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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Boomer with Attitude Judge Howard Manning to lawmakers: N.C. constitution mandates decent education
Posted By John Grooms on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 11:19 AM
We're happy that Judge Howard Manning has ordered a court hearing to determine whether proposed state education cuts would violate kids' constitutional right to a quality education. We’re also pleased to see that Manning has been reading our blog posts, as we brought up the same question last week (N.C.’s constitution specifically mandates a public school system, including the UNC system). OK, maybe Manning came to the same conclusion without seeing our blog post, but it doesn’t matter.
What really matters is that Manning's hearing could come just in time, as the New Bosses from the GOP are threatening to cut their way beyond “the fat” in the statewide education budget, move on past “the meat,” and start sawing away at the bones. As we wrote earlier, one of the basic assumptions of civilization is this: Education and knowledge are the most critical elements for having a thriving nation and culture. The state’s New Bosses, however, either don’t know about that or just couldn’t care less. Considering the mix of Bible-thumpers, grasping business interests, militia wannabes and cultural retards now running the General Assembly, my guess is that both are true.
Maybe the lawmakers will listen to Manning, and uphold their constitutional duty. And maybe, soon afterward, pigs will fly out of House Speaker Thom Tillis’ butt (and to think the guy is a former PTA leader). At the very least, however, Manning’s hearing will open the door to constitutional challenges to Tillis & Co.’s destructive, drastic education cuts. Again, as we said last week, it doesn’t take a genius to see that the New Bosses’ cuts are in 180-degree opposition to both the letter and the spirit of the state’s constitution. Maybe the Tea Party faithful who took over the state legislature should respect the state’s “Founding Fathers” as much as they claim to respect the nation’s founders.
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