Since Rauner’s office started to disseminate false stories about our university closing, our enrollments dropped. It is understandable because if people see a news segment that shows our university and features interviews with our students who are saying, “I don’t know what I would do if the school closes”, they are wary of applying.
Please note how Rauner operates: he refuses to give us the money that the state owes us and simultaneously tries to rob us of the only remaining source of income, tuition money. We are pretty much the most self-sufficient of Illinois’s public universities. Our administration has come up with a way to keep the university afloat even when the state money doesn’t come our way. In response, Rauner singles us out for these lying reports aimed at destroying our self-sufficiency.
It is, of course, a lie of Rauner’s that he wants public schools to cost the state less. If that were true, he wouldn’t single out my university and try to destroy it. Remember how I told you about that visit from the director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education? He said very clearly that the residents of the state only needed 2 or 3 public schools to stay open. Everything else had to close or be converted into an online degree mill.
There are powerful interests whose stated goal is to destroy public higher education in this country. All of these news stories about evil, self-involved academics who produce unreadable and worthless research, about colleges promoting groupthink and squeezing out all diversity of political opinion, spoiled bratty students who run around with idiotic slogans instead of learning – all they do is try to manipulate you into a position that will help Rauner and his ilk to destroy public higher education. The schools with bratty students, and stuck up academics with outdated theory are not the ones needing public funding. Forget about them and turn your attention to us instead. We are doing good work and people like Rauner are trying to destroy us.
Clarissa's Blog 
\ There are powerful interests whose stated goal is to destroy public higher education in this country.
Who are those groups and what would they win from it?
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Great question! Rauner owns shares in a company that provides online “education”. If public universities die, people like Rauner will reap enormous profits, goading students towards their expensive and worthless online diploma mills. We are their business competitors, it is as simple as that.
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“All of these news stories about evil, self-involved academics who produce unreadable and worthless research, about colleges promoting groupthink and squeezing out all diversity of political opinion, spoiled bratty students who run around with idiotic slogans instead of learning”
You mean all those left wing academics brainwashing innocent youth into becoming socialist Bernie bros?
P.S. & O.T.
You’re aware of those out of control fires burning up Fort Mc Murray? A cousin of mine lives (lived?) in the city. It seems that President Putin has offered to send a fleet of water bombers and also firefighters to help his “Canadian comrades” – a new charm offensive to ingratiate himself with Prime Minister Trudeau.
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“You mean all those left wing academics brainwashing innocent youth into becoming socialist Bernie bros?”
We are not very successful, given the huge support of our university’s students first for Rauner and now for Trump. The percentage of our students who vote Democrat is limited in the extreme.
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“It seems that President Putin has offered to send a fleet of water bombers and also firefighters to help his “Canadian comrades” – a new charm offensive to ingratiate himself with Prime Minister Trudeau.”
Given how inept Putin is at putting out the forest fires in Russia, this seems like a joke.
I hope your cousin is safe!!
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Not much to say, you’re preaching to the converted (in my case) but you can get a hearty “Amen! Preach on sister!” (and I’ll cue up the gospel chorus).
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I value the support! And the gospel chorus. 🙂
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The effort to privatize as much of K-12 as possible is close to two decades old now. Some of us knew that colleges were next. Still sad and scary to see.
From certain perspectives, lots to be gained by privatizing education:
Profits, as you mention above;
Breaking up teachers’ unions, a consistently reliable source of support for progressive and Democratic politicians;
A dumbed-down and therefore more pliable electorate and citizenry.
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Yes, Rauner’s hatred for teachers’ unions is pathological. And you are absolutely right about dumbed-down voters. Who else will believe the egregiously stupid lie of trickle-down economy?
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“Please note how Rauner operates: he refuses to give us the money that the state owes us and simultaneously tries to rob us of the only remaining source of income, tuition money.”
It’s not just education, though. This is their MO for every state function. Get elected, gut the state on the inside, and then shameless use that as proof that the state is inefficient and privatization is the cure for all ills.
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Absolutely. I don’t know what else I can do but try to get the message out because people are still easily duped into voting for these creeps.
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