Dan and Ed bring back Nicky Indicavitch because she is one of the most eloquent and knowledgeable spokespersons for what has become a National Model for grassroots civic involvement and change. In a state where the voice of the citizens has been ignored, and where representative government has been intentionally misled, a breakthrough occurred that is moving the state away from the control of a small minority of ideologues and profiteers and giving the power back to the people.
Nicky explains the Red For Ed movement that sprang up because of the damages done to our public education system: The denigration of teachers, elected representatives ignoring family values, children damaged by intentional acts to destroy public education, and the lack of systems of accountability.
In January of 2018, few voices were heard by our legislators and they proceeded as if they had complete immunity from the wishes of the citizens they were elected to represent. By April, over 40,000 voices where raised in opposition to their contempt. By May, over 250,000 Arizona citizen taxpayers were organized via community centers, all demanding change.
Parents want to know what has happened to children as the Legislature has starved public education. Teachers are explaining what has happened and what can be changed to help all of our children. It will take time to repair the damage, to get voters active again, and to reverse the damage done by Dark Money (dirty money = dirty politicians), and to repair the subverted representative system that has caused so much suffering.
This process is not a sprint, it is a marathon that will continue through the years.
Nicky is a great source of information. You will listen to this podcast and share it with others. It is that good.
Dan and Ed asked Jim Hall to return to continue reporting on his work for Charter School Accountability. In episode 29, April 11, 2018, Jim explained his motivation and his research into how taxpayer money is given out with little or no accountability. In Arizona, millions of taxpayer dollars have gone into privatizer’s pockets. Part of this theft is allowed by an ideology that that is labeled “School Choice”. A significant part is due to elected representatives who have done away with conflict of interest rules, accountability systems, and democratically elected school boards to track how public dollars are spent. Ideological belief systems overshadow representative democracy and allow individuals to profit from tax dollars collected for education.
Jim has done extensive research for over four years to track taxpayer dollars and inform the public of the mentality that hurts children, their families, and our communities. He has been instrumental in educating those who can stop this theft.