the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Dec 9, 2013
Eighty young people in foster care were bused recently from Baltimore to Philadelphia by the Department of Social Services. They took tests at the “Crooked Places Made Straight” Academy and were then given high school “diplomas.” For these fake diplomas, “Crooked Places” charged the department $500 apiece.
These young people had already been cheated long before they went to Philadelphia. They had lost their families before being sent to foster care, and then didn’t get the help they needed to graduate from public schools.
The public schools in Baltimore have special programs for students who drop out before finishing high school. In addition, the State of Maryland runs programs for young people who leave high school without graduating. These programs allow students to get a legitimate high school diploma, which doesn’t cost anywhere near $500, even with preparation classes thrown in.
The deal that the privately owned religious academy “Crooked Places” gave the young people is certainly crooked. Still, they get to keep the $40,000, even though such diplomas would be thrown out as worthless pieces of paper at any legitimate college.
Those who pretend that education, social services and health care need to be run on “business models” simply take public funds to give to private businesses.
That makes this society as “crooked” as that diploma mill in Philadelphia.