Brian Beutler's Blog

I had the chance to see my high school physics and calculus teacher, Pat Chang, in Easley this week. She was gracious enough to attend a press conference my campaign held on the topic of public education.

Ms. Chang was a great teacher, and the things I learned in her classes have helped me immensely in my career. She provided me with a foundation in science and math that carried over to my education at Clemson University. I majored in engineering and went on to become a pilot.

That’s my dream for all children: To have supportive, talented teachers who support students as they explore exciting opportunities and strive to reach their goals. And I think it can happen. Indeed, there are many public education success stories we need to celebrate.

As a science and math person, I’m particularly excited about the STEM — that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math — programs we see
taking hold in a number of our school districts. These programs are pushing students to learn about academic and career fields that will boost America’s
vitality in decades to come. And they receive funding from the federal government.

In many ways, education is a local concern. Schools are a reflection of the people they serve, and communities should have say-so in the direction of the schools their children attend. But the federal government has an appropriate role to play, especially when it comes to promoting cutting-edge opportunities for students — like the STEM programs. I’ve read that in China, roughly 40 percent of college students are engineering majors; in the US, it’s only about six percent. The right priorities and incentives can help us boost these numbers.

In addition, public money ought to stay in the public school system. Out-of-state forces have poured money into the campaigns of politicians, including my opponent, who are willing to push for so-called choice. What this has come to mean is giving government money to people who already have their children in private school, as well as other schemes that guarantee nothing to our state’s neediest families. It’s an outrageously costly idea — and it’s not the best way to improve education across-the-board in our communities.

The fact is that there are no easy answers. But hard work and common-sense solutions need to be at the forefront. And with the right leadership, I believe we will see many more innovations and success stories in the years to come. Public schools can be wonderful places to teach and learn — just ask Ms. Chang and the many students she reached over the years.

EASLEY, SC (Sept. 29) As part of an ongoing series of policy talks throughout the Third Congressional District, candidate Jane Dyer spoke on the issue of public education Tuesday outside of Easley High School, her alma mater.

Dyer took the opportunity to praise public school district in the Third Congressional District for what she calls “success stories and innovations.” These included magnet schools in science and technology, mentoring programs for teenage girls, and alternative education settings for at-risk students.

With her high school calculus teacher Pat Chang at her side, Dyer talked about what public education has meant to her life – and what she hopes it will mean to voters this November.

“Public school is one of the cornerstones of our nation,” she said, adding: “Because of public education, I have had great opportunities in my life.”

Dyer majored in engineering at Clemson University. She was also a member of the Air Force ROTC program, becoming Clemson’s first female Air Force pilot.
She is now a pilot with FedEx.

Chang described Dyer as a hard-working and responsible student. “You know she’s going to do what she says she’ll do,” Chang remarked.

Dyer pointed out differences between her views on education and those of her opponent, Jeff Duncan (R-Laurens). Duncan was a co-sponsor in the South
Carolina General Assembly of a bill to push private school choice. The proposal, which did not pass, would have given public money to families who already have their children in public school.

Duncan has also accepted money from groups and individuals associated with Howard Rich, a New York libertarian who has funded pro-voucher candidates in
South Carolina.

Dyer said she supports families’ right to choose private school – but she believes public money should stay in public schools.

Teachers and other public education backers “should watch very closely and make sure they know where candidates stand on the idea of taking money out
of the public system and giving it to private schools,” she said.

Jane Dyer is a Democratic Candidate for the South Carolina’s Third Congressional District. The campaign will start in about 40 days, but I want to pay your attention on that woman beforehand. It is a great candidate with a deep understanding of the area’s problems and andvanced approaches of how those problems can be solved. Jane is a a former Air Force Pilot, born and raised in the area and a devoted woman, who knows exactly how to improve the district’s conditions and raise it to a different level. Jane Dyer is taking on Republican Jeff Duncan, who is endorsed by Club for Growth.

Jane Dyer’s easy confidence shows whether she’s speaking to voters or chopping onions as she makes lunch for a team of volunteers. Her daily life reflects her warm, open personality and genuine interest in what you have to say.

This is no surprise, considering her family, where she grew up, where she went to school. What may surprise some is her keen mind and enthusiasm for solving complex problems.

Her clarity may come from her mechanical engineering degree from Clemson. Or from lessons learned flying a USAF jet as a young woman. Or from her captaining flights of a FedEx Airbus 300 as she travels across the US and Europe.

Clearly, Jane is a focused, determined learner and leader, one who sees difficult tasks as challenges to overcome.

“I’ve trained all my life to lead and to help others. I have made a habit out of accomplishing the impossible,” Jane says. “Even though I’ve traveled all over the world and all across America, I can’t imagine living anywhere but here in South Carolina.”

In fact, it’s Jane’s love for the Palmetto State and her vision for its future that helped her make the decision to run for the US Congress.

“We need new energy and action, and everywhere I go, South Carolinians remind me that they expect change now,” she comments. “It is not about being right or following a certain ideology; it is about fixing the problems.”

The way John McCain tells it, the injuries he suffered at the hands of his captors in Vietnam would have ended his career as a Navy pilot were it not for the help of physical therapist Diane Rauch. And that’s basically true: after months of painful treatment, he was well enough to pass his medical screening. But that leaves out an interesting part of the story. In his biography of McCain, Robert Timberg details the treatment McCain received at two naval hospitals. Navy doctors in Maryland were, in fact, McCain’s first physical therapists, but they offered a bleak prognosis. Fortunately for McCain, the story of his imprisonment and torture was so widely known that strangers from across the country offered assistance. One of those strangers was Rauch, who provided her services at no charge.

As a vignette, it’s charming–a POW, just released from a long and brutal stretch in captivity, finally stumbling upon some good fortune. But it’s hardly a working model for veterans’ health services. Most vets, after all, need government-provided treatment for the rest of their lives–first, like McCain, at military hospitals and then, unlike McCain, at VA facilities.

Thirty-five years after McCain’s return to the United States, the Veterans Health Administration has undergone a sea change. Once a national embarrassment, it is now among the highest-functioning public bureaucracies. In fact, it’s the best health system, public or private, in the country. (Military hospitals are a different story altogether, managed not by the Veterans Administration but by the armed services. To many, the words “military hospital” evoke images of the Soviet-style decay uncovered by journalists at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.)