Senator Vitter Targets Common Core

by JASmius



Of course, even a cursory review of the text of the U.S. Constitution will yield not a single enumeration of any authority delegated by the States to the federal government empowering the latter to promulgate any policy in the realm of education, high, low, or otherwise.  But we are so far beyond those boundaries that it will be the collective work of generations to drag the country back within them, just as it took generations for it to fall into such "progressive" disrepair.

Louisiana's other Republican Senator is doing his part to start the constitutionalist pebble rolling in advance of liberty's avalanche:

The intent of Vitter’s bill is to enable states to more easily exit the national standards, which more and more parents and educators have come to oppose, by voiding requirements attached to previously issued waivers from federal law.
States likely could retain their waivers from the law, called No Child Left Behind, even if they chose to pull out of Common Core.

Opponents have criticized the Obama administration for “incentivizing” states to sign on to the Common Core standards by offering $4.35 billion in grants and waivers under its “Race to the Top” program.

i.e. "coercing".

Of his bill, Vitter, a former supporter of Common Core, told the Daily Signal:

“I’ve fought tooth and nail for local control of education and against the enormous growth of federal power under President Obama. That includes prohibiting the federal government from mandating, coercing or bribing states to adopt Common Core or its equivalent,” Vitter said. [emphasis added]

I find that more than a little intriguing.  Does this mean that Senator Vitter has seen the light on CCCP, or is it a case of him not souring on the Core itself but only on what Barack Obama has done with it?  Because it was only because President Bush foisted NCLB on us to begin with (remember whom he allowed to write the bill in the Senate?  The late Ted Kennedy) that it was around for The One to come along and "exploit".  I'm really hoping his Common Core opposition is blanket, not just partisan.

Vitter quietly filed his legislation, the Local Control of Education Act, as a standalone bill last week but intends to propose it as an amendment to the spending bill that Congress must pass this week.

Whatever way works.  Though tacking it on to the CR tells me that Senator Vitter is serious about it, not just symbolic.  Sure, Harry (G)Reid will tear it back out if he does festoon LCEA as a rider, but starting a month from now, that is definite veto fodder to make Red Barry's day.