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Collins would eliminate wasteful and burdensome U.S. Department of Education if he could

By Howard B. Owens

It's one of the lost gems of GOP talking points -- eliminate the federal Department of Education.

There was a time it was a common theme on the GOP campaign trail, but it hasn't been heard much in recent years.

Until today.

Rep. Chris Collins made that very point during a telephone press conference with local and regional media (per capita, Genesee County had the best representation with the Daily News, WBTA and The Batavian all on the line).

"I would wipe out the Department of Education tomorrow," Collins said. "That's money that's being squandered and washed away in Washington, D.C. That money should be moved back to the states, where the 10th Amendment says it should be."

What has Collins particularly riled about the Department of Education are the federal mandates flowing from the bureaucracy and piling up on local school districts, particularly Common Core.

Collins offered some advise to President Obama while making his point about the burdensome federal agency.

"I'd like to hear the president admit that Common Core is an abject failure," Collins said. "It's causing stress, strain and angst with our third- and fourth-graders. It's time to admit that the federal government should not have a role to play in the education of our kids under the 10th Amendment. That should be at the local level, letting parents and teachers decide how we educate our kids."

UPDATE: Here's a video response from Collins to the president's State of the Union speech.

Gerry Aron

In defiance of the 10th amendment, our federal government stopped segregation, lynching, poll taxes, and gave women the vote.

Jan 30, 2014, 11:58am Permalink
Mark Brudz

Actually the right of women to vote came from it's own constitutional amendment, not defiance of the 10th Amendment.

Stopping segregation, lynching and poll taxes came from Supreme Court decisions clarifying the limits of the 10th Amendment. These uniquely dealt with rights protected under other amendments.

The comparison of Government service to rights violations is like comparing bananas to cattle dung. Where the 10th Amendment fits in this case is that clearly the needs of specific states and communities are not one size fits all, no matter how much the Progressive types want to believe that they are.

Jan 30, 2014, 4:37pm Permalink

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