Week in Review: Are Math and Reading ‘Racist’?

Math isn’t racist. Neither are reading and writing.

But Oregon’s public education bureaucrats seem to think they are. They just suspended the high school graduation requirements for proficiency in math, reading, and writing until 2029, claiming the standards hurt minority students.

Already, just 30% of Oregon’s students are proficient in math, and just 43% in English language arts, recent statistics show. And there’s no better way to enshrine academic mediocrity—and hurt the very students this hairbrained scheme is supposed to help—than to throw all merit-based standards out the window.

The policy is a symptom of the dangerous proliferation of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) in education—a toxic ideology built upon the racist lie that skin color matters more than character.

But Goldwater is spearheading the fight to take back our schools. Our landmark Academic Transparency reformensures parents can find out exactly what’s happening in their children’s schools, while education savings accounts, which we created and enacted in more than a dozen states, empower parents to choose schools that prioritize academic achievement.

If progressives got their way, DEI would lay waste to America’s schools. We won’t let that happen.

Read more about Academic Transparency here.

CENSORED: Gov’t Bans Navy Vet’s Gun Ad—Goldwater Fights Back

Why is the government trying so hard to keep a Navy veteran’s harmless ad for his indoor shooting range out of the public eye?

The city of Flagstaff, Arizona, is illegally violating small business owner Rob Wilson’s freedom of speech, claiming his silent video promo showing responsible, recreational firearm use can’t run at the municipal airport because it depicts “violence or antisocial behavior.” Now the Goldwater Institute is demanding the city stop flouting the Arizona Constitution by illegally censoring messages it doesn’t like.

“After serving 22 years on active duty to defend the Constitution, I’m not about to sacrifice my rights,” Rob says. “The city government was elected to represent us, not dictate to us.”

Rob’s 10-second spot has appeared thousands of times alongside other businesses’ ads since he started running it in 2019. And it’s brought countless guests to his range to learn about proper gun safety and shooting technique.

Local governments across the country frequently abuse their power to suppress viewpoints they don’t agree with. But the Goldwater Institute has won numerous victories, in Arizona and throughout the nation, on behalf of Americans who fought back. We’ll keep working to protect free speech, uphold constitutional rights, and hold governments accountable.

Read more here. 

Scottsdale’s Chance to Promote Healthcare Freedom 

Many of Arizona’s cities are notorious for restricting free market principles and stifling development. But it comes at a high price, particularly as our ever-growing state faces looming healthcare shortages: fewer jobs, a contracting economy, and unaffordable prices for goods and services.

“Now, Scottsdale has the chance to buck the trend by approving plans for a brand-new, privately funded medical campus that will help meet the Valley’s growing need for more efficient, cost-effective healthcare services, as well as create jobs,” Goldwater Institute President and CEO Victor Riches writes in the Scottsdale Independent.

In no aspect of our lives is the freedom to make decisions for yourself and your family more important than the delivery of medical services. “At Goldwater, we’ve led the way nationally by passing Right to Try legislation, which ensures terminally ill patients have access to lifesaving treatments without first begging for government permission, and statewide by supporting the freedom of small and large businesses alike to improve our region’s healthcare and economic portfolio,” Riches adds.

Scottsdale now has the opportunity to help lead the way in the delivery of healthcare services—government owes it to all Arizonans not to stand in the way.

Read the rest at the Scottsdale Independent.  

RSVP TPDAY! Goldwater 2023 Annual Dinner & 35th Anniversary Celebration, Featuring Sen. Ted Cruz

Arizona’s premier liberty event returns for an in-person celebration featuring Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday, November 3, and you are cordially invited!

You can find out more about our Annual Dinner and RSVP here.

Episode 5: Government-Run Education

Should the government be in charge of education? In the fifth installment of the Foundations of Freedom video series, Goldwater Vice President for Legal Affairs Timothy Sandefur discusses the government’s monopoly on our school system.

Watch Episode 5 here.