Call Rick Perry (for free) and tell him what you think about policiticizing education

[texastoast]

Dear fellow Democrat,

First it was secession talk, then health care lies, and now this! President Obama wants to speak to schoolchildren about the importance of education - and Texas Republicans are letting our children down with their shameful cynicism.

There is nothing political or partisan about the President encouraging our children to stay in school and succeed. However, Gov. Perry and Sen. Hutchison never pass up an opportunity to take a cheap partisan potshot, even when it comes to encouraging children to stay in school:

Gov. Perry: "I hope schools will provide a suitable alternative for students not participating in this event. I also hope that this is not an indication of the federal government further encroaching on states' authority over education" .

Sen. Hutchison: "I share the concerns of many parents about the President addressing schools in a way that leaves little choice for parents if the speech includes a political agenda. The original worksheet put out by the Department of Education raised this possibility and caused a legitimate public outcry" .



Call the offices of Gov. Perry and Sen. Hutchison and tell them you applaud President Obama for speaking directly to students about the value of education and the importance of staying in school:

Gov. Rick Perry: [phone] or [phone]

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison: [phone] (District office in Austin)

If your school district won't show the address, contact your local school officials and let them know you'd like your children to have the opportunity to hear the President's message on education.
Visit the U.S. Dept. of Education website to learn more about President Obama's address to students, scheduled for Tuesday, September 8th at 11:00am CDT: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html
All of our leaders should encourage children to stay in school and succeed - and Gov. Perry should feel especially obligated to join in that encouragement, as his shortchanging Texas schools by billions of dollars contributed to our high dropout rate. And Sen. Hutchison's comments are hypocritical: she's brought up Texas' dropout rate during her campaign - it's obvious her only problem with the President's message to children is that it doesn't fit conveniently with her political agenda.

Your fellow Democrat,