- The Washington Times - Thursday, March 11, 2021

Now that President Biden has signed the $1.9 trillion stimulus package and speechified during prime time, it’s time for average Americans to ask a few sensible and detailed questions.

Vice President Kamala Harris is first up. What’s going to be your “pet” project while living in the nation’s capital? We were told that you and hubby Doug Emhoff won’t soon be moving into the Naval Observatory as many of your predecessors did because some sprucing up is needed. Cool, I can even relate to the chimney liner repairs.

Still, there’s a far more pressing issue: mentoring school kids.

As you know, whether schools open this month, during the summer or early fall, students have fallen behind academically, and D.C. students are no exception. Why don’t you step up to help bridge the gap?

As a Howard University alumna and member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the first intercollegiate historically African-American Greek-lettered sorority, your connections and volunteer efforts would go a long way.

You and your sisters could probably have your choice — from reading to pre-K youths, to girls-only schools to secondary schools where teens raise questions about post-high school expectations.

And while the vice president mentors the young people, she can sneak a peek of schoolhouses, smell the scents and meet with students and teachers.

To prepare herself for high schoolers, Ms. Harris could check in with first lady Jill Biden, who’s quite familiar with educating teens and young adults in English and writing in Northern Virginia and Delaware community colleges.

Whether the subtitle of Mrs. Biden’s college dissertation, “Student Retention at the Community College: Meeting Students’ Needs,” speaks volumes or not, her perspective could give insight to the Biden administration.

A key education question in that direction: Why does the Biden administration want to block right-to-work laws, which allow, for example, construction workers to be bricklayers, carpenters and pipefitters without joining a union?

The Trump administration pushed rebuilding America’s infrastructure during his 2016 victory speech, and such skilled labor will be in higher demand as as the return to “normal,” whatever that will look like in our cities. Construction workers can still make good money rehabbing homes and storefronts, and laying HVAC piping in your neighborhood school, something the teachers unions have been crying out for since the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Indiana and other right-to-work places, construction workers are in a standoff with the Biden administration, which is rebuffing them with labor laws.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Where’s the progress for skilled workers if schools remain closed and they cannot read, write and comprehend our native language?

Where’s the progress if immigrants come here and get good paying jobs but federal regulators insist they spend part of their earnings not for food and housing but union dues?

This last go-round, Mr. Biden plans to dole out $1.9 trillion on public schooling and other appropriations. Americans can’t afford to misspend a dime of that money.

More important, you don’t need to be vice president or hold a doctorate to know that a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

⦁ Deborah Simmons can be contacted at dsimmons@washingtontimes.com.

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