Category: Socialism

13-16 Advancing Freedom | Taking Sides in the War on the American Republic

13-16 Advancing Freedom | Taking Sides in the War on the American Republic

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Show 13-16 Summary: This week, it’s all about advancing freedom. We have two guests. One is Kevin Stark from Hillsdale College, talking about his book, War on the American Republic, and how the political Left has managed to seize power while convincing the Right to give up power. Plus, an inside look at prosecutors and DAs and attorneys general with Indiana’s former AG, Curtis Hill. But what brakes are there for rogue prosecutors like the Manhattan DA who indicted President Trump? If any. And a weird case of Nazism meets adoption. Right here in Oregon.

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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: Date, 2023 | Guests: Dr. Kevin Stark & Curtis Hill

This Week – It’s a War on the American Republic

War on the American Republic - how liberalism became despotismIt’s not just a title for Dr. Kevin Stark’s new book, War on the American Republic: How Liberalism Became Despotism. There really is a war on the American Republic. As we say so often here on I Spy Radio, the fight for freedom is an everyday fight.

Dr. Kevin Stark from Hillsdale College joins us this week to discuss the origins of this fight. And how the Left has gone from a political movement that embraced essential freedoms like individual rights and freedom of speech to one where they will lock you up if you speak up.

Don’t miss: You can take a free online course about the American Left, based on Dr. Stark’s book, from Hillsdale College

Weaponization of the Justice System

Speaking of war, there’s a war within our justice system. It’s been weaponized. We welcome Curtis Hill, the former attorney general for the state of Indiana. While there, he prioritized fighting corruption. If only rooting out corruption within the justice system was a priority of the justice system.

We ask about the structure and controls within the justice system. How it operates. What kinds of controls there are. Who oversees whom, and so forth. And what kind of brakes are there in the system to deal with prosecutors like Alvin Bragg? Who make political enemies their highest priority rather than actual criminals on the streets.

Are republicans and democrats treated differently? And is the way to fix the system is for republicans to treat democrats the way they treat republicans?

And we ask his opinion on a strange case in Oregon of a woman being denied an adoption because she was Christian. Yes. It’s Nazism in Far Left Oregon.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Guest 1: Kevin Stark, Segments 1–3

Guest 2: Curtis Hill, Segments 4–6

 

 

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.

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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: 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

Democrats' socialist plans for Oregon - All your money are belong to us
13-12 The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon – Legislative Update

13-12 The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon – Legislative Update

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Show 13-12 Summary: When it comes to the democrats’ socialist plans for Oregon, they can be summed up by borrowing (pun intended) from an old video game: “All your money are belong to us.” We check in with Senator Dennis Linthicum about their plans for socialized medicine, the tools Republicans have to stop bad bills, and whatever happened to that $5,200 kicker for Oregon families?

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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: March 25th & 26th, 2023 | Guest: Senator Dennis Linthicum

This Week – The Democrats’ Socialist Plans for Oregon

This week, it’s our monthly check in with Senator Dennis Linthicum to talk about what’s happening in the capital. The democrats’ socialist plans for Oregon are legion.

Democrats' socialist plans for Oregon - All your money are belong to us
“All your base are belong to us”

To sum up the democrats’ socialist plans, your money doesn’t belong to you. And we’re not taxing you enough to give away all this free stuff. And Oregon continues its lurch toward socialized medicine with SB704 which would create single-payer health care. Because it’s worked so well in other countries. Like Canada. Where it’s worked so well that people are dying to escape it. Literally. Canada is now actively encouraging the elderly and people with long-term health problems to kill themselves. Not kidding. And they’re not even hiding it. They want people to kill themselves because their care is expensive. And killing themselves will save the system money.

Please, democrats. By all means. You go first.

And that’s just one among other disasters.

Fighting Back against the Democrats’ Socialist Plans

We welcome back Senator Dennis Linthicum (Klamath-28) to give insights into the democrats’ socialist plans. In case you missed it, last year’s democrats spawned a ballot initiative, Measure 111, to make health care a “fundamental right.” It’s not. Anymore than if they had pushed out a ballot measure that made owning unicorns a fundamental right. But now Oregon has it in its state constitution.

Catch Sen. Dennis Linthicum’s previous legislative updates: 13-04 (Have Democrats Learned the Lesson?) and 13-08 (The Mad, Mad Spending)

Now, democrats are using that ballot initiative to make socialized, single-payer, universal healthcare the law of the land. Except while the legislative initiative that created Measure 111 may have urged socialized medicine, that’s not what the ballot measure actually said. It just required “universal access” and cost-effective. We already have “universal access.” Sick and show up in the emergency room with no money? Guess what, you get treated. As for cost-effective, how is $54 billion for “free” healthcare cost effective? So why are democrats determined to lurch down the road to socialized medicine?

Because, as usual, it is about bringing more money and more control under the government’s sway. Now, not only will your money not belong to you. But neither will your own health.

Oh, and what’s the deal with the kicker? All that and more but there may be some solutions to at least some of it.

Get Involved! Don’t be Silent.

olis oregon legislature submit testimonyWe are in this mess because too many sane people stay silent. While the insane shriek their weird opinions at the capitol. Did you know that it is now easier than ever to submit testimony against bad bills and for good bills. Don’t let “testimony” scare you. It just means your opinion.

All you really need is the bill’s number. And if you don’t know the bill number, you can still find it on the site (see steps below). Or use your favorite search engine.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Head to olis.oregonlegislature.gov.
  2. Select the bills icon at the top right of the page
  3. Type the bill number in the popup. Select it the correct one. (If you don’t know the bill’s number try a word search in the “bill text” tab.)
  4. At the top of the bill’s page you’ll see a “submit testimony” tab. That brings up a form.
  5. Enter your name, your city, your comments in the text window, select whether you oppose or support and – boom you’re done.

See how easy that is? You don’t need to be elegant (although do be polite) or have a thousand unassailable facts. (Hey. The democrats just have feelings.) Just be heard. It’s your opinion. No excuse to be silent.

Remember: silence has never changed anything. Don’t be silent.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Get involved. Head to olis.oregonlegislature.gov. to submit your testimony — you opinion — about bills. Good or bad. See the steps above for a walk-through.
  • Measure 111, passed in 2022, via Ballotpedia
  • $200M homeless package heads to governor’s desk (Statesman, Mar 21, 2023)
    • 7 Republican Senators voted against the pkg, Linthicum was one of them
  • Where did the $400M Oregon allocated last year for homelessness go? (Statesman, Mar 19, 2023)
    • “At least 14,600 people are experiencing homelessness across Oregon”
    • Julie Fahey (D): “That $400M was a ‘catalyst” for the larger set of goals we have.”
  • Cascade Policy Institute Research Finds School Choice programs Can Boost Public School Performance (Cascade Policy Institute, 2023)

Just a few dangerous bills

  • SB 85 – Dennis Linthicum mentioned this dangerous bill during the show.
    • Senator David Brock-Smith says, “This bill deals with CAFO’s and has democrats attacking our dairies, chicken and cattle farms and ranches. As they do, the bill itself is just a “study” but the amendment goes far beyond that and will shut down current farming operations.” Under this bill, the State Department of Agriculture would not issue or renew a license or permit to allow the construction or operation of: “(a) A new industrial confined animal feeding operation; “(b) An addition to, or expansion of, an existing industrial confined animal feeding operation; or “(c) An addition to, or expansion of, an existing livestock farm if the addition or expansion would cause the livestock farm to become an industrial confined animal feeding operation.”
  • HB 2004 – Establishes ranked choice voting as voting method for selecting offices of statewide races: the President, U.S. Senators and Representatives, Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer and Attorney General and Commissioner of Bureau of Labor and Industries.
  • HB 3509 – Establishes ranked choice voting for selecting winner of nomination for and election to nonpartisan state offices and county and city offices except where home rule charter applies.
  • Oregon lawmakers consider new gun legislation (Oregon Insider, Mar 21, 2023). The three bills are:
    • House Bill 2005 bans the sale, manufacture and importation of so-called ghost guns with homemade parts that are untraceable;
    • HB 2006 raises the age of legal purchase and possession of firearms from 18 to 21, but allows exceptions for hunting and shooting; and
    • HB 2007 extends to cities, counties and special districts the authority that the 2021 Legislature had granted to public schools, community colleges, and universities regulating or barring firearms from their buildings and grounds, including people with concealed-carry licenses.
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.

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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: 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.

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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: 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.

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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 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)
The Biden Economy Rewarding America's Enemies
12-50 The Big Spend – Economics Don’t Matter in the Biden Economy

12-50 The Big Spend – Economics Don’t Matter in the Biden Economy

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Show Summary: This week, with Christmas and all the spending in the air, we thought we’d take one last look at the economy for the year. And the Biden economy looks like Christmas in another way: It’s the government playing Santa with your money. Or, as we like to call it, the Big Spend. We look at the Biden admin’s missteps on the economy. How bad are they? And will things get better before they get worse? And how soon is worse? Are there any positives out there and how much staying power do they have? Plus, a big focus on the massive debt, which is coming due for another massive expansion. But, it turns out, we’re in a lot more debt than advertised…

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: December 10th & 11th, 2022 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week – The Biden Economy

We get criticized for being critical of the Biden administration’s economic policies. Well, we’re not the only ones. Major financial institutions are projecting a huge downturn next year. And not just here but all across the world—in part because things look so bad here.

This week, we welcome back Jonathan Williams to discuss the Biden economy. We review the missteps by the administration, which, unfortunately, started on day one. And haven’t been corrected yet. Like their attack on the energy industry and especially oil. In fact, they’ve done everything they can to try to avoid taking responsibility. How? By running to Saudi Arabia and even Venezuela. Anything to avoid re-opening and encouraging energy and oil production right here in America.

And why is it that in the Biden economy, we keep rewarding America’s enemies?

Check out Oregon’s Debt Clock (brought to you by the National Debt Clock). Did you know (as of this writing, Dec 10, 2022) that Oregon has $48.463 billion dollars of debt?

ALEC and ACCE

The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, works with state legislators and policy makers in the 50 test tubes of democracy. ALEC focuses on sound fiscal and economic policies to improve state revenues and the states’ economic performance and outlook.

But there is also ALEC for the local level: the American City County Exchange or ACCE (pronounced “Ace”). It’s not just state legislators who deal with budgets and fiscal policies. Counties and cities do too. And county commissioners, mayors and city councilors are all pressured by left-leaning organizations (well-funded ones, we might add) to spend, spend, spend. Especially, as it happens, on far-left ideologies and allies. Help your local officials fight back. Encourage them to join ACCE to get access to policies and more to make the right decisions.

In the Biden economy? They’re going to need all the help they can get.

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

  • Jonathan Williams is the Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of Policy at the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more by heading to ALEC.org.
    • Be sure to check out some of Jonathan’s articles, below
    • On Twitter? You can follow Jonathan @TaxEconomist
  • Check out ALEC’s Model Policies. These policies are designed to push back against woke Leftism, which are more about politics than economics. Two we especially like:
  • Encourage your local officials to join the American City County Exchange — ALEC for the local level!
  • “Colorado Offers Gold Standard for Fiscal Restraint: ALEC in National Review” (National Review, Nov 3, 2022)
    • TABOR [Taxpayer Bill of Rights] represents a fiscal-policy achievement Coloradans should be proud of and defend.
  • Jonathan Article #2 – The States Move Forward with the Flat Tax (National Review, July 22, 2022)
    • The flat-tax revolution will continue to gather speed as more states begin to realize the competitive benefits earned by a simpler and fairer tax code.
    • The prudent policy choice for states is to enhance competitiveness, then examine spending priorities and create policies to prepare for the proverbial rainy days, rather than relying on the federal government to save the day during revenue shortfalls.
  • Jonathan on American Radio Journal (Dec 3, 2022)
    • Congress is looking at another debt-ceiling bailout; this after a 2.5 trillion increase just a year ago
  • Oregon’s Debt Clock – $48.5 billion ($11K per person; Debt to GDP ratio is 17.6%

Mentioned During the Show

Additional Research & Related to the Biden Economy