Kinder Goes Over the Handle Bars, Mouth First, On Obama's School Speech

Peter Kinder has joined the chorus of conservative silly people outraged with the idea Barack Obama's speech to school children next week. "This is a clear infringement on the rights of our students and those of Missouri parents," though it's not clear which rights those might be.

Ironically (and hypocritically), Kinder used his taxpayer-financed staff to distribute his overtly political press release.

Kinder told The News-Leader "he knows of no other instance where a president or governor has made such an address to the nation's school children. 'Somehow, we’ve had 232 years of American history without ever having an address like this by a president,' Kinder said."  Except for Ronald Reagan's 1988 speech broadcast to schools nationwide over a 3-day period and George H.W. Bush's 1991 speech (as noted by the N-L's Chad Livengood and the P-D's Jake Wagman), Kinder has a point.

In his official/political press release, Kinder also states: ""The distribution of teaching curricula from the White House to the classroom clearly usurps the authority of our local school boards and school administrators."

Of course, this disgust with elected leaders distributing curriculum and literature to schools does not extend to President George W. Bush (h/t ArchPundit) or to himself.   Obviously, Obama's "stay in school" and "work hard" messages are far more nefarious than Kinder's "Winning With Asthma" and literature for students, school nurses, and coaches or the teacher's guides for learning the biographies of George Bush and Dick Cheney.

It's also okay for Kinder's Tour of Missouri to provide curriculum to local school districts.  No "usurp[ing] the authority of our local school boards and school administrators" there.

Pasted below is Kinder's full statement, as posted by Dana Loesch. "Kinder hits on what I’ve been writing about the past two days: the usurping of the educational hierarchy," she writes.

JEFFERSON CITY – Lt. Governor Peter Kinder today released the following statement on President Obama’s planned televised address and curricula for elementary school students next week:

“Since taking office in January, President Obama’s administration has take steps never before seen by any presidency in the realm of government intervention.

“Over the course of the past nine months, we have seen the government take over automobile manufacturers, financial institutions, they have hired and fired corporate executives and are now attempting to take over control of our privately run healthcare system.

“Now, we learn that the President will make a televised speech to elementary school students all across the country.  And while elected officials often make classroom visits, this may be the first time that the White House has distributed curricula directly to the teachers to accompany the president’s speech.

“While I have the utmost respect for the office of the president, and for this president, this public relations tactic has gone too far.  The distribution of teaching curricula from the White House to the classroom clearly usurps the authority of our local school boards and school administrators.

“We have seen the federal government intervene into our lives in ways that many of us thought we would never see.  This is a clear infringement on the rights of our students and those of Missouri parents.

“I believe that if parents choose to keep their children at home during this presentation, they should be able to do so without any consequences being imposed upon their children.  And if local school districts across Missouri choose not to make this speech mandatory for students, they should not face any penalties for the state or federal government. Parents who are concerned by the president’s school programming should contact their local school administrators to make their voices heard.

“It is important to vindicate parental rights, as parents are primarily responsible for their children’s education.”

Sigh.