russia collusion” hoax was in fact a disinformation campaign.

One last thing. When it comes to fighting disinformation, it requires influencers and the weight of reality and truth. For example, the truth and reality of the January 6th footage. Not the edited versions the January 6th tribunal was releasing The day after his speech, there was an incredible letter from democrat Dr. Naomi Wolf, apologizing for being taken in by the Left’s and the government’s propaganda. It is a long letter, but well worth the read. Because it shows that the spell of disinformation can be broken.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Dr. Naomi Wolf: Dear Conservatives, I Apologize (Outspoken with Dr Naomi Wolf, March 10, 2023)
  • My “Team” was Taken in By Full-Spectrum Propaganda
  • See our shows on disinformation with the co-author of the book, Ron Rychlak
  • Battle of Mohi (Encyclopedia Britannica)
  • Battle of Agincourt (Britannica, no date)
  • PBS still spreading the disinformation about “Hitler’s Pope”: “Vatican documents show secret back channel between Pope Pius XII and Hitler” (PBS, June 7, 2022)
  • Former Public Health Officials Undermine Public Trust with Conduct Unbecoming Scientists (Epoch Times, March 10, 2023)*”Fauci and Collins owe the country an apology… [Two] of the nation’s top public health officials obstructed the proper deliberative process essential to fashioning proper policy responses to the emergency.”
13-09 Insane Government Spending – 2023 Essential Policy Solutions

13-09 Insane Government Spending – 2023 Essential Policy Solutions

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Show 13-09 Summary: This week, it’s all about insanity. Meaning, our governments’ insane spending that shows no signs of letting up. And that there’s just always more money on the national credit card. So when the inmates are running the asylum, what can we do about government spending? We talk with Jonathan Williams of the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC has just released its 2023 Essential Policy Solutions, which should be required reading for every legislator out there. Listen in for policies, economic and otherwise, that make sense in an insane world.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: March 4th & 5th, 2023 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week – Government Spending. It’s Insane.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (or ALEC), is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. If you don’t know, they work with state legislatures — the 50 test tubes of democracy — to pass legislation that upholds principles of limited government, free markets and federalism You don’t last 50 years if you’re not having successes. And ALEC has had tremendous success stories. Including encouraging states to lower taxes. Even adopting a flat tax.

Don’t miss it! Be sure to RSVP for The Capital City Republican Women’s Luncheon, March 9th, 2023, starting at 11:30am (Mark will start his presentation at noon). To RSVP, send an email to CCRWSalem@Reagan.com. Lunch is $14. Coffee is $2. No cost to just come listen. Location will be sent to you after you RSVP.

This week, we talk with Jonathan Williams, ALEC’s Executive VP of Policy and their chief economist, about the insane government spending. After blowing through $1.9 trillion in the “American Rescue Plan” and another $2 trillion with Build Back Better, and still trillions more — in just 2 years — we’re facing a looming showdown over the federal debt ceiling. Addicted to government spending, Biden and the democrats don’t want any spending cuts. Of course not.

Maybe it’s because they just spent $360 billion on “global warming” and climate change in the most recent $1 trillion “inflation reduction act.” None of that money is going to conservatives or conservative organizations. So of course the democrats don’t want any cuts to government spending. That would be cutting off cash to their political cronies.

Government Spending: 2023 Essential Policy Solutions

Fortunately, to tackle this insane government spending ALEC has just released its 2023 Essential Policy Solutions. This essential guide is definitely essential for every state legislator.

Get your free copy! Download the PDF version of the 2023 Essential Policy Solutions. And then email it to all your legislators!

Jonathan Williams walks us through some of the more exciting solutions. Not just for government spending but also price transparency for hospitals and health care but also some model legislation for school choice.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Essential Policy Solutions for 2023 – (American Legislative Exchange Council, March, 2023). Free PDF! Download it and email it to your legislators!
  • RSVP for The Capital City Republican Women’s Luncheon, March 9th, 2023, starting at 11:30am (Mark will start his presentation at noon). To RSVP, send an email to CCRWSalem@Reagan.com. Lunch is $14. Coffee is $2. No cost to just come listen. Location will be sent to you after you RSVP.
  • US stocks enter ‘death zone’  (Daily Mail, Feb 2023)
    • Morgan Stanley issues dire warning to investors who ‘followed prices to dizzying heights’ amid fears S&P 500 could plummet 26% within months.
  • American Rescue Plan (Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package (Investopedia, updated Sept 21, 2022)

Additional Related Research, Not Specifically Mentioned

13-08 The Mad, Mad Spending – Real School Choice Needed in Oregon

13-08 The Mad, Mad Spending – Real School Choice Needed in Oregon

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Show 13-08 Summary: Two guests this week and both talking about government spending. Donna Kreitzberg talks about redirecting portions of education spending to parents so they can make their own best school choice for their children. Then Senator Dennis Linthicum who says there is no end in sight for the amount of spending Oregon is looking to do in this legislative session. And be sure to stay through the closing where you’ll hear what he told us off air about the real reasons why democrats want to spend the kicker. Un. Believable.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 25th & 26th, 2023 | Guests: Donna Kreitzberg & Dennis Linthicum

This Week – Oregon‘s Insane Spending

It’s not just the amount of spending. It’s what they are spending it on. And it’s insane. Especially given that most economists and major financial institutions are predicting a recession this year. Not to mention continuing inflation and mounting job losses. So why is Oregon inflating its budgets like there are no limits of money?

And for goodness sake. Don’t miss the final closing when we reveal the real reasons democrats don’t want Oregonians to get their kicker refund.

Getting Real School Choice in Oregon

Since it’s not looking positive for school choice legislation in Oregon, Oregonians can still use ballot measures to do what the Oregon education lobby doesn’t want. Give parents the choice to pick the right school for their child.

Why does the education lobby want to keep kids in failing schools? Probably because they know government loves to throw even more money at problems. A failing school? Clearly, what they need is even more money. But, given that our schools already soak up a whopping 40% of our entire state budget, that clearly isn’t working. Especially since Oregon routinely ranks need the bottom but spends more than the national average per student.

So what’s the answer?

As usual, it’s less government. And more free market.

We talk with Donna Kreitzberg who is leading the effort to get school choice in Oregon. Not a pat-on-the-head choice. A real school choice. Where parents decide how to spend the money assigned to their child and will have the option to send their child to the school that best fits their educational needs.

But what about that money? Can parents just buy anything with it? And, if the state gives them the money, doesn’t that mean the state gets to say how it’s spent — not to mention all the woke regulations they’re pushing now in schools?

Nope.

Tune in to find out why.

Find out how you can help to get real school choice in Oregon. Head to Education Freedom for Oregon. Download and sign petitions. Volunteer. And please donate to help make this happen!

The Spending. Oregon’s Endless Spending.

And next we welcome Senator Dennis Linthicum back to discuss what’s happening in Oregon’s legislature. We’ll be having him on on a monthly basis to give us his inside the capitol view and the truth. Like the real reason why the democrats don’t want you to have your kicker refund.

When last we spoke, the 2023 legislative session had just started. And he wasn’t sure if the democrats, who had lost some of their stranglehold on power, would react. Or how they’d treat their republican colleagues.

So this week, we wanted to know more. And to hear about the budget. Oh yes. And what about that kicker refund. You know. The one that, by law, the state is supposed to return to the taxpayers. Why? Because it means they over collected taxes. They charged too much. So they are — again, by law — supposed to return that to the people they overcharged. And this year, that kicker would be, on average, $5,200 per working family. So why are the democrats so eager to spend it before taxpayers can get their grubby hands on what the democrats see as the democrats’ money?

Yeah. Sorry. You’ll have to tune in to hear why. Stay through to the very end.

Previous Parental Rights and School Choice Shows

Did you miss our previous shows on parents rights in education?

  1. Show 13-03: overview of parents rights in education with Suzanne Gallagher, CEO of Parents Rights in Education
  2. Show 13-04: the legal side of parents rights, especially if push comes to lawsuit with Ernie Trakas, senior litigation counsel for the Child & Parental Rights Campaign
  3. Show 13-05: the way out; real school choice with Ed Ludlow of the national school choice organization, EdChoice
  4. Show 13-06: you’ve made the choice, now how to choose a new school with Marc Thielman, former Alsea school superintendent
  5. And Show 13-08 (today’s show): getting school choice in Oregon with Donna Kreitzberg, head of Oregon’s school choice 2024 ballot initiative

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Links mentioned during the show

  • Education Freedom for Oregon – This is Donna’s real school choice website. You can:
    • download and sign petitions (single-signature petition sheets for yourself or 10-line ones to gather signatures from your friends, families, fellow parents at school, or neighbors)
    • Volunteer
    • And please donate to help get school choice on the ballot in Oregon!
  • Freedom Watch Alert: Second dangerous School Choice constitutional amendment petition (OCEAN Network, July 15, 2022)
  • Kotek proposes $13.5 billion for education (Oregon Capital Insider, Feb 6, 2023)
    • “Education accounts for $13.5 billion, more than 40% of her proposed $32.1 billion in spending of the state’s general and lottery funds.”
    • “But most of the money – an historic $9.9 billion – is devoted to the State School Fund, which pays for educating Oregon’s 550,000 K-12 students and for district operating expenses, transportation costs and other needs.”
    • The $9.9 billion marks an overall $600 million increase in K-12 spending for the biennium and would average out to about $9,682 per student in 2023-24 and roughly $10,000 per student in 2024-25, according to preliminary estimates from the Oregon Department of Education. The state is paying $9,468 per student in the current 2022-23 school year.
    • BUT: “Accounting for all education funding, Oregon spends about $12,855 per K-12 student, according to 2020 census data. The national average that year was $13,187, with some states spending more than $20,000.”

Additional School Choice Info and Related

 

13-06 Killing Title IX Protections in the Name of Woke | Plus Part 4: Choosing New Schools

13-06 Killing Title IX Protections in the Name of Woke | Plus Part 4: Choosing New Schools

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Show 13-06 Summary: This week on I Spy we continue our mini-series on parents rights in education. We are looking at what the Biden administration’s abandonment of Title IX means (it used to mean protection and equal access for girls and women) and what real school choice looks like — when parents make the choice to find a better school. What are the options and how to decide? How to even know if it’s the school or the child? And what about funding — should taxpayer dollars really go to private schools? And is it protected from frivolous parents? Are schools accountable top meet competency and proficiency standards? Maybe if the public schools had such standards, parents wouldn’t be looking elsewhere…

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 11th & 12th, 2023 | Guests: Kimberly Hermann & Marc Thielman

This Week – So Much for Equality

If there’s one thing elected democrats say, it’s that they want equality. But if there’s one thing they do it’s remove equality. Which is why they are all for racial discrimination in the name of equality. Like affirmative action. Where, in their “logic” it makes sense to discriminate against Whites in favor of other races. Which is a bit like saying a little slavery is okay, as long as it’s done to the right kind of people.

Hint to democrats: discrimination is discrimination.

But maybe this mindset explains why the Biden administration thinks removing protections for girls and women in education is a good thing.

The Biden Administration: Killing Title IX

Title IX was intended to give girls and women an equal footing in education. Prior to Title IX, schools could discriminate against women and, perhaps most famously, not fund women’s sports. But now, the Biden administration’s new “guidance” would remove such protections. How? By doing away with the concept of women and girls. And making anyone who identifies as a woman a woman in their view.

Basically, if there are no women as a distinct entity, there are no women to protect.

To try to make sense of the nonsense, we welcome Kimberly Hermann. She is the chief legal counsel for Southeastern Legal Foundation and they have file da brief in support of states pushing back against the Biden administration’s guidance.

Visit SLFLiberty.org to find out more about the great work Southeastern Legal Foundation is doing to defend your constitutional rights. You can even submit a case they might be interested in.

Kimberly walks us through what Title IX is, what it was intended to do, and why Title IX is so important to defend. You’ll also hear how the courts, including appellate courts, are, in fact, defending the notion that there are two sexes. Which is extremely encouraging.

But can you believe this? Has society gone so far down the woke toilet that we will end up needing the Supreme Court to tell the rest of society what a woman is?

Yikes.

Parents’ Rights Part 4: Choosing a New School

This week, we also continue our mini-series on parents rights in education. Last week, we discussed the Real School Choice movement. So far, five states have already adopted real school choice. (This means parents can choose whichever school they want to send their kids and the education dollars attached to that child.) And there are nearly a dozen more close to adopting real school choice and over two dozen in total that have at least some form of legislation on the table.

This is not only a win for parents, it’s a win for education itself. And it’s thanks to exercising free market principles.

Think about it. Parents (consumers) can choose to spend the education dollars how they want and where they want. Funding students not systems, means that the school systems must become competitive to attract consumers (parents). Better up your game or you lose out.

That is what real school choice is all about. Give parents the power, not bureaucrats.

Find out more about Oregon’s real school choice battle. If parents can’t get it in the legislature, they are prepared to go with a ballot initiative

But if you’re a parent and  you exercise your school choice, how do you choose a school? How do you know it’s the school and not your child? What are the signs you should be looking for? And with the dozen-plus types of other schools out there, how do you find the right one for your child.

We talk with Marc Thielman, the former superintendent at the Alsea School district, to answer those questions and more.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

More Info on Title IX

  • Title IX: 50 years later (American Psychological Association, June 28, 2022)
    • “Changes to Title IX regulations dispensed by the U.S. Department of Education in 2020 removed the mandatory reporting requirement. These Trump-era changes also narrowed the definition of sexual harassment, excluded off-campus assaults from the law’s protections, and made a series of other changes that left some Title IX offices scrambling to update their institution’s procedures”
  • Title IX’s Positive Impact on Education Life BEFORE Title IX (Vector Solutions, No Date)
  • 10 Facts Everyone Should Know About Title IX (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Aug 23, 2017)

More Info on Choosing a School

 

Real School Choice - the Way out for Parents
13-05 The Way Out: Real School Choice | Parents Rights Part 3

13-05 The Way Out: Real School Choice | Parents Rights Part 3

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Show 13-05 Summary: Part 3 of our mini-series on parental rights. Week 1 was a general overview or parental rights and a look at what parents and kids are facing. Last week was a look at the legal side of things, especially if push comes to lawsuit. This week, it’s a look at the way out: real school choice. Where the dollars pegged to a child, follows them and parents can use those public funds to spend on whichever school best suits their child. Competition. It’s a wonderful thing!

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 4th & 5th, 2023 | Guest: Robert Enlow

This Week – Real School Choice

The answer to most problems with Big Government is simple: take money away from big government and apply free-market principles.

Don’t miss the other two parts our series on parents’ rights: Part 1 (overview of parents rights) and Part 2 (legal aspects and, if necessary, lawsuits)

And when it comes to bad education systems, this means real school choice. Where bad schools in bad education systems either improve to good schools. Or they lose the money when they lose a child whose parents take their child elsewhere.

In the past, this option was only available to the rich. Who were still paying school taxes and paying to put their child in a better school.

But right now, thanks to parents staying home due to covid lockdowns—who got to see just how bad things really were thanks to virtual classrooms—there is a movement sweeping the nation. And it’s real school choice.

Real School Choice Defined

Real school choice. What is it? It’s when parents can decide how and where to spend the dollars “pegged” to their child on a school of their choice.

Real school choice happens like this: Education systems get a pot of money every year. Think of that as the “education bank.” These monies are drawn from different sources. Broadly speaking, federal, state, and local taxes all pay into the bank. States, the bank’s administrators, determine how many students there are and determine a per-student amount. A percentage of that per-student spending is pegged to the student as the parents decide where to spend it. Usually, this takes the form of an education savings account, commonly referred to as an”ESA.”

How much of that percentage, where, and how the funds can be spent vary from state to state.

And, unlike what this Kansas State Board of Education member thinks, parents can not use the funds to buy latte machines. (Although it makes one wonder how many schools have used their funds to put latte machines in teachers’ lounges…)

For more information on what school choice is, see this definition from one of the nation’s leading school choice organizations, EdChoice.

Our Guest: Robert Enlow of EdChoice

Speaking of which, this week we welcome Robert Enlow, the President and CEO of EdChoice, to talk to us about this nationwide movement. As of this writing, five states (with three in just the last two weeks) have adopted real school choice. And at least 28 more — including Oregon! — have introduced legislation for some form of school choice.

This didn’t happen over night.

Be sure to visit EdChoice.org. They have research, polls, tools, trainings and more to make universal school choice happen in your state!

No surprise, Milton Friedman, who advised President Reagan to get America’s economy back on track (which mainly boiled down to getting government out of the way), came up with the idea. Now, some 50 years after he came up with the idea of a school voucher system, we’re seeing it take hold.

Real School Choice in Oregon

Oregon has been at the bottom of education for decades. Oregon even removed competency requirements for graduation under former governor Kate Brown. So, not surprisingly, even here in Oregon, parents are fed up. We wanted to talk to experts who have actually made this happen in other states, who’ve been part of successful campaigns to get school choice. So we turned to EdChoice to talk about how these states made it happen. How did they win? And we talked about the arguments for and against school choice so you’ll know what to face.

As Robert Enlow said — echoing the mission of I Spy Radio — if want to be a successful advocate, you need to be an informed one.

If you want real school choice in Oregon, or in your state, don’t miss this show!

Want more information and insight on school choice here in Oregon? Check out these past I Spy Radio shows.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Our guest’s organization is EdChoice. They are the nation’s leading organization for and advocate of school choice. They have research, tools, polls, even training if you want to help bring school choice to your state! Find them at EdChoice.org
  • Arizona leads on school choice. Should Utah follow suit? (Deseret News, Jan 16, 2023)
  • Achieving the potential of school choice (The Gazette, Colorado, Jan 17, 2023)
  • “Public education funding without boundaries: How to get K-12 dollars to follow open enrollment students” (Reason Foundation, Jan 24, 2023)
    • How to ensure state and local education funds flow seamlessly across district boundaries.
    • States are increasingly enacting open enrollment policies that give students options across school district boundaries. But this is only half the equation. Policymakers must also ensure that education dollars follow the child to the school of their choice, a concept referred to as funding portability.
    • Download the full policy brief: Public Education Funding Without Boundaries (PDF)
  • Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds signs historic school choice bill: ‘We will fund students not systems’ (Fox News, Jan 24, 2023)
  • ‘Fund Students, Not Systems’ with Universal School Choice” (Townhall.com, Jan 23, 2023).
  • Legislators in 28 states have introduced bills to fund students instead of systems this year. (Corey DeAngelis, Twitter, Feb 1, 2023)
  • 25 million eCommerce companies in the world – Myth or Fact? Dissecting the $4.9 Trillion industry with 2022 data. (Pipecandy.com, March 2022)

Oregon Centric

  • Kotek proposes spending $765M (Register Guard, Feb 1, 2023) Increases school budget
  • Portland School District announces hiring freeze due to dwindling enrollment (Pamplin Media Feb 1, 2023)
    • Portland  lost 3,000 students from 2020 to 2022. The district said its “dramatic, unprecedented enrollment decline” isn’t over. It expects to lose about 500 more students next year. But despite fewer students, “Superintendent Guerrero, along with leaders from other Oregon districts, are calling on state leaders to pour more money into public school funding. ”
  • See our previous shows on this topic, including the referendum movement for 2024 if the legislature ignores Oregon parents. These show pages have additional links and info.
  • Parents Rights in Education (Oregon and other state chapters)
Parents Rights in Education I Spy Radio Show Interview. What can parents do? What rights DO they have?
13-03 Are Parents an Endangered Species? — Parents Rights in Education

13-03 Are Parents an Endangered Species? — Parents Rights in Education

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Show 13-03 Summary: There is a constant attack on kids these days. Especially in our public schools. But what can parents actually do? What rights do they have? And how is the system finding ways to get around and even take away those rights? This week it’s all about parents rights in education. We talk with Suzanne Gallagher, the director of Parents Rights in Education, about the attacks on kids and the very real dangers parents face when they try to exercise their rights. And what parents can do if they suspect there are problems in their child’s school.

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Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: January 21st & 22nd, 2023 | Guest: Suzanne Gallagher

This Week – Parents Rights in Education

You can’t be on social media these days and not see attacks on our kids in public schools. We’re not talking physical attacks. Although there are plenty of those too. We’re talking about adult teachers pushing adult issues on kids. Trying to recruit and indoctrinate and normalize their own sexual beliefs by pushing them on kids. It’s everywhere. Well, everywhere except the mainstream media, which seems to want to do all they can to hide it.

Although “the media” is more than giddy to attack parents who want to stop it. As is the federal government as Merrick Garland designated parents who stood up to the woke agenda, “domestic terrorists.”

Yet one more reason not to listen to the mainstream media. And instead listen to alternative, independent media. (Like I Spy Radio, of course. And if you can’t listen live, find it on your favorite podcast platform.)

Parents Rights are Under Attack

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled repeatedly that parents are the highest authority and ultimate arbiter when it comes to their kids. And how they should be raised and what they should be taught. But parents rights are under attack more than ever. Especially if a parent dares to stand up, speak up, or stand against the woke agenda and ideology.

Tune in this week to hear just how bad things are. We know about teachers and even school counselors pushing sexual orientation, transgender, and more at kids. We talk real cases and examples of what parents are facing as some school administrators and teachers see their woke agenda having a higher priority than a parent’s rights to raise their children as they see fit. And some are threatened with having their kids taken away if they disagree.

We talk with Suzanne Gallagher, the director of Parents Rights in Education about the battlefield for children, who the main enemies are, and how we got here. And what parents can do to stand up and fight back.

Be sure to check out the tools and resources for parents in the Links & Additional Info Section below. And catch Suzanne’s Parents Rights in Education podcast to stay up to date and challenges facing parents to protect their kids

It’s been astounding to see how quickly the woke perverts in the classroom have exposed themselves. These are kids. Kids! That means not adults. Leave them alone. Focus on education. And when they become adults, they can deal with adult issues. Until then, just leave them alone.

Tune in and find out about your parents rights in education. And the resources you need if it comes to it.

And don’t hoard the information. Share this page and its links and info with the other parents in your life.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Suzanne’s organization is Parents Rights in Education. Look for the resources at the top of the page. Federal law, state chapters, and how to deal with school boards.
  • If you suspect there are problems or already have them — be sure to contact them! They want to help and can guide you through the issues. Don’t feel overwhelmed. Feel empowered!
  • Parents Rights in Education also has a network of partners. If you need legal help, don’t wait.
  • Don’t need help now? Or maybe you’ve experienced these problems in your own life? And want to help other parents avoid them? Support the cause with a donation. Even just $12 a month would be awesome.
  • Concerned about parents rights? Especially parents rights in education? Follow along and stay up to date with the issues on Suzanne’s podcast
Republicans are the way out from the democrats dark vision for America
12-45 Closing Arguments: The Why of Voting Republican in 2022

12-45 Closing Arguments: The Why of Voting Republican in 2022

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Show Summary: The one thing we can thank covid for is that it revealed who elected democrats really are. And what they really want, what they really think of America, and what they really believe about our rights and liberty. We’ve seen their apocalyptic vision for America. But what about the Republicans? What would a Republican-led future look like? We take a look.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: November 5th & 6th, 2022 | Guests: Bruce Westerman, Alek Skarlatos, Ben Edtl, & Kim Rice

It’s Democrat Panic Time

Last week, we warned you that the Democrats—who have been trying to scare voters away from Republicans—would go full panic-mongering. And they did. A presidential historian appeared on MSNBC to warn the audience:

50 years from now, a historian — if historians are allowed to write in this country, and if there are still free publishing houses and a free press, which I’m not certain of — a historian will say, what was at stake tonight and this week was whether we will be a democracy in the future, whether our children will be arrested, and conceivably killed. We’re on the edge of a brutal authoritarian system. And it could be a week away.

Don’t believe that anyone could be that insane? Watch the clip for yourself.

Yes. There it is. The democrats’ panic mongering in all its glory: “If you vote for Republicans, your kids will be murdered and democracy will die.”

Wow.

This Week – Why Vote Republican in 2022

This week, why voting Republican in 2022 is the only sane choice. Thanks to covid and the last two years of full democrat control, we’ve had a real glimpse of the nightmare democrats envision for America. Total control of your life, your business. Even what you are allowed to say, think, or believe. And that’s not hyperbole. They wanted to take away your rights to speak up (like at school board meetings or on social media). They wanted to control what you could think or believe: if you didn’t believe their science, you should be punished and forced to take their jab or lose your job.

Covid Amnesty
Click for full size

The last two years has been like a living nightmare in America. More so for Oregonians. And let’s be clear about one thing. The destruction Democrats have wrought is not be accident. It was on purpose. Democrats cheered when Biden shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline. They cheered when they passed laws to push America to an expensive and unsustainable “green energy” future. They cheered when they seized dictator-like powers and flexed their authoritarian rule to shut down schools and businesses and churches. And they cheered when governments forced experimental vaccines on people or lose their jobs.

And now, of course, having been proven wrong at every level — from the economy to covid — now they want “amnesty.” They want us to forget they wished death on those who stood up for their rights and who refused to back down. Just forget all that and the hell you unleashed on people who wouldn’t obey you?

I don’t think so.

But what would things look like under a Republican-led future?

Sometimes, it’s hard to envision the unknown. Especially when democrats have done their best, for decades, to terrify Oregonians about Republicans.

Four Republican Candidates to Help You See a Sane Future

The last two years summed up. And now they want a covid amnesty?
The last two years summed up. (Click for full size)

We welcome four candidates to give their closing arguments. They share their experiences dealing with Democrat destruction, why they are fighting for a better future, and what a Republican-led future look like.

We start with Congress Bruce Westerman (AR-4), the only certified forester in all of Congress. Bruce was here in Oregon to visit and support fellow congressional candidate, Alek Skarlatos running in Oregon’s 4th Congressional District. We get his impressions of Oregon. Like what he thought of Oregon’s infamous homeless camps that have multiplied exponentially under democrat leadership.

Then we welcome back the man himself, Alek Skarlatos, to get insights into what he is hearing from his constituents. It turns out, even democrats are frustrated with democrats. On everything from crime to the economy to, yes, those infamous homeless camps. And he shares what he would do to improve the lives of Oregon’s 4th congressional, which is Oregon’s poorest district. Thanks, once again, to democrats.

To find out more visit Alek’s campaign website, which is AlekforOregon.com

Saving Oregon – Two Republican State Senate Candidates

Next, we welcome Ben Edtl, who is running for state senator in Oregon’s district 19. Ben was a successful entrepreneur and businessman in Portland — until he ran into democrat policies that destroyed his business.  Covid lockdowns and the summer of love as democrat activists (aka “Antifa”) combined was too much to stay open. Ben got death threats, his businesses vandalized and Portland’s democrat mayor stood by and did nothing. Other than to cheer on the destruction — and release those who did the crimes. After his businesses were destroyed, Ben formed the non-partisan Free Oregon, which sues government overreach to hold them accountable. Ben shares what he would be focused on — business and the economy — and how his experiences will shape a better business climate for Oregon.

To find out more, visit Ben’s campaign website, BenEdtl.com and his organization’s website, FreeOregon.us

Republicans: Save our Schools, Save our Kids

And then we welcome Kim Rice, a teacher who personally witnessed the havoc being unleashed on our schools. Kim is also running for state senate, in district 18. She was a teacher for 27 years until democrat policies forced her out. Tune in to hear how, unannounced but with the support of the school administration, a trans activist came into her kindergarten classroom. With no ability for her to say no or to stop this sexuality being pushed on her kindergartners. The final straw was the democrat policy to have control over her own body to say no to an experimental vaccine. She shares with us what a Republican-led legislature and governor should focus on for a brighter future for all Oregonians.

Kim also shares with us the danger of a democrat bill currently under consideration, HB 3088. As if the democrats haven’t pushed enough sex at Oregonians, now they want to legalized the sex trade.

For more information, visit Kim’s campaign site, KimRiceforOregon.com

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • The democrats gerrymandered districts all over Oregon. Be sure to find your representatives using this Legislator Lookup tool from Oregon’s legislature.
  • The democrats actions never line up with their rhetoric. “Global warming. We need to reduce CO2 emissions.” Meanwhile, the forest fires in a single year wiped out 18 years of greenhouse gas emission reductions. California Wildfires Cancel-Out Two Decades Of Emissions Reductions (ZeroHedge, October 23, 2022)
  • Republicans expect gains in the Oregon Legislature (Jefferson Public Radio, Oct 31, 2022)
  • Joe Rogan Says Red Wave In Midterms Will Be Like The Elevator Scene In The Shining (American Lookout, Nov 2, 2022)

 

 

socialism - how it's marketed, how it is
12-42 Teeing up the Election: That Tick on America’s Back

12-42 Teeing up the Election: That Tick on America’s Back

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Show Summary: Socialism is a parasite that only survives because it lives off the blood of capitalism. It does not create wealth, it creates ruin. It has tried and failed. Oregon has been seeing its effects for decades. But this election, it could all change.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: October 15th & 16th, 2022 | Guest: Sen. Dennis Linthicum

This Week – Socialism: The Prosperity Parasite 

When you think about it, socialism is a parasite that only survives because it lives off the blood of capitalism. Socialism does not create wealth, it creates ruin. It has tried and failed in many countries, leaving destruction in its wake. But those pushing it here in America and especially in Oregon, are only able to promote it because those pushing it are funded by the profits (and taxes) generated from capitalism.

Oregon has been seeing socialism’s effects for decades. But this election, it could all change.

By the way. We used to call Oregon the Petri Dish of Leftist politics. Now it’s the Wuhan Lab of Leftist politics.

Senator Dennis Linthicum on Socialism in Oregon

We welcome back Senator, Dennis Linthicum (SD-28, Klamath Falls) to talk about socialism and its effects in Oregon. As a state senator in Oregon, he sees the policies pushed by the democrats, many of whom are socialists or wannabes. They just haven’t come out of the closet yet. But once Oregon is full socialist, they’ll drop the mask.

Be sure to get Dennis’s newsletter. It’s easy! Just send an email to dennis@electdennis.com to sign up

During the interview, we focus on four broad policy issues: society (education, crime, attacks on the family, etc.); economics (we’re living it under Biden); environment (spotted owl, the Klamath area has been under assault for decades, timber); and healthcare. On health care, Oregon just got a billion dollars to experiment with Medicaid, expanding it to virtually everything because, you guessed it, global warming.

And, Measure 111, is on the ballot this year. It would make universal health care permanent in Oregon by making it a constitutional right.

Remember. Environmental laws are how they control businesses. Healthcare is how they control people.

That’s how they seized such broad control during covid.

Don’t miss this in-depth examination of socialism and it’s impact on Oregon. We have this year to stop it. And, for once, things are looking good.

Be sure to check out the Featured Reading section in the links section for five great articles describing socialism.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Featured Reading: Socialism
History Lesson For Millennials: Here’s Why Socialism NEVER Works (The Federalist Papers, Feb 22, 2016)
Socialism Destroys Lives and Would Destroy America – It’s That Simple (The Western Journal, October 26, 2018)
Socialism’s Historical Destruction of the Environment (Case for Conservatism, October 10, 2022)
5 Ways Socialism Destroys Societies (Townhall, Feb 25, 2014)
Socialism: Destruction, starvation, tyranny, and death are cool again (Babalú Blog, September 19, 2018)
Socialism Will Always Destroy Democracy (The American Conservative, June 7, 2019)
Or watch: Klavan Explains Why Socialism Kills Countries (Daily Wire, July 24, 2018)

  • See the Cato Institute’s Report Card on America’s governors. Notice how the entire Left Coast gets an “F”: “Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors 2022” (Cato Institute, Oct 12, 2022)
  • [Canada’s healthcare hellscape is now offering assisted suicide to wounded veterans] Veterans Affairs says worker ‘inappropriately’ discussed medically assisted death with veteran (Global News Canada, August 17, 2022)
  • ‘Abandoning People’: Canada’s Broadening Assisted Suicide Law Dangerous for the Vulnerable, Critics Say (The Epoch Times, August 24, 2022)
  • NHS Waiting List Tops 7 Million for First Time Leaving 1 in 8 People in England Waiting for NHS Treatment (The Daily Skeptic, Oct 13, 2022)*Wait up to 8 hours for an ambulance
  • Canada is Euthanizing the Poor (via VK.com, Aug 16, 2022)
  • Euthanasia is Now a Leading Cause of Death in Canada, And Ethicists Are Freaking Out (Daily Caller, Aug 12, 2022)
    • “[Canada’s] broad eligibility has led to more than 10,000 Canadians being euthanized in the most recent year for which data is available, making it the sixth leading cause of death in the country, the AP reported.*Matthew Yglesias: “Canadian institutions seem to be using euthanasia legalization to avoid the expense of caring for the disabled.”
  • Disturbing: Experts troubled by Canada’ euthanasia laws (AP News, Aug 11, 2022)
  • Euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands: On a Slippery Slope? (Research Gate, JAMA Internal Medicine, Aug 2015)
  • Dr Pierre Kory on Disillusionment (drtrozzi.org, Oct 12, 2022)
    • “I did not understand we were striking at the very heart of the pharmaceutical industry”
  • How surrogacy is transforming medicine (UnHerd, Oct 6, 2022)