--- title: "VoteR Connect | A stark contrast.....Vivek vs. Amy" url: https://voterpac.org/articles/a-stark-contrastvivek-vs-amy description: "Education has been broken in Ohio and across the U.S. for decades. As a result of the efforts by Derek Merrin and the Dewine administration important progress has been made in Ohio to turn the situation around. Amy Acton is asking us to return to an older model returning to political machinations designed to get her elected. Vivek has a better idea to continue progress made to date by building on the success of the current Republican administration." lang: en --- Back to Articles (https://voterpac.org/articles) # A stark contrast.....Vivek vs. Amy opinion, analysis Martin Rini Published July 22, 2026 #citizensmatter #kidsmatter Education has been broken in Ohio and across the U.S. for decades. As a result of the efforts by Derek Merrin and the Dewine administration important progress has been made in Ohio to turn the situation around. Amy Acton is asking us to return to an older model returning to political machinations designed to get her elected. Vivek has a better idea to continue progress made to date by building on the success of the current Republican administration. # **The Moral Failure of Our Generation** > \> > > > > ###### **By Citizens’ Matter™ July 2026-All Rights Reserved ©** ### **A Cynical Transaction** We are presiding over a profound moral failure. In the halls of government, the education of Ohio’s children has become a cynical transaction. When I hear candidate Amy Acton lead her speeches with "support for teachers", I think: _here we go again, will we never learn?_ On the other hand, Vivek Ramaswamy offers a different perspective, framing the crisis as a mission to reclaim our educational standards and suggesting we must finally prioritize student achievement. The point is that “Teacher Support” and student achievement are not the same thing. ### **Emotional Misdirection** When we hear those words “support for teachers” they tug at our heartstrings. And while we and most teachers are well-meaning, our emotions have led us in the wrong direction as student scores have plummeted to low levels. In short, **our leaders, both parties, have traded taxpayer dollars for union support,** bartering away our children’s futures to secure the next election. Had they done this with the State Office Tower in downtown Columbus, it would have crashed decades ago. ### **The True Cost of Stagnation** In the past, Republicans and Democrats alike have prioritized the health of the teachers' unions over the development of the student. By treating mediocrity as a simple negotiating line item and political convenience, we **have robbed our children of the fundamental ability to read, write, and calculate.** We all pay for this. The data tells the real story: since 2000, Ohio’s inflation-adjusted operating expenditures per pupil have surged by over 35%, even as public school enrollment declined by more than 9%. **We aren't starving our schools of resources; we are starving them of results.** This "support for teachers" is the ultimate camouflage for this betrayal; it protects an antiquated, seniority-based system that values tenure over talent and shields ineffective techniques and practices while shackling the exceptional. ### **The Power of Marketplace Pressure \- Back from the Brink** Yet, **the moment traditional public schools face actual competition** from dynamic alternatives and professional management models, **the landscape shifts**. Rigorous national evaluations, such as landmark CREDO analyses, demonstrate that **urban charter students frequently outpace their traditional district peers—gaining weeks or even months of additional learning** in reading and math over equivalent public school cohorts. **Competition forces accountability**, proving that children thrive when monopolies are broken. But instead of embracing that pressure to modernize, the establishment works to neutralize it. **Huge credit** to Derek Merrin and the Dewine administration had big influence on making this happen. **However Amy with her teacher union advocacy is signaling a return to old time politics.** Where Vivek offers us hope, continuing the progress by building upon the Derek and Dewine success. This is a stark contrast between Doctor Amy and Vivek using his understanding of market dynamics to put those forces to work on behalf of our children. ### **Ending the Era of Political Expediency** **_We must stop funding the survival of the "political hand washing machine"_** and start investing in the demonstrable success of the student. Anything less is an admission that we value political convenience more than the future of our next generation. ### **A Call for Meritocracy and** This is not an attack on teachers, but an attack on the failing "machine" an archaic model that got politicians elected. We must be done with this failing idea by continuing to pivot to an "Advanced Teaching/Learning" model—a system of meritocracy that incentivizes excellence, rewards measurable mastery, and treats education as a true, high-stakes profession. **By prioritizing student outcomes over union sympathizing, we have finally discovered a way out of this black hole,** a way to offer real support for teachers, meritocracy, and better career paths and better children. In short, **_Vote Vivek, Vote Derek, Vote for the Kids!_** **_Note:_****_Please forward this link to others you think may care. Also if you would like to see follow-up, a more in-depth on the current state of K-12 education in Ohio, please comment below._** ### Share this article Help spread the word Share: ## Other Articles You Might Like ### Keeping Experience on the Bench: Judge Lisa McGowan on Family Court, Kids, and a Third Term Podcast Judge Lisa McGowan has presided over Lucas County's Domestic Relations Court since 2015. She sat down with the VoteR podcast to talk streamlined cases, protecting children, and why specialized experience matters. Toby Miller Sep 15, 2026 Read https://voterpac.org/articles/keeping-experience-on-the-bench-judge-lisa-mcgowan ### Data Centers - To be or Not to be? Opinion The answer can't be either NO! or Hell NO!! On the other hand, prudent government is not about boosterism or obstruction. Vivek Ramaswamy's platform regarding data centers, "Ohioans-First Data Center Pledge" is the right answer for an immediate temporary freeze, strict conditions on data centers and local community subsidization is the right approach to resolve the issue in the interests of Ohio citizens and local communities. Martin Rini Sep 15, 2026 Read https://voterpac.org/articles/data-centers-to-be-or-not-to-be ### Meet Ian Chamberlain, Republican for Ohio House District 41 Podcast Ian Chamberlain — a Toledo native who negotiated Department of Defense contracts — sits down with the VoteR podcast about his run for Ohio House District 41. Toby Miller Aug 25, 2026 Read https://voterpac.org/articles/meet-ian-chamberlain-republican-for-ohio-house-district-41 ### Comments (0) Log in to join the conversation No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts! ### Get Involved ## Join VoteR Become a member and help grow conservative grassroots action. Join VoteR (https://voterpac.org/register) ## Donate Support our mission with a one-time or recurring donation. Donate (https://voterpac.org/donate) ## Join the Mailing List Get updates on new articles, events, and actions. Join Mailing List (https://voterpac.org/mailing-list) View All Articles: https://voterpac.org/articles ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "A stark contrast.....Vivek vs. Amy", "url": "https://voterconnect.lovable.app/articles/a-stark-contrastvivek-vs-amy", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "VoteR Connect", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://voterconnect.lovable.app/voter-connect-logo.png" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://voterconnect.lovable.app/articles/a-stark-contrastvivek-vs-amy" }, "description": "Education has been broken in Ohio and across the U.S. for decades. As a result of the efforts by Derek Merrin and the Dewine administration important progress has been made in Ohio to turn the situation around. Amy Acton is asking us to return to an older model returning to political machinations designed to get her elected. 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