It’s that time of the year again. If you’re a parent like me, you’re probably taking your kids back-to-school shopping. And, if you’re like me, you’re probably shocked by how much more you’re spending than in previous years. And you’re probably also shocked to see that Joe Biden and Democrats are still trying to keep kids learning remotely, forcing them to wear masks, and pushing far-left critical race theory in our classrooms. This is going back to school in Joe Biden’s America.
According to a recent survey by KPMG, back-to-school expenses are up 32% for preschoolers, while college students are paying 13% more for school equipment than last year. Buying shoes? They’re up 21%. Need uniforms? Up 14%. Stocking up on paper and pencils? That’ll cost you 16% more. The survey found that 39% of parents cite inflation as the reason for this year’s steeper prices.
In fact, chances are you’re paying more for just about everything due to Biden’s disastrous economic policies. Biden has already spent $1.9 trillion and is on track to spend trillions more on his and Democrats’ radical agenda, all while his administration supports paying Americans not to work, thereby hurting businesses and stifling a robust recovery. Americans across the country feel it in their paychecks and pocketbooks, with inflation remaining at its highest rate in over a decade. For the first six months of Biden’s presidency, higher prices have exceeded wage growth every month, wiping out pay raises and making the money Americans earn worth less. It’s no wonder 86% of Americans are worried about inflation and higher prices, and a mere 22% approve of Biden’s economic strategy.
Despite paying more, some parents are getting less return on their investment. Many Democrats still want to prevent children from returning to in-person learning.
But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), community spread of COVID-19 in schools is low, and children only need to be three feet apart to stay safe. Approximately 80% of educators have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine — and that’s with CDC guidance saying that not every teacher needs to be vaccinated to reopen schools. Furthermore, we’ve known from the beginning that COVID-19 doesn’t pose a severe threat to most children.
At this point, it’s not about health or “following the science.” It’s about politics.
Progressives have long weaponized the COVID-19 pandemic to advance their political wish list. Last year, a group of activists in Detroit turned summer school classes into a platform for racial activism by blocking school buses from leaving the terminal to pick up children who depended on them. The demonstrators said Detroit schools were exploiting minority children as “guinea pigs” in a “sick experiment to test the state’s ability to open schools on a larger scale.” In California, a Los Angeles teachers union demanded defunding the police, banning new charter schools, increased wealth taxes on California’s millionaires and billionaires, and Medicare-for-All as conditions for reopening. And in Arizona, public school teachers protested the return to in-person teaching by participating in a Black Lives Matter march to show their “solidarity.”
The rise of critical race theory in classrooms should also concern every American parent. This convoluted, Marxist-rooted the
Unfortunately, the consequences of playing politics are real and lasting. Without the routine and social opportunities of school, students’ mental health is taking a hit. Suicide rates among children are up. The negative effects of school closures are especially evident among minority and low-income children. And when kids are in school, they’re getting a heavy dose of anti-American, far-left propaganda.
None of this is likely to earn Democrats extra credit in the midterm elections.
Ronna McDaniel is the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.