# Trump's Cabinet of Curiosities **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 10, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367 "2016-11-10T16:28:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 53
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1041 "2017-02-07T18:09:08Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > It doesn’t matter if I defend her or not. She’s the Secretary of Education now. And if you’re not bothered by this, _you are part of the problem._ Yeah, obviously there’s no need for you to “defend” her now that she’s in the position, but how about defending your own convictions? How about standing up and saying, “Yes, I’m okay with this, and here’s why”? Why is that so hard for you to do? Your party just confirmed for SecEd a person who wants to destroy the American public school system and replace it with a voucher system which _demonstrably did not work in her home state_, who has no understanding of what the job entails, and little understanding of education, period - and that’s _before_ you open up her disgusting views on science and religion in the classroom. I wouldn’t wanna defend that either. Then again, I’m not a republican, so I don’t have to. Why do you? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1042 "2017-02-07T18:09:16Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I understand that most people here disagree with DeVos about the use of vouchers or charter / private schools in educating the youth of America. That’s fine, we can disagree. But why be so disagreeable? “Bitch” “only 2 of 52 Republicans have a soul”. > > When I first stumbled across this place, the thing that I thought made it really cool and unique was the default assumption that posters here, and people generally, had good intentions. Oftentimes, when posters disagreed about things, it was understood that those disagreements came from different life experiences, or different perspectives or priorities, not malice or ill will. > > Since the election that’s something I think the Dope has largely lost. There’s a ton more vitriol and rage here, and a whole lot less charity about the intentions of one’s political opponents. It’s sad. Because DeVos’ ambition is the destruction of the public school system. The motivation is profit for those that run the private schools, they want to transfer tax money to the charter schools and out of the public schools, leading to their ruination. Anyone who puts profit above the children is a bitch, in my view. That, plus her association with ScamWay. One would hope that more than 2 of 52 Republicans could rise above partisan politics and vote against someone so unqualified. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1043 "2017-02-07T18:10:01Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I understand that most people here disagree with DeVos about the use of vouchers or charter / private schools in educating the youth of America. That’s fine, we can disagree. But why be so disagreeable? “Bitch” “only 2 of 52 Republicans have a soul”. > > When I first stumbled across this place, the thing that I thought made it really cool and unique was the default assumption that posters here, and people generally, had good intentions. Oftentimes, when posters disagreed about things, it was understood that those disagreements came from different life experiences, or different perspectives or priorities, not malice or ill will. > > Since the election that’s something I think the Dope has largely lost. There’s a ton more vitriol and rage here, and a whole lot less charity about the intentions of one’s political opponents. It’s sad. DeVos isn’t qualified to be a school lunch lady, much less Secretary of Education. This is so much more than simply disagreeing with her positions. And there are plenty of angry Republican voters too. I’ve never seen my Mormon friends in Utah so pissed off about anything before - they are practically taking over my Facebook feed in opposition to her. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1044 "2017-02-07T18:10:36Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Sure can. She is pro-school-choice. And it does count. > That’s more productive than the show Democrats put on during confirmations. Are you for inserting religion, and especially Creationism, into our public school system? Do you approve of her lying about the success of virtual schools? Do you think her almost total ignorance of how the public school system works is a _good_ thing? ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1045 "2017-02-07T18:14:11Z")
If I want the Department of Education to be eliminated or severely curtailed, should I be happy about DeVos? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1046 "2017-02-07T18:14:15Z")
What the hell kind of person thinks “I’m willing to fuck up our educational system, and the future of our children, just to screw over my political opponents and piss them off”? ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1047 "2017-02-07T18:15:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are you for inserting religion, and especially Creationism, into our public school system? No. And it’s not going to happen. Would you like to make a small bet? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1048 "2017-02-07T18:15:37Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > I’ve never seen my Mormon friends in Utah so pissed off about anything before - they are practically taking over my Facebook feed in opposition to her. That’s interesting, because I’m Mormon, and in Utah, and I haven’t really noticed much outrage here against her. Maybe it’s because I don’t spend time on Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1049 "2017-02-07T18:15:52Z")
Hurricane: The Department of Education has 4400 employees and a multi-billion dollar budget. The non-Republicans here would pick someone who has demonstrated administrative skills: perhaps a superintendent of a large school system, a university president, a governor, an Assistant Secretary from a previous Presidential administration… Yet she shown no more administrative skills whatsoever. The only reason she was appointed was because she spent money on politicians. The fact that she supports vouchers and school choice is not the reason for my negative feelings about her appointment. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1050 "2017-02-07T18:16:26Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > If I want the Department of Education to be eliminated or severely curtailed, should I be happy about DeVos? Are you in favor of her brand of Christianity, and Creationism in particular, into the public school system? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1051 "2017-02-07T18:18:42Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Bitch got confirmed after they woke Pence up. Just as everyone thought. Only two of 52 Republicans have a soul. Just as I thought. Says the straight up misogynist. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1052 "2017-02-07T18:18:50Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > No. And it’s not going to happen. Would you like to make a small bet? I bet on sports. This is not a game-this is serious, and it isn’t small. Republicans bets in the past about how far Trump and his compatriots can and/or will go have been notoriously and laughably wrong since he first threw his hat in the ring, so your reassurances about what can’t possibly happen don’t mean jack to me. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1053 "2017-02-07T18:18:57Z")
The good news is that 99% of public education happens at the state and local level. So I agree with the “well, it’s only Education” consolation. She’s fantastically unqualified – or well-qualified to destroy her new bailiwick – but her impact on the average student may, hopefully, be slight. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1054 "2017-02-07T18:20:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I bet on sports. This is not a game-this is serious, and it isn’t small. This is not a bet. It is a surety. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1055 "2017-02-07T18:20:40Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Seriously. Who the fuck wants a bunch of well-educated voters? Education is a local issue. This is really a show position. They shouldn’t have broken up the Dept of Health, Education and Welfare. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1056 "2017-02-07T18:25:31Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > **Education is a local issue.** This is really a show position. They shouldn’t have broken up the Dept of Health, Education and Welfare. So why is the GOP so _freaked_ about Common Core? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1057 "2017-02-07T18:28:47Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > If I want the Department of Education to be eliminated or severely curtailed, should I be happy about DeVos? In an attempt to quell my bile here, would you mind explaining why this is a thing anyone should want? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1058 "2017-02-07T18:28:48Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > This is not a game-this is serious, and it isn’t small. Would you rank this as a bigger deal or smaller than the following events: Taiwan tweet? Immigration EO? Gorsuch nomination? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1059 "2017-02-07T18:30:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What the hell kind of person thinks “I’m willing to fuck up our educational system, and the future of our children, just to screw over my political opponents and piss them off”? She can’t do anything if the sort because she controls absolutely zero school boards. Lots of pointless rage here. The Feds have never been in control of the educational establishment. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367/1060 "2017-02-07T18:31:00Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Says the straight up misogynist. This is a warning for personal insults. This is your second warning in this thread. You indicated previously that you thought you were in the Pit. I advise you to look more carefully at which forum you are posting in. [/moderating] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367.md?page=52) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-cabinet-of-curiosities/771367.md?page=54)