Can Florida’s Legislature Be Serious About State Sovereignty While Accepting “Race to the Top” Federal Education Funds? by: Andrew Nappi

The federal Department of Education like so many federal agencies, has no basis to exist. One cannot find justification for its existence in the constitution. One wonders then, why so many states with healthy and robust tenth amendment and sovereignty movements are rushing to get their share of “stimulus” education money offered  by the Obama administration and known as “Race to the Top.”

My home country of Florida is among these states exhibiting behavior that appears to be contradictory.  One would suppose state sovereignty would include “in state” control of curriculums. State sovereignty one would think, if supported by the legislature, would include a requirement that  schools within the state  teach this aspect of liberty as soon as the appropriate level of understanding is reached.

If what we know of Race to the Top curriculums is implemented, the states for all their bluster about their right to be free of intrusive and unlawful federal law, will have in fact handed over to supporters of an all encompassing federal and global government their most precious resource, their children. According to the St. Petersburg Times, “…Strong opposition from teachers unions could be enough to kill Florida’s chances of securing up to $700 million in federal school reform money, the state’s top education official said Wednesday…..Race to the Top is highly competitive. But Florida is widely considered a leading contender because its education policies are closely in synch with the Obama administration’s. The state’s plans for the money, crafted over months by the Florida Department of Education, are dramatic. They would accelerate changes on a suite of sensitive issues, including how teachers are trained, evaluated and paid….”

I wonder if the legislature is even aware of their own state Department of Education policies “being closely in synch with the Obama administration’s” as described in the the Times. As a supporter of state’s rights and the tenth amendment I find this to be very disturbing. It is yet another instance of the legislature claiming to be for one thing and yet supporting quite the opposite. REAL ID, hugely supported by our “conservative” legislature is an insulting affront to state sovereignty. Yet Real ID and the six million dollars the state received for its implementation were warmly embraced by the legislature.

What then is a supporter of state sovereignty supposed to think of this legislature that gives the appearance of picking and choosing what it considers to be intrusive federal law based on monetary return? How serious are we to take the proposed state sovereignty memorials in the House and Senate when brass tack, real world issues where resistance to federal incursions and its associated bribery should be taking place is not?

Read liberty minded educator Alan Quist’s assessment of Race to the Top for yourself. This assessment follows below. I remain hopeful Florida will not forsake its children for a bowl of government porridge. It may simply be a case of our budget harried legislators not fully understanding all the strings attached to this money. If that is the case, let us all help them become aware of these strings. In helping them learn more about this we are helping ourselves.  If we don’t, who will? Only when we have a uniform and consistent response to unlawful and unconstitutional federal overeaching can we take our legislature seriously when they claim to support state sovereignty.

Source: Tenth Amendment Center