Saturday, June 18, 2016

Why Bill Gates Won't Be Raising Chickens

When asked recently how the poor can lift themselves out of poverty, Bill Gates answered that they should raise chickens. And then preceded to explain why raising chickens is a nifty way to survive the crushing hand of poverty for the world's billions of abject poor.

Anyone who has traveled through the American Southeast -- Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama -- will see hundreds, no thousands, of deserted chicken coops. They were built by people desperately trying to rise out of poverty and who signed contracts with the Tyson corporation to raise chickens. But the contract had some provisions in it. They had to buy their eggs from Tyson, and the feed, and when the chickens were ready for market, Tyson was to be the only market. Tyson named their prices from start to finish; and when disease or disaster wiped out a crop, as it often inevitably did, the chicken farmer went broke and the coops were abandoned. Sure, Bill Gates, just raise chickens.

Gates, one will recall, is the man who once said that if you are born poor, it is not your fault, but if you die poor, it is your fault. This man is monumentally insensitive and he thinks he has the answers to the world's problems.

Gene V Glass
Arizona State University
~            
University of Colorado Boulder
National Education Policy Center
~            
San José State University

The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent the official position of the National Education Policy Center, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Boulder, nor San José State University.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Education Week: Fair and Balanced

Education Week, the erstwhile serious outlet for news about public education, has taken a turn.

Today, Ed Week published a puff piece extolling the virtues of charter schools. One must read to the very bottom to see that the writing of the article was funded by the Walton Foundation — yes, the Wal*Mart family. Education Week, which used to be a somewhat "fair and balanced" outlet for education news has recently been accepting big gifts from the likes of Bill Gates Foundation, the Walton foundation, and others who promote, technology, privatization, and anti-union views.

Ever since the Gates Foundation bestowed its gift of $100,000 on Ed Week, there seems to be an increase of articles on the benefits of online teaching and learning.

Ed Week may be in the process of selling its objectivity to the big bidders. Will it become the Fox News of the education news world?

Gene V Glass
Arizona State University
~            
University of Colorado Boulder
National Education Policy Center
~            
San José State University

The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent the official position of the National Education Policy Center, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Boulder, nor San José State University.