Clearly, I am speaking of our politicians when I say that I don't believe that they are saying what they believe, but rather what is expedient for their current political goals.

Clearly Trump's rank and file followers, at least many of them, DO believe the pablum they've been fed for the past four years and more.

Thankfully, many have seen through the lies and have jumped ship, but for those who are true believers, I have no animosity toward them, and agree that anything I say is unlikely to change their minds.

Which is one of the reasons why I am such a supporter of better early childhood education, as we as a nation need to start teaching logic and critical thinking skills at a MUCH earlier age.

There are many reasons why our students are lagging behind internationally, but most of it comes down to the way the Republican party has banded together to eviscerate our educational system for the past four decades and counting.

Less federal interference at the classroom level would go a long way toward helping to ameliorate the problems.

The way we teach math, as just one example, has been categorically proven to be the LEAST effective way for students to learn, and if we would simply start using the many ways proven to BE effective, our students would be doing far better overall.

My dad taught in the LA City School System for nearly thirty years, and we had a lot of conversations along these lines, as I have with a number of friends who are teachers. We could be doing SOOOOO much better, with the same money or less, if we would simply eliminate EVERY administrator who is not qualified to teach in the classroom.