Ortmann letter: Besty DeVos

It must have been the week I was sick with flu. I obviously missed the American government class when they taught that U.S. senators must always vote on party lines, regardless of the welfare of their constituents. Why else would Idaho Sens.Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have voted to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary? Americans in general, and Idahoans specifically, were quite clear in their feelings. Someone with absolutely no public school experience, and no knowledge or apparent interest in the legislation concerning special needs children, should not be confirmed for this critical post. I must have also missed the discussion of “representational government.” I thought it meant they represented us, not their own political futures. My mistake.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Ortmann letter: Besty DeVos."