← The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Dems Cheer Domestic Terrorism against Tesla, plus Trump Orders Abolish the Department of Education
00:36:33
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Ben Shapiro
We got two major issues we're going to deal with today on the show. Number one, it's incredible. Donald Trump's executive order on the Department of Education to shut it down. What this is going to do for parents with school choice and giving the power back to the states, plus the amount of money we're spending per pupil is more than any else in the world. And where do we rank when it comes to education? In many of the areas at the very bottom. We're going to break that down for you also. And then the other big issue, and it deals with TESL and Senator, let's start with what Elon Musk just tweeted out. He put a tweet out, said, quote, has there ever been such a level of coordinated violence against a peaceful company? Question mark. I understand not wanting to buy a product, but this extreme arson in destruction is what we're witnessing right now as the left has gone to war with Tesla.
- [01:27]
Senator Ted Cruz
It really is astonishing. And let me say, first of all, for those of you, if any of you did not listen to the interview that we did with Elon Musk, we went to the White House, we spent over an hour one on one with Elon Musk. We put it out as a two part podcast. Part of it was on Monday, part of it was on Wednesday. If you didn't listen to it, you can listen to it by downloading the podcast or you can watch it on YouTube. If you didn't listen to it or watch it, I would encourage you to. It was fascinating. It was one of the most important podcasts we've ever done. And so you don't want to miss it. You don't want to miss both parts. It broke news, it drove news nationally, and it really was Elon revealing who he is. And one of the things we talked about was the violence and domestic terrorism directed towards Tesla. Well, in the days since that interview, it's only gotten worse. I gotta say today's Democrat Party is characterized by rage and hatred. As best I can tell, they don't stand for much of anything other than their radical agenda of open borders and releasing violent criminals, murderers and rapists and child molesters and boys and girls, sports and radical gender ideology and anti Semitism and undermining Israel. That, that, that seems to be the unifying policy behind the Democrats. But the unifying motivation right now is this inchoate anger and rage and hate. And they hate, hate, hate Donald J. Trump. And to be honest, they hate, hate, hate the voters who voted for Donald J. Trump. But they've now projected much of that anger and hate on Elon Musk. And so Trump derangement syndrome is a very real thing and Elon derangement syndrome is a very real thing. And understand when the left hates something, they engage in violence. We've seen this with the anti Semitic pro Hamas protest on campuses where violence has erupted. We've seen this with the Black Lives Matter at antifa riots across the country where we saw police cars firebombed and stores looted and police officers murdered. And we saw rampant violence. And we are now seeing this with Tesla. And the left is an ideology that if you are on the opposing side, they don't view it as you have a right to speak. They're opposed to free speech, they want to censor you, they want to silence you. If you're on the other side and you vote for your opponent, they don't view you as a participant in democracy who's expressing your views. They view you as the enemy and they want to destroy you. They want to bankrupt you and they want to engage in violence against you. Now some of you may be saying, okay, that's too extreme, that's going too far. That's not where the left is. Well, I want you to give a listen to Tim Waltz. Tim Waltz, who, who just about six minutes ago was the Democrats nominee to be the Vice President of the United States. He was Kamala Harris's running mate and he's the sitting Governor of Minnesota. Here's Tim Waltz talking about what he wants to see happen to Tesla. Give a listen on my phone. I know some of you know this. On the iPhone they've got that little stock app. I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day 225 and dropping. So and if you own one, if you own one, we're not blaming you. You can, you can take dental floss and pull the Tesla thing off, you know, and take out, just telling You.
- [04:58]
Ben Shapiro
Senator, this is what I call the dog whistle for violence. Because he says this and then others go out and are actually shooting and burning up Teslas.
- [05:09]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, listen, I retweeted this and described Tim Waltz as a small, bitter, evil, angry bastard. Like he is sitting there. This is an elected government official that, that is rooting for number one, bankrupting Tesla now. Now there are thousands and thousands of employees in Tesla. These are Americans who are making cars, by the way, the left, if you want to see how they're utter hypocrites. They claim the climate crisis is going to destroy the world. Well, Tesla is the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in America. Five minutes ago they loved Tesla. They loved Elon Musk. As long as he was making electric vehicles, they love them. Now they've decided we hate electric vehicles and we want to bankrupt the largest manufacturer of them in America. Why? Because we hate Elon. And at the end of the day, this is about tribalism. This is about my team versus your team. And listen, on the right, I don't advocate violence. Violence is wrong. And if you engage in violence, whether you agree with me or not, you should go to jail. We don't support violence against our political opponents. The left does. The left views the world through a Marxist mindset. My last book was Unwoke how to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America. A Marxist mindset where they advocate the violent revolution of the so called victims against the so called oppressors. And so Tim Walt is cheering on. He wants to see Tesla go bankrupt. He wants to see every Tesla employee lose their jobs. By the way, your 401k is probably invested in Tesla. He wants to see your 401k go down. And, and, and if every retirement fund in America, if, if the teacher's retirement fund, if the police retirement fund, if the firefighter retirement fund goes down because the left succeeds in bankrupting Tesla, these angry, vindictive little Marxists will celebrate and understand it's not just about economic devastation. It is about actual violence. I want you to listen to this segment from the Daily show and the Daily Show. They're talking about the domestic terrorism that is playing out against Tesla. And listen to the crowd's reaction. Give a listen, Jim. They're taking to the streets or the parking lots. Tonight, the FBI and ATF now investigating multiple cases of possible arson targeting Teslas and cybertrucks. This dramatic video shows multiple cars in flames.
- [07:48]
Ben Shapiro
Police say the attacker used Molotov cocktails.
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Donald Trump
It's the latest in more than a.
- [07:53]
Ben Shapiro
Dozen instances of arson and vandalism targeting Tesla.
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Senator Ted Cruz
The same suspect shot more Teslas with a gun. Tesla cybertrucks were set on fire in Kansas City. And earlier this month, shots fired at a Tesla dealership in Oregon. Cybertrucks on fire in Seattle. Wow, you guys like petty acts of domestic terrorism, huh?
- [08:12]
Ben Shapiro
Petty acts of terrorism. Center. Cool, right? Like, let's cheer for that. Why not?
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Senator Ted Cruz
It's striking. So at the end there, that, that's the Daily show host, that's the comedian and he's a little bit like, holy crap. Like, like what? He says, wow, you guys like petty acts of domestic terrorism? They're cheering for it, they're happy. And by the way, it ain't petty. The last I checked, arson is not petty. Throwing Molotov cocktails is not petty. Firing guns at Tesla dealership is not petty. People are going to be killed firing a gun at a dealership. You know, there are people who work there. And the left, this is, this is something they celebrate, they revel in. It's reminiscent of this Luigi clown who murdered the senior executive, health care executive. We did a podcast at the time how the left was celebrating murder. They were happy to see him murdered. The anti capitalist left, they hate their opponents and, and they are willing to cheer the murder of their opponents. And we're seeing here, this is domestic violence. Now here's some good news. The Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that three Tesla arson defendants are going to face the full force of law. And, and for using Molotov cocktails to set fire to electric vehicles and charging statements. Pam Bondi said, quote, the days of committing crimes without consequences have ended. Let this be a warning. If you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars. And she's charging three people for their alleged involvement in attacks against Tesla properties in Salem, Org, Oregon, Loveland, Colorado and Charleston, South Carolina. Bravo, Pam Bondi. Bravo to the Department of Justice. But you know what? There are a whole lot more people that are committing these acts of violence. And I'm here to tell you, I don't believe these are spontaneous. I think we need to follow the money. I think the Department of Justice and the FBI are gonna follow the money and whoever is funding it, I don't know if it's the.
- [10:28]
Ben Shapiro
No, that's exactly what I wanna ask you because John Cusack appeared on a Tesla takedown call, for example, says that Elon Musk is literally, quote, killing people. The actor complained that the United States is a fascist country and becoming more fascist every day. He joined this. And again, it's called in a hashtag like this is not some secret group hashtag Tesla takedown. A quote, mass mobilize, mobilizing call on Wednesday to express his opinion about Elon Musk, whom the actor claim is, quote, literally killing people. The 58 year old also hit Musk with a string of other insults during the call. So this goes back to what you and I have talked about before. Whether it's ActBlue, whether it's Black Lives Matter, whether it's, you know, the summer of takedown that the Occupy Wall street. This is all coming from organized groups that are being funded. This is clearly organized. If you're getting Cusack on a phone.
- [11:25]
Senator Ted Cruz
Call for this, it is clearly funded. And I'll tell you right now, if you are putting money behind and in support of domestic terrorism, existing federal, federal law makes it a crime. Using incendiary devices is defined as domestic terrorism. You are going to be prosecuted. We talked with Elon in the interview about indications that Act Blue was being used to fund this. I have to admit, I actually hope that is the case because ActBlue is the principal fundraising mechanism for the left and for the Democrats. And if ActBlue is being used, ActBlue will be shut down. And I don't know if the Soros network is involved, but if the Soros network is involved, I believe this Department of Justice is gonna follow the. And anyone who is funding domestic terrorism, they're going to face the consequences of their action. That is important for the rule of law and it's striking. Look, there are Democrat members of Congress participating. Jasmine Crockett from Texas participated in one of these Tesla takedown calls targeting a major US Company wanting to bankrupt a major US Company wanting to have all of its American workers lose their jobs. By the way, they don't care if they were to remove America's leading manufacturer of electric vehicles. The next time they prattle on about the climate crisis, know that they're complete nutter hypocrites. Because they don't care about that. They only care about it if you happen to be on their team, if you happen to be supporting their side. And every one of these people knows they're not just talking about declining to purchase this product. They are talking about and celebrating as the crowd at the Daily show demonstrating. They are cheering on Molotov cocktails, violent firebombing and firing guns. And I'll tell you, somebody is going to be killed. And these leftists, they do not care. And we know that because these same leftists cheered on the murder of the senior healthcare executive by Luigi the communist, and they continue to cheer him on. You see leftists tattooing Luigi's face on their body and making T shirts. And he's become a cause celeb because they advocate violence against anyone who dares disagree with him.
- [13:44]
Ben Shapiro
While you and I are talking, I literally was sent by a congressman, the John Cusack video and audio. I want to play this because not only. If you haven't seen this, this is how organized the left is. They've got a, a full, like live TV box around this broadcast on X where they were doing this. They have a website, TeslaTakedown.com hashtag Tesla Takedown. Mass call. They've got graphics. They have actor and activist John Cusack. Here is John, in his own words.
- [14:17]
Donald Trump
Said, you know, Musk is kind of this arch villain of late stage capitalism, and he seems like this clown and this buffoon, but like Alex said, you know, this is a man who made a Sig Heil Nazi salute, not only in public, but at a presidential victory party. It's good to remember that these are unprecedented times of mass criminality going on in the United States right now. And that like Trump, Musk is a pathological liar. He's a criminal. He's a sociopath and a ghoul. And I mean those terms very precisely, because who else would use his own child as a sympathy prop while literally taking starving aid away from people all over the world?
- [15:09]
Ben Shapiro
Now, he goes on for another four minutes just on this. But this is a man that is advocating and supporting people to take up, in essence, arms against Tesla.
- [15:20]
Senator Ted Cruz
Look, it is. I tweeted today, leftism is a mental disease. And I don't think that is an overstatement. And let me underscore again, nobody that I know of on the right is calling for violence against the other side. I would strongly oppose, and I do strongly oppose violence against the other side. I'll denounce them, but violence is wrong and what they are doing. And let me ask you something. Have you heard a single Democrat, have you heard one denounce the domestic terrorism against Tesla dealerships, against the cars, the firebombings? Have you heard even one? And why not?
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Ben Shapiro
Because they don't mind this. I mean, I think this is part of it.
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Senator Ted Cruz
Has Kamala Harris said anything about it? Has Joe Biden said anything about it? Has Tim Waltz said anything about it? Yes, he celebrated it. How about Nancy Pelosi? How about Hakeem Jeffries? How about Chuck Schumer? They're either silent or cheering.
- [16:13]
Ben Shapiro
Well, as you said earlier, Senator, thank goodness that the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, announcing these charges for that Tesla attack and warning against domestic terrorism, saying, if you join in this, we're coming after you and we're going to put you behind bars. Thank goodness we have law and order restored at the Department of Justice. With her in charge and others at the FBI, I want to move to the story number two. And it's also a really big story. And I want to look at this from a issue of hope and excitement. There are a lot of parents that are listening and grandparents right now who know just how screwed up the public education system is in this country. They understand the data that The K through 12 schools are spending 857 billion annually. That's 17, 277 on average per student. It is incredible. And what we're getting for that is not very much. We're at the bottom of the list in many categories. And the president came out with a very big announcement and that is that his goal is to dismantle the Department of Education, sending this back to the states. Now, where parents get excited, this brings up the issue of school choice. Now, it's something that you are actually in Austin talking about today as we're recording this, and you've been a champion of school choice for quite some time.
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Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's right. So on Thursday, President Trump issued an executive order calling for the Department of Education to be abolished and calling for the money and the authority to be sent back to the states and sent back to the local districts. Now, the corrupt corporate media being what it is, whenever you hear the words abolish the Department of Education, what they transmute that into is abolish education. And they try to say that means that Republicans are opposed to education. It's exactly the opposite. And I just pose a simple question. Where do you want the money going? Do you want the money going to parents and kids and teachers to have excellent education, or do you want the money going to woke radical bureaucrats in Washington who are putting red tape and strangling our schools and our education. That's the choice. Because the Department of Education, there ain't nobody at the federal Department of Education that is teaching your kids. There ain't nobody. That, that, that is in Mrs. Smith's sixth grade class that is teaching reading or writing, arithmetic. But what there are is a bunch of bureaucrats that are putting paperwork in place, that are putting burdens in place. And it is particularly under Joe Biden, the Department of Education was weaponized it was weaponized to push an extreme woke agenda. It was weaponized to push dei. It was weaponized to push boys and girls sports. It was weaponized to push their extreme transgender ideology. And the president is following through. So the executive order directs the Secretary of Education to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and to return education authority to the states, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs and benefits on which Americans rely. So again, the corrupt corporate media will say, well, this will halt funding for low income kids. This will halt funding for kids with disabilities. When you hear that on cnn, know that they're lying to you. Know that they're deliberately lying to you. They know they're lying to you. You should know they're lying to you. This is designed to keep the funding there, but have the decision making at the state and local level. And a huge part of that is to facilitate school choice. And we're gonna do a deeper dive into school choice in a moment. But I gotta say, this executive order is a big, big deal from the President. He announced it surrounded by governors, because it's gonna be the governors now who are gonna be in charge and the state's in charge of the education policies in their states.
- [20:19]
Ben Shapiro
Yeah. And I want to play just a little bit of what Donald Trump had to say at this announcement. As you mentioned, with those governors signing this executive order shutting down the. The Education Department. Take a listen.
- [20:29]
Donald Trump
President Carter created the federal education department in 1979. It was opposed by members of his own cabinet, as well as the American Federation of Teachers, the New York Times editorial board, and the famed Democrat Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. History has proven them right. Absolutely right. After 45 years, the United States spends more money on education by far than any other country and spends likewise by far more money per pupil than any country. And it's not even close, but yet we rank near the bottom of the list in terms of success. It's an amazing stat. Those are two stats. You don't want the most money spent per pupil, and you're at the bottom of the list. And that's where we are, like it or not, and we've been there for a long time.
- [21:21]
Ben Shapiro
You listen to him talk about the more money per pupil than any other place. And this kind of goes back to Doge mentality. If we're wasting money, then let's stop wasting money and we can do a better job with your tax dollars if it's at the state level and if you have the ability to choose the best place for your child to get an education, it's your tax dollars. You know what to do with them better than we do.
- [21:46]
Senator Ted Cruz
Look, that's absolutely right. And to understand the level of waste, since the Department of education was created 1979, it has spent over $3 trillion. $3 trillion. Now, what has the result been? The result is, despite per pupil spending increasing by over 245% since the 1970s, math scores have continued to decline. Reading scores have continued to decline, particularly among Low performing students. 8th grade reading proficiency has fallen to its lowest level in 32 years, with over a third of students failing to demonstrate basic reading skills appropriate for their grade. Only 67% of eighth graders meet basic reading skills. Only 60% of fourth graders meet basic reading skills. Reading scores on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress fell 2 points on average for both eighth and fourth graders. And there's been a steady decline in reading that predates Covid era disruptions. I'm going to give you a stat that is stunning. In 2023, 13 high schools in Baltimore, Maryland, how many students in 13 high schools in Baltimore, Maryland do you think tested proficient in mathematics?
- [23:19]
Ben Shapiro
No clue.
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Senator Ted Cruz
Zero.
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Ben Shapiro
Wow.
- [23:23]
Senator Ted Cruz
Thirteen high schools had not even a single student, Not a single senior, not a single junior, not a single sophomore, not a single freshman. Had zero students in the entire high school test proficient in math. Thirteen schools. Now, look, if you were a leader in Baltimore, Maryland, you ought to be really unhappy about this. You ought to be demanding change. You are graduating students who can't read. You're graduating students who are not proficient in math. And what is happening? The Democrats, they have a basic choice. Do you care about the kids or do you care about money from the teachers unions? Now, as you mentioned, I'm in Austin today. I went to the state capitol and I went onto the floor of the House, and I'll tell you, the floor of the House, they actually read a commendation thanking me for my leadership in school choice. School choice for me has been a passion for 30 years. I've spent 30 years fighting for school choice. I believe school choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. I think there is no other domestic policy that matters more. And I believe every child in Texas and every child in America deserves access to an excellent education, regardless of their race, regardless of their ethnicity, regardless of their wealth or their zip code. And Texas is on the verge of passing the largest school choice program in America, and It is historic. One out of every 10 school kids in America is in the state of Texas. So for Texas to lead is a big, big deal. And I'll tell you, I have been engaging so for the past six years, I engage in primaries in the state of Texas against state legislators who oppose school choice. And I'll tell you, there are a hundred US senators, to the best of my knowledge, 99 of them stay out of primaries in their own state. And there's a reason for that. When you get involved in a primary in your own state, it's politics. It's stupid, it hurts you. Why? Because when you do it, the old rule of thumb is you get half their friends and all their enemies. So when you jump in the middle, you're making enemies and you're costing yourself votes. I do it anyway. Every cycle, I have my team make an Excel spreadsheet of every vote a state legislator has cast on school choice. And if, if you're a Republican, state rapper, state senator, and you voted in favor of school choice and you're otherwise relatively conservative, you are very likely to get my support. But if you haven't, if you voted against choice, the chance of my supporting you is zero. And if you have at all a credible primary challenger, it is very likely I'm going to endorse your primary challenger. And when I do it, I don't do so gently. I come in and I do radio ads, I do TV ads, I do rallies, I campaign. And over the last six years, there've been a bunch of Republican state reps who voted the wrong way on choice. And we've come in and beaten them. We brought in someone new who's gonna stand for the kids of Texas. And so I was on the floor, floor of the House, and then I went back to the Speaker's office and I was meeting one on one with a whole bunch of state reps and making the case what you're doing right now is a big deal. And I'll tell you, Ben, I announced today, I'm spending a quarter million dollars, $250,000 running TV ads all across Texas, running them over the top directly, connecting with, with voters, also sending texts, supporting 14 state reps, freshmen, state reps, Republicans, and thanking them for supporting school choice. Now, look, the teachers unions are spending massive amounts of money attacking these Republicans, trying to scare them into voting the wrong way. And so I'm spending from my own political resources to say thank you to them, to support them, to buck them up, to give air support. Texas is going to get this done. And I'll tell you, I have been Leading the fight for a long time. I've never been more excited about school choice in Texas than I am right now. It is Ryan here and I have a question for you. What do you do when you win? Like are you a fist pumper? A woo hooer? A hand clapper, A high fiver? If you want to hone in on those winning moves, check out Chumba Casino. Choose from hundreds of social casino style games for your chance to redeem serious cash prizes. There are new game releases weekly plus free daily bonuses. So don't wait. Start having the most Fun ever@shambacasino.com no purchase necessary VGW Group void where prohibited by law 21/ terms and conditions apply.
- [28:01]
Ben Shapiro
Well, let's talk about what the left says and just how they've been so successful at stopping this. A lot of this is because the teachers unions are very powerful. The Department of Education and their alumni have become incredibly powerful and making sure that they fear monger and terrify parents that your kids won't be able to get an education if you give parents the freedom to choose. This has become that type of kind of third rail, as we call it issue in politics. You don't touch Social Security, don't touch education, even if it is failing. So let's talk about some of their claims and what the audience needs to understand about why some of them are just flat out bogus.
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Senator Ted Cruz
Well, virtually all of them are bogus. And understand, you know, choice has been an issue that has been debated for a long time. When I first got involved in the school choice movement, it was three decades ago. And at the time it was a fairly nascent movement. At the time it was mostly a theoretical idea. It had come from free market economists like Milton Friedman, but it hadn't been implemented many places. And there were lots of arguments that were used 30 years ago, the most significant one of which was school choice will destroy the public schools. And you hear the teachers union saying that, you hear the corporate media amplifying that message. And I gotta say that message is powerful. If that were true, I would oppose school choice. Let me repeat that. I don't want to destroy the public schools. If school choice would destroy the public schools, I would oppose choice. Why? Because the vast majority of our kids are educated in the public schools and they will continue to be for the foreseeable future. And I think education is so foundational, destroying the public schools would be terrible. We now know that argument is absolutely false. It is not right. How do we know that? We know that because there are dozens of jurisdictions all across the country that have implemented school choice. And in every instance, what happens when you implement school choice, when you give kids scholarships and options? Several things happen. Number one, the kids that take the scholarships, that go to new schools, that go to private schools or parochial schools, religious schools, we know the educational outcomes go up. Their reading scores go up, their math scores go up, Their high school graduation scores go up. That their percentage of going to college goes up. We know for those kids, their educational outcomes are significantly better. But here's the critical piece. We now know school choice benefits the public schools. It is better for the public schools. What happens is when you have competition, the educational outcomes for the kids that stay in the public schools, that never exercise the vouchers, that never get the scholarships, that never leave, their educational outcomes get better. And look, anyone who understands free markets should understand that competition is good. And when you have competition. All right, Ben, here's something that a number of folks will remember. Actually, you're young enough, you will not remember this, but cars in the 1970s, American cars in the 1970s, I'm going to tell you because I was born in 1970. As a kid, the quality of American cars in the 1970s sucked. You had giant gas guzzlers that broke down a lot, and it was not very good. And in the late 70s and the early 80s, you started having Japanese cars come in, and there was a whole freakout about Japanese cars competing with American cars because they were coming in with Honda and Toyota and their quality was really good, and American consumers were buying them instead of American cars. And there was a whole. I remember as a kid when I was like 8, 9, 10 years old, there was a whole freak out like, the Japanese are going to destroy the American car industry and we're doomed and we can't compete with the Japanese. People were freaked out. And at Chrysler, there was a CEO named Lee Iacoccu came in and said, all right, the answer is let's stop making crappy cars. Let's make good cars. Like, how do we beat Toyota and Honda and the Japanese companies coming in? Well, let's make better cars. So the consumers want. And we saw quality improved dramatically. American cars are much better. And you now look at things like suburbans and Escalades and all sorts of American cars that people like to buy. But why do they like to buy them? Because the competition made the American car makers make better cars. Tesla Teslas are really cool cars. They're incredibly fast, they're incredibly well made. But that's because they're in a competitive market. What happens with school choice? We now know this is when, when, when the students and parents have a choice, the quality of education improves and it benefits the public schools.
- [32:54]
Ben Shapiro
Yeah, in a major way. What, what do the listeners need to do? This is one of those action moments, I think, where it's really important. Is this a you gotta lobby your state legislature at the same time you're calling Congress because let's be very realistic here. This is going to be a big fight. Now, I think it's a fight worth having. I also think one of the things that people may not understand about the strategy of the president is the conversation, Senator, you and I are having right now is the conversation the president clearly is wanting the American people to have about their kids and grandkids in public education. This is part of this is you've got to start winning the hearts and minds of voters and people in this country, taxpayers. And one way to do it is to say, I'm getting rid of the Department of Education. Now, this may not happen tomorrow. It may not happen a month from now or even three months from now, but this is a step in the right direction.
- [33:47]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, it's a big step. And let me say shutting down the federal Department of Education is incredibly important. Now Congress is going to need to act. We're going to need to pass legislation making it permanent, and I'm eager to do so. Why? Because I think the states are much more effective, much more responsive to students, and they don't put the same bureaucracy and red tape on the schools. Look, you want to understand, here's a point I made at the Texas Legislature today. We had a press conference and I pointed out, I said, listen, I think the legislature is going to pass the biggest and boldest and most significant school choice program in America. When it comes time to a vote, most if not every Democrat is going to vote no. Now, I hope that's not the case. And by the way, you want to talk about, I had a reporter ask, why do you say school? School choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. Well, if you look at the failing schools, at the schools where you have rampant violence, where you, where you have high dropout rates, where you have incredibly low test scores, they're predominantly in low income areas and they're predominantly minority schools, they're predominantly African American schools and Hispanic schools, you look at the kids who are disproportionately harmed by failing schools and they are disproportionately minority kids. There is a reason that every time a poll is done of African American parents or Hispanic parents, you see overwhelming support for school choice. 60%, 70%, sometimes as high as 80%. Now, most elected Democrats claim they are fighting for minorities. Many of them are representing districts that are heavily minority. And yet that almost every Democrat, and maybe every Democrat intends to vote against school choice against those kids. And here's why. I'm going to quote, I'm going to quote Al Shanker, who was the longtime president of the American Federation of Teachers. And here's what, what he said, quote, when school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interest of school children.
- [35:50]
Ben Shapiro
Wow.
- [35:50]
Senator Ted Cruz
You want to know what's going on with Democrats? They're interested in money and manpower. And the teachers union are consistently among, if not their biggest funders and among, if not their biggest source of manpower. And every Democrat who makes the decision, I'm voting against choice. What they're saying is I want the dollars from the union bosses more than I care about the kids in my district, more than I care about the African American and Hispanic kids and the low income kids who are trapped in failing schools, who are not learning to read, who are not learning arithmetic, who are gonna drop out. And by the way, if they drop out, we know just like night follows day, we know the odds of poverty are much, much higher. We know the odds of crime are much, much higher. We know the odds of substance abuse are much, much higher. We know the odds of serious healthcare issues are much, much higher. And so every Democrat who says I want the money from the union bosses more than these kids is willing to essentially throw these children overboard and say your future doesn't matter. That's why it's the civil rights issue of the 21st century and it's why I've spent 30 years fighting for it.
- [36:54]
Ben Shapiro
Yeah, it really is. Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Hit that subscribe or auto download button. If you miss one of the shows, we do a weekend review on Saturdays giving you some of the big highlights of the week. And part of that is going to be Elon Musk interview. And if you did miss it, you go back and listen. It was incredible. Two part series, Monday and Wednesday. You can also watch it and subscribe on YouTube. It is a really fun interview to watch because you get some great facial expressions from Elon Musk. You can tell when he's really thinking hard about an answer before he gives it. And it just gives it even more life. So grab that on YouTube as well, and the Senator and I will see you back here in a couple of days.
- [37:35]
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