Debate III: Garbage Time for the Uninformed; Lies about U.S. Education, No Mention of Meddling Mexico

Post Debate III, analysts repeatedly commented that Monday night gave “undecided voters” one last chance to evaluate President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney. I disagree. Obama and Romney used the third debate as a platform for an all out effort to appeal to “uninformed” voters. Anyone with a modicum of understanding of domestic or foreign affairs spent the entire 90 minutes doubled over in laughter.

Obama and Romney’s canned, staged performances couldn’t possibly influence a knowledgeable voter. For example, the debate supposedly focused on foreign policy. Although Iran and Syria were frequently mentioned, Mexico was not. For decades Mexico’s presidents have travelled to the United States to advocate for subverting U.S. immigration laws. Mexico’s U.S. agents—the National Council of La Raza and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus—sit at the White House table whenever Congress contemplates the DREAM Act or other amnesty legislation. Illegal immigrant and anchor baby children, mostly from Mexico, have caused severe school and hospital overcrowding as well as contributed to unchecked urban sprawl

Getting a decent public K-12 education is more difficult when teachers have to cater to non-English speaking students, most from Mexico. Census data indicates that roughly one-fourth of the nation's kindergartners are Hispanic, evidence of an accelerating trend that will see minority children become the majority by 2023. Hispanics also make up about one-fifth of all K-12 students. [Hispanics One-Fifth of K-12 Students, by Hope Yen, Associated Press, September 9, 2009]

Speaking of education, the night’s best belly laughs came when Obama said:

“Let’s take an example that we know is going to make a difference 21st century, and that’s our education policy. We didn’t have a lot of chance to talk about this in the last debate. You know, under my leadership, what we’ve done is reformed education, working with governors, 46 states. We’ve seen progress and gains in schools that were having a terrible time, and they’re starting to finally make progress. And what I now want to do is to hire more teachers, especially in math and science, because we know that we’ve fallen behind when it comes to math and science. And those teachers can make a difference.”

How did moderator Bob Schieffer and the audience keep a straight face?

The facts: thirty-five states provide schools with less funding than they did five years ago; 26 states less than they did last year. States made these funding cuts beginning in late 2007, the start of the deepest recession in 70 years that set off a massive collapse in revenues. States relied heavily on spending reductions to schools, some as severe as 20 percent, to offset the recession’s dire effects.

If you want to learn the public education’s true dismal condition, read the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ September report titled, “New School Year Brings More Cuts in Funding for Schools.” The authors, I should point out, are not candidates for political office. I leave it to you to decide if they are more credible on education than either Obama or Romney.

And, oh by the way, teachers are being laid off, not hired. The teaching profession is so dicey that unions fear that college students will no longer consider it a viable career. Here’s more gloomy reading for you, if you think you can stomach it: “Pink Slips Affect the Future of the Teaching Profession.”

Obama and Romney talked the usual garbage about jobs and creating more of them. As CAPS has written countless times in column and blogs, federal immigration policy allows an average of 75,000 legal immigrants into the country monthly. Looked at realistically, that creates a net negative of 75,000 jobs per month since legal immigrants are work authorized.

For those readers who spent Monday evening watching Monday Night Football (Chicago Bears versus Detroit Lions), the National League’s seventh championship series game (San Francisco Giants versus St. Louis Cardinals) or yes, even Dancing With the Stars, I commend you on your good judgment. Any of those three would have been more entertaining than an hour and a half of attempted political deception.