MO GOP Taken Over By Anti-Public School Zealots

Governor Blunt and the Missouri GOP likes to pretend that they support public education. But their behavior puts the lie to their words.

Guess who represents the anti-public school lobby in Missouri these days? As it turns out, they are represented by the Governor's brother, Andy.

Last December, Andy quietly registered to lobby on behalf of the Milton & Rose Friedman Foundation. That foundation is one of a handful of non-profits that spends money around the country attacking public schools.

They are funded by other anti-public school advocates, like the Walton family (of Wal-Mart fame), the Bradley Foundation, and the Scaife Foundation.

Here's another shocker. Guess who recently went on the Board of Directors of the Friedman Foundation? None other than Patrick Byrne, the founder of First Class Education (FCE). As Fired Up! readers will recall, Byrne is the father of the 65% Solution that Governor Blunt dutifully proposed at the behest of the anti-public school lobby.

Byrne and FCE also have close ties to All Children Matter (ACM), the anti-public school group funded by the Amway and Wal-Mart fortunes. In recent years, ACM has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars helping to elect Governor Blunt and on Missouri legislative races.

ACM also spent enough to purchase the Chairmanship of the House Education Committee from Speaker Rod Jetton. Here is the text of Rep. Jane Cunningham's letter to Speaker Rod Jetton, outlining the role that ACM played in Missouri elections in 2004.

ACM also spent just over $10,000 in the recent special election between Dwight Scharnhorst and Gen Frank. ACM spent $6,500 on direct mail attacking Gen Frank for her support of public education, and $3,300 on phones praising Scharnhorst for his support of vouchers.

Now can you explain to me again how Governor Blunt and the Missouri GOP can claim to support public education?