Latest Cheers and Jeers
Cheers To.....The Georgia Supreme Court for its ruling that guns be prohibited on school grounds or in school safety zones. The decision stated that a law prohibiting guns on school property takes precedent over another law allowing fireams inside school safety zones. And to Bono, the leader/singer of U2 . He became the first man to win Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year Award for his “Poverty is Sexist” campaign which is aimed at helping poor women around the world. And to Senators Tammy Baldwin, Shelley Moore Capito, Representative David Joyce and Mark Takano for sponsoring the American Education Week resolution. During week long events that focus on the importance of public education, education support professionals (ESPs) were recognized for their important contributions. They make up 40% of school staff including paraeducators, secretaries, custodians, tradespeople and technical staff as well as school security officers, school bus drivers, food service workers and those who work in health and student services. They take care of students every day. National ESP of the Year was Doreen McGuire Grigg.
Cheers To Women In House....And In The Senate! There were several women who won with the support of educators and organizations like AAUW such as Nanette Barragan (CA-44), Val Demings (FL 10), Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth who transitioned from the House to the Senate (IL). She will be the first female Senator to have served in ombat and the second Asian Amerian female Senator. Cheers Also To Governor Maggie Hassan who transitioned from Governor to State Senator from NH. State Senator Pramila Jayapal from WA-7 is the first Indian American woman elected to Congress. Stephanie Murphy (FL-7) is the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress and Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE At Large) is the first woman and first African American elected to represent Delaware in Congress. The Hon Carol Shea Porter (NH 1) gets cheers as well.
Cheers To Senator Chris Murphy (CT) for noting that Betsy DeVos, the nominee for education secretary has 'some serious threshold questions' to answer before consideration. The first being: how can Congress put someone who spent her life trying to strip funding from public education be put in charge of schools? Cheers Also To Senate Judiciary Committee members Patrick Leahy (VT), Dick Durbin (IL), Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Richard Blumenthal (CT) for their letter demanding Chair Grassley (IA) thoroughly and transparently vets AG nominee Jeff Sessions.
Jeers To House Republican leadership for threats to shut the country down again rather than pass a clean continuing resolution to fund the gov't.