Andy Biggs: True Constitutional Conservative for Congress

Senator Andy Biggs is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Congressional District 5. As demonstrated during his tenure in the Arizona Senate, Andy Biggs knows more about the U.S. Constitution, the Founders’ lives, Founding documents and letters, and historical books than 98% of the entire House and Senate in Washington, DC. Certainly more than the current President. Certainly more than anyone running against him.

More importantly, Senator Biggs respects the Constitution and his Oath to uphold it. One group of supporters that appreciates Senator Biggs’ knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and his ability to educate other legislators and his own constituents about its enumerated powers are the leaders of Arizona’s Anti-Common Core battle.

Both Jennifer Reynolds, publisher of Arizonans Against Common Core, and Gina Ray, one of the leaders of Opt Out AZ!, have publicly issued their endorsement of Andy Biggs. (Given the more than 200 posts in Gilbert Watch against the National Common Core System, you can also count me in.)

Dr. Vicki Alger, another member of the anti-Common Core movement, recently published Failure: The Federal Misedukation of America’s Children, a comprehensive history of unconstitutional federal meddling into local educational policy. Dr. Alger’s history begins prior to the 1800’s ending with the most recent 2015 ESSA federal dictates.

The U.S. Department of Education has turned into a sprawling bureaucracy with 153 programs, 5,000 employees, and an annual budget of about $50 billion. The result? American schools are among the most costly in the world. Yet, U.S. students rank among the world’s mediocre achievers in math, science, and other subjects.

This is one of the reasons that prompted Jennifer Reynolds to state: "Andy Biggs has proven to us that he stands for school choice and that he is unequivocally against Common Core, and we trust him to remain 100% consistent with these fights in the U.S. House of Representatives.”

It’s also why Gina Ray wrote: "I have witnessed how intimidating the federal bureaucracy can be, and I have a greater understanding and appreciation for why we need a representative like Matt Salmon who will not back down against the Washington establishment. I trust Andy Biggs to take bold stances for us – just like Matt Salmon has, and to bring education control back to the local level where it belongs.”

Senator Biggs knows better than most that the key to success lies in decentralizing education policy by ending federal involvement, and returning power to state and local governments, and implementing more school choice options and competition.

One of his first bills within 2 weeks of taking office in Congress is to Repeal Common Core and return all control of our education policies to the states and locals.

It should be noted that, back in October 2013, Senate President Andy Biggs brought together four panelists to a Common Core Symposium where they debated the pros and cons of Common Core. There was a very large public turn-out of this event which lasted over two and a half hours. The panelists included:

Dr. Sandra Stotsky. Originally part of the Common Core Validation Committee and one of five who refused to sign off on Common Core State Standards, she is also one of the writers of the pre-Common Core Massachusetts Standards, which are widely regarded as the best in the country. She is currently Professor Emerita with the University of Arkansas.

Jared Taylor, current Arizona State Board of Education member, Gilbert Town Council member , and a managing director on behalf of Heritage Academy.

Jonathan Butcher, Education Director, Goldwater Institute.

John Huppenthal, then Superintendent of Public Instruction.

To those who wonder why they don’t hear more anti-Common Core voices, FOLLOW THE MONEY. President Obama and the USDOE plunged $4.3 billion into Race to the Top competition , which enticed Arizona and 45 other cash-strapped states into competing for millions of federal jackpot dollars. The application required each state to adopt the Common Core stndards (before they were even written), and, further, to join a consortium of other states to develop an assessment aligned to the Common Core standards. (See also Feds Admit U.S. Education Department "Forced" States to Accept Common Core From its Start.)

Bill Gates, in his desire to bend the world to his will, has awarded, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation many millions of dollars in grants to groups and organizatons to promote the Common Core Machine. (See How Bill Gates pulled off the swift Common Core revolution and Gates Foundation pours millions more into Common Core.)

Publishing companies also reap millions of dollars in developing curriculum "aligned" to the Common Core Standards, not to mention testing companies, collectors of student data, and many others.

Add to this the fear of teachers to speak out against Common Core, who risk losing their jobs, or being "reassigned" to an undesirable teaching situation. .

Those who speak out against Common Core are, like Senator Andy Biggs, truly invested in the best interests of America’s school children.