Who Is Betsy DeVos?

            Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education, took a beating in the approval process in the Senate. The Senators tied at 50-50, and Vice President Mike Pence made the deciding vote in favor of Devos. She is the only cabinet nominee in U.S. history to need the Vice President’s participation. Why was there such a problem?

            Elisabeth Dee “Betsy” Prince DeVos was born January 8, 1958, to Edgar Prince and Elsa Zwiep Prince (later, Broekhuizen), both of Dutch ancestry. DeVos was reared in Holland, Michigan. Her father was a billionaire industrialist and founder of an automobile parts supplier known as Prince Corporation.

            DeVos attended a private school in Holland, Michigan, and she received a degree in business management and political science from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was reared in the Christian Reformed Church of North America. She married Richard Marvin “Dick” DeVos Jr. who is a multi-billionaire heir to the Amway fortune. The couple has four grown children, two sons and two daughters: Rick, Alissa, Andrea, and Ryan.

            Dick DeVos is a big donor to conservative political campaigns and social causes. His father, Richard Marvin DeVos Sr. co-founded Amway and owns the Orlando Magic NBA basketball team. A brother of Betsy DeVos, Erick Prince, is a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer and the founder of Blackwater USA, a private military services contractor.

            As far as I can determine from the debate about her, those against DeVos becoming Secretary of Education are public school teachers, teachers’ unions, and their minions. Apparently, they were fighting to preserve their hold on the education system because DeVos is open about her desire to improve the educational opportunities for all children and youth. She believes that the decision about education should be up to the parents and their children, not the government.

            I know that most parents want their children to receive the best education that they can possibly receive. I believe that families have the right to seek education outside the public education system, especially when the public school system is failing them and/or indoctrinating them with anti-American ideas. I wish Secretary DeVos good luck in her endeavors. It appears that she has many enemies.