If you want to witness political treachery in its purest form, look no further than Texas Governor Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump’s assault on rural Texas. For decades, these communities have been fiercely loyal to leaders who repay them with nothing but empty rhetoric and destructive policies. Now, Abbott’s and Trump’s gutting of public education programs are pushing rural Texans to the brink of collapse. The betrayal isn’t just cruel—it’s calculated to keep rural folks dumb and way down on the farm.
School Vouchers are Cash Grab for the Elite
Abbott’s school voucher scam is a blatant cash grab for the elite, designed to cripple rural public schools while lining the pockets of private institutions that most Texans can’t even access. What are Abbott and his fellow flim-flam buddies inhaling – fentanyl?
Private school tuition runs in the thousands of dollars, Abbott’s so-called “help” is nothing more than a two-bit circus stunt. Meanwhile, public schools—the heart of rural communities—are being deliberately gutted. Teachers are laid off. Special education programs are erased. Extracurricular activities are axed. All so Abbott can appease his billionaire donors while rural children are left with crumbling schools and no future.
Attacking Workers, Wages and Social Safety Nets
Billionaires like Elon Musk amass unimaginable wealth while pushing for policies that weaken worker protections, suppress wages, and strip away social safety nets, ensuring the average American remains trapped in a cycle of endless labor and debt with little chance of financial freedom. By monopolizing industries, influencing politics, and exploiting technological advancements for their sole benefit, Musk and other billionaire goons tighten their grip on the economy, turning the working class into modern-day serfs who generate massive profits but see little reward themselves.
Hurts Rural, Low Income Students the Most
And let’s talk about Trump’s reckless cuts to federal education funding—a direct hit to the same struggling communities that foolishly cheer for him at rallies. Title I funding for low-income schools? Slashed. Special education funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)? Slashed. College access programs like Pell Grants, which help rural kids break the cycle of poverty? On the chopping block. Trump doesn’t just ignore rural Texans—he actively works to keep them dumbed-down, desperate, and trapped in poverty.
Rural America Last
What’s worse is that these politicians still parade through small-town Texas, tipping their cowboy hats and spewing phony “America First” slogans while systematically destroying the very people who put them in office. It’s time to stop pretending these men care about anything other than consolidating power, lining their own pockets and rewarding the wealthy at the expense of rural families.
False Political Prophets
A vibrant rural community fosters strong social connections, economic resilience, and a deep sense of belonging, enriching the lives of all who call it home. West Texans, and other rural citizens, need to wake up—your so-called champions are your executioners. They are false political prophets!
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As someone who taught in rural Texas schools for over 30 years, I’m grateful to Constance Truthe for exposing what so many politicians hope we won’t notice: Abbott’s school voucher scheme is a slow-motion disaster for our communities.
This isn’t reform—it’s a hostile takeover. Public schools are being gutted so the wealthy can get government handouts. Representative James Talarico put it plainly: “Vouchers are welfare for the wealthy. It is stealing from the poor to give to the rich.” Abbott’s plan even allows families making over half a million dollars a year to take money meant for struggling public schools. That’s not just misguided—it’s immoral.
And who’s behind it? Billionaires like Tim Dunn and Richard Uihlein—men using their fortunes to push this scheme through the Legislature. “They are using their fortunes to push particular pieces of legislation,” Talarico warned, and it’s clear which pieces they’re after: the ones that drain public dollars and hand them to private interests.
These aren’t just bad policies—they’re part of a bigger assault. “Instead of putting this toward public schools, roads, health care, water, we are sending it to parents who are already sending their kids to private school,” Talarico pointed out. That’s not a mistake—that’s the plan.
And as Constance makes clear, Trump’s cuts to federal education programs only deepen the wound. Pell Grants, Title I funding, special ed support—all slashed, while these false prophets strut through rural Texas claiming to fight for working families.
This isn’t about choice. It’s about power. And it’s time we stop letting these men destroy our schools while pretending they’re doing us a favor.