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Articles by William Paul
The Authoritarian Assault on Education Is an Assault on Democracy
From book bans and school takeovers to censorship and political intimidation, the struggle over education has become a battle over who gets to shape the future of democratic society. For autocracy to succeed, its fingers need to be everywhere, plugging the leaks that might, in the tiniest way, threaten its claim to dominance. Lines of power may not be crossed other than by those who have access to them.
Drawing the line against autocracy
Authoritarianism flourishes when pedagogies of conformity parade as neutral methodologies and when civic illiteracy replaces informed judgment, write Henry Giroux and William Paul. Photo courtesy Governor Maura Healey/Flickr. For autocracy to succeed, its fingers need to be everywhere, plugging the leaks that might, in the tiniest way, threaten its claim to dominance. Lines of power may not be crossed other than by those who have access to them.
Bill 101: Burning Down Ontario School Boards
Public Goods • May 8, 2026 • Soon after Education Minister, Paul Calandra dropped Bill 101 Putting Student Achievement First Act, parents met at a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) meeting room to talk about their children’s special needs.
Critical education in an age of authoritarianism
Statue of Aristotle at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Photo by salut_rai/Wikimedia Commons The Trump regime moves through the Western Hemisphere as a reckless force of destruction. Its swagger, rooted in bluster and brutality, resembles that of an inebriated thug let loose to destroy anyone in its path. On January 7, Minneapolis mother Renée Nicole Good tried to drive away from federal ICE agents who had come to arrest and harass fellow residents of her city.
The Notwithstanding Clause: A Tool for Authoritarianism in Canada
Canada • December 19, 2025 • “The clause was designed to be invoked by legislatures in exceptional situations, and only as a last resort after careful consideration. It was not designed to be used by governments as a convenience or as a means to circumvent proper process.” — Roy Romanow and Roy McMurtry, Attorneys General Saskatchewan and Ontario, 1981. The “clause” is the “notwithstanding clause,” otherwise known as Section 33 of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Ford, Trump and the War on Education: Pedagogies of Repression
Analyses of fascism too often fixate on its most spectacular expressions: staggering inequality, systemic racism, the militarization of daily life, unbridled corruption, monopolistic control of the media, and the concentration of power in financial and political elites. Fascism thrives on a culture of fear and racial cleansing and the normalization of cruelty, lies, and state violence.
Pedagogies of Repression: Ford, Trump and the War on Education
Analyses of fascism too often fixate on its most spectacular expressions: staggering inequality, systemic racism, the militarization of daily life, unbridled corruption, monopolistic control of the media, and the concentration of power in financial and political elites. Fascism thrives on a culture of fear and racial cleansing and the normalization of cruelty, lies, and state violence.
Pedagogies of Repression
Public Goods • September 14, 2025 • and Analyses of fascism too often fixate on its most spectacular expressions: staggering inequality, systemic racism, the militarization of daily life, unbridled corruption, monopolistic control of the media, and the concentration of power in financial and political elites. Fascism thrives on a culture of fear and racial cleansing and the normalization of cruelty, lies, and state violence.
OPINION: Ford Wanted More
Doug Ford was reportedly “sulking” because he didn’t grab the 90 to 100 seats he was hoping from the Ontario election. It’s telling that the premier whose victory was unquestionable would be ticked because he didn’t get absolute electoral supremacy. He’s a rich man whose house is never quite big enough. Blame it on Trump. Maybe if Ford had just kept his mic off and hadn’t reiterated how happy he was after Trump won the U.S. election, he might have maintained his likeable average-guy routine.
Education for Acquiescence… Meanwhile, Back in Canada
Public Goods • January 28, 2025 • Donald Trump looms over current events like a volatile bag of gas: Make Canada America’s 51st state. Take Greenland and Panama by force. Round up and deport millions of illegal immigrants. Stop teachers from pushing “woke ideology” down the throats of children. Rename Mars, Trumplandia – whatever.
Bundesliga winners list
The Bundesliga is the top-division tournament in German football. The competition was founded in 1962, while the first season began in 1963. The Bundesliga replaced the German national championship, which was the first tournament in German football history. The German national championship, which was founded in 1903 and ran for a period of 60 years, was a knockout competition contested between winners of each of the country's top regional leagues.
The Administration’s Plan to Slash Medicare Advantage Is a Bad Idea
Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (also known as Medicare Part C) differ in a few important ways, but both could learn a thing or two from the lowly Cavendish banana and its cousin the Gros “Big Mike” Michel banana. Created as part of the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002, Medicare Advantage was a way to inject choice through private market forces into Medicare, which, to that point, had operated as an outright government-run, single-payer program.
FreedomWorks Letter to Congress in Support of the Fiscal Commision Act (H.R. 5779)
Dear Staff Member: On behalf of our activist community, I urge your member to support the Fiscal Commission Act, H.R. 5779. Introduced by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) —and cosponsored by a bipartisan group of members that includes Reps. David Schweikert (R-AZ), Jared Golden (D-ME), Kevin Hern (R-OK), and Dean Phillips (D-MN)—the Fiscal Commission Act would establish a bipartisan commission that will make recommendations to put the United States on a stable path.
Advancing Utility-Style Regulation of Broadband Would Be a Mistake
It sounds simple to say that the American government should boost prosperity and growth rather than creating obstacles to success. Unfortunately, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is disrupting this objective with its intention to steer away from effective light-touch regulation.
Key Vote NO on the MilCon-VA/Agriculture/T-HUD Minibus, H.R. 4366
On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to vote NO on H.R. 4366, which will contain three appropriations bills. Those bills are the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
Broken Promises Keep Proving the Never-McCarthy Crowd Right
During the fight for Speaker of the House, many members of the House Freedom Caucus opposed Kevin McCarthy unless he agreed to restore the People’s House back to the way our Founding Fathers intended it to operate: decentralized governance. He reluctantly agreed, but only after fifteen rounds of voting.
Putting the Squeeze on Hope
Public Goods • June 27, 2023 • William Paul One hundred and twenty kids are sitting in the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) Brookview Middle School auditorium listening to Mohamed Ahmed talk to them about possibility and hope.
A Spa Instead of Science
A Spa Instead of Science: The Ford Government Strategy of Neglect, Tear Down and Take Away Canada • May 19, 2023 • William Paul Back in 2011 Doug Ford wanted a Ferris wheel. That was when he was a Toronto councillor and closest advisor to his brother, Mayor Rob Ford.
Recent Reports By Financial Regulators Show The Downside Of Letting Regulators Review Their Own Work
Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) 40% / 62% Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) 0% / 13% Chip Roy (R-TX-21) 100% / 100% Brad Sherman (D-CA-32) 0% / 9.4% Wesley Hunt (R-TX-38) 100% / 100% Susan Wild (D-PA-7) 0% / 8% Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) 100% / 98% Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) 20% / 17.9% James Comer (R-KY-1) 100% / 80.8% Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) 0% / 14% The Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released reports on their actions regarding the collapses of Silicon Valley...
Debt Ceiling Fight Kicks Into High Gear As Debt Ceiling Crunch Approaches
Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) 40% / 62% Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) 0% / 13% Chip Roy (R-TX-21) 100% / 100% Brad Sherman (D-CA-32) 0% / 9.4% Wesley Hunt (R-TX-38) 100% / 100% Susan Wild (D-PA-7) 0% / 8% Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) 100% / 98% Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) 20% / 17.9% James Comer (R-KY-1) 100% / 80.8% Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) 0% / 14% On Monday, May 1, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and the U.S. Congressional Budget Office both announced that the U.S. would hit its debt ceiling in...
The Better Schools and Student Outcome Act
Public Goods • May 2, 2023 • William Paul Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce must really want to be a magician – making elephants or something outlandish disappear, then reappear behind you. Maybe that explains his tactic of making cuts to education, then announcing the addition of nearly 2,000 more educators all while introducing new legislation that will further centralize education and enable his Tories to make school properties available to their developer friends.
House Republican’s CBDC Bans Must Close All Loopholes
After discovering that, for two years, the federal government lied to the American people and imposed countless authoritarian measures based on those lies, you would think that we would be wary of any new calls for centralized power. Sadly, this has not been the case. In March of 2022, the Biden administration, along with the New York Fed, directed the launch of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot program.
REINS Act Presents Commonsense Opportunity To Curtail Unnecessary Government Regulations
Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) 25% / 57% Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) 0% / 13% Chip Roy (R-TX-21) 100% / 100% Brad Sherman (D-CA-32) 0% / 9.4% Wesley Hunt (R-TX-38) 100% / 100% Susan Wild (D-PA-7) 0% / 8% Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) 100% / 98% Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) 25% / 18.9% James Comer (R-KY-1) 100% / 80.8% Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) 0% / 14% Included in the plan to raise the debt ceiling from House Republicans is a crucial and commonsense piece of legislation that will positively impact every...
Ontario’s new education bill: Crushing what’s broken
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce must really want to be a magician: making elephants or something outlandish disappear, then reappear behind you. Maybe that explains his tactic of making cuts to education, then announcing the addition of nearly 2,000 more educators all while introducing new legislation that will further centralize education and enable his Tories to make school properties available to their developer friends.
Bipartisan Bill to Properly Label China a Developed Nation in International Organizations Introduced in the Senate and Shows Congress Wants to Take Real Steps to Counter China Wherever it Can - FreedomWorks
In February, Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced the “Ending China’s Developing Nation Status Act.” The legislation would prevent the granting of “developing nation” status to China in future treaty negotiations as well as require the Secretary of State to pursue changing China’s status as a developing nation in international organizations where such procedure exists. Sen. Romney introduced this bill in the last Congress, but it did not go anywhere.
FreedomWorks Statement in Response to January CPI Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to the January Consumer Price Index (CPI) report that showed that inflation came in at a higher than expected 6.4 percent, slowing only 0.1 percent from December 2022, Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks President, commented: “Americans are entering a third year of high inflation that does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Congress Tries Again to Rein in the Executive Branch and Repeal Outdated Authorizations for Military Force
Punchbowl News reported in mid-February that a renewed effort to repeal the Authorized Use of Military Force (AUMF) from 1991 and 2002 had been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). Both Senators introduced a similar bill last Congress. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) promises that this bill will be brought up for a vote this year.
Center for Renewing America’s Proposed Budget Represents a Commonsense Way to Improve America’s Fiscal Health While Dismantling Woke and Weaponized Programs - FreedomWorks
In December 2022, the Center for Renewing America (CRA) released its proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget that would address America’s ballooning debt while also ending “Woke and Weaponized Government.” CRA claims their budget would reduce the debt as a percentage of the economy and balance the budget within 10 years. As of the third quarter of 2022, America’s debt as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 120%.
SwampTakes – Cringe Karine, Kooky Krugman, Impeaching Mayorkas - FreedomWorks
Hello, and welcome back to SwampTakes. After a very omnibus winter break, the left has been ringing in 2023 with a flurry of freezing cold takes. But despite two years of countless blunders, the White House is “celebrating” two years of living in Biden’s America. Is this a joke? Narrator (in Biden voice): “Not a joke!” Seriously? The White House is taking a victory lap despite December’s CPI numbers showing that real wages have been negative for the majority of Biden’s presidency.
House Watch - January 23, 2023
Welcome to the latest edition of House Watch where FreedomWorks informs activists and partners on upcoming House votes.. The House is back in session tomorrow to vote on a wide array of bills and will consider a bill under an open rule (H.R. 21), where any member may offer an amendment to the bill on the floor, for the first time since 2016. This is only possible thanks to the efforts of conservatives fighting to make the House more responsive to the needs of the people.
New House Rules Mean An Improved And More Open Congress
In January 2023, House Republicans adopted a rules package that included a number of reforms that will make the House more responsive to the people, and they released some of their goals for the 118th Congress. Below is a summary of those goals and new rules and what they mean for you and how this Congress will work. House Republicans want to adopt a Fiscal Year 2024 (FY2024) Budget Resolution that balances the budget within 10 years.
More Cops? Not What Our Communities Need
Anti-Racism, Canada • January 18, 2023 • William Paul Listening to Chief Myron Demkiw’s pitch for the 2023 budget request to the Toronto Police Services Board (TPS), it sounded like the rationale for the budgets put together by school boards: the increased needs of population served, declining portion of the overall budget, inflation, plans to do more and so on.
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House’ is light and dusted with sugar
When you think of geisha, “cute” and “homey” probably aren’t the first words that come to mind. But they’re the defining traits of “The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House,” a Netflix drama set in a shared residence for maiko (apprentice geisha) in Kyoto’s Gion district.
Junji Takasago: ‘Photographers are a bridge between humans and nature’
Through his eloquent and artful shots, photographer Junji Takasago, 60, makes the wonders of the natural world accessible to all. Born in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Takasago has worked with household names like National Geographic and Nikon and authored over 30 publications.
5 Reasons to Oppose a Bust of Zelenskyy in the House of Representatives wing of the U.S. Capitol - FreedomWorks
If you are an inflation-burned American who is already unhappy with the Washington War Machine spending over $100 billion of your hard-earned dollars funding the continuation of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, hold onto your seat. Attempting to further mock taxpayers, an “America Last”House Resolution has been introduced to display a bust of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in our House of Representatives.
FreedomWorks Lifts Key Vote On Speaker Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to news that Speaker-designate Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) has made concessions to the House Freedom Caucus in the race for Speaker of the House, FreedomWorks has lifted its key vote against a vote for Speaker-designate McCarthy.
FreedomWorks Issues a Key Vote Alert on Speaker Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to tomorrow’s vote for Speaker of the House for the 118th Congress, Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks President, commented: “Since Kevin McCarthy announced his candidacy for Speaker, FreedomWorks has urged him to work with the Freedom Caucus to ensure the 118th Congress operates in a deliberate, transparent, and accountable manner.
Key Vote NO - Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023 - H.R. 2617
This November, Americans made their voices heard by handing control of the House of Representatives back to the Republican Party. Since 1954, control of the House of Representatives has flipped between parties five times. In not a single instance has Congress passed a lame-duck omnibus before the new majority takes power. The $1.7 trillion omnibus is another in a long line of irresponsible spending packages negotiated behind closed doors and rammed through Congress without time to read.
REGULATORY ACTION CENTER FILES COMMENT IN DOL INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR RULEMAKING
On December 13, 2022, FreedomWorks Foundation’s Regulatory Action Center (RAC) submitted a comment concerning the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed independent contractor rule. Activists submitted 749 individual comments. The rule provides guidelines for determining whether someone is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Key Vote NO - House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1437 - Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act
This November, Americans made their voices heard by handing control of the House of Representatives back to the Republican Party. Since 1954, control of the House of Representatives has flipped between parties five times. In not a single instance has Congress passed a lame-duck omnibus before the new majority takes power. Americans are tired of the decades of bipartisan reckless spending that has led to over $31 trillion in national debt and crushing inflation.
Key Vote YES - S.J.Res.56 - Yemen War Powers Resolution
This resolution reclaims Congress’ rightful Article I powers by mandating the removal of unauthorized U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen not later than 30 days after the adoption of the resolution, absent a declaration of war or specific authorization for engagement in such activities. For decades, presidents of both parties have ignored the separation of powers and continued seemingly endless unauthorized wars.
Regulatory Action Center Files Comment in NLRB Employer Rulemaking
On December 7, 2022, FreedomWorks Foundation’s Regulatory Action Center submitted a comment concerning the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) proposed Joint Employer rule. This proposed rule would make it very difficult for franchise (“chain”) businesses and businesses that use subcontractors (such as janitorial services to clean offices or specialized labor on construction sites) to use those business models.
FreedomWorks Offers Up Key Ways for Leader McCarthy and House Republicans to Hold Government Accountable
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to Leader McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) recent comment to his GOP colleagues that the failure to elect him as Speaker would “delay our ability to hold government accountable,” Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks President, commented: “Eliminating earmarks would have been a great first step towards ‘holding government accountable.’” Additional actions that would enable Leader McCarthy and House Republicans to better “hold government accountable” include: Mandate that legislative...
FreedomWorks Statement in Response to House GOP Conference to Use Earmarks in 118th Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to today’s House Republican Conference meeting to affirm a new rules package for the 118th Congress, in which the vast majority of members approved to continue the use of earmarks, Cesar Ybarra, FreedomWorks Vice President of Policy, commented: “Once heralded as the party of fiscal responsibility, Republicans chose today to reaffirm the continuation of the bad practice of earmarks.
FreedomWorks Statement in Response to Congressional Forum on Rules and Process Changes for the 118th Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to Congressional Forum at FreedomWorks on Rules and Process Changes for the 118th Congress , Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks President, commented: “Today’s forum led by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) on rules for the upcoming 118th Congress was a valuable opportunity to hear from members and expert witnesses as Republicans prepare to regain control of the People’s House.
FreedomWorks Statement in Response to Kevin McCarthy’s Bid for House Speaker
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy announcing his candidacy for Speaker of the House, Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks President, commented: “We are encouraged that Republicans will once again take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and wish Representative McCarthy the best of luck in his bid to be the next Speaker of the House.
Blink! Ford backs off
Doug Ford took another look down the path he was leading his Tories and blinked. Bill 28, better named: Putting the Public Sector In Its Place Act was turning out to be a disaster. Maybe it was the likelihood that the Ontario Federation of Labour was about to call for a general strike in support of the CUPE education workers or that all the teacher federations’ leadership had listened to their rank and file and were about to call upon their members for a sympathetic strike vote.
Swamp Takes: Election 2022
Hello, and welcome back to a special Election 2022 edition of SwampTakes! The crazy season is upon us yet again, and unlike the U.S. diesel supply, the lefties have a surplus of cold (and stale) takes for us to cringe at. To kick things off, Elon Musk’s firing of the Twitter tyrants has leveled the playing field for Republicans, giving them a boost in their pursuit to back at least one chamber of Congress.
Polling Reveals Voters Trust Republicans to Tackle Kitchen Table Issues
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A national survey by Scott Rasmussen from October 25-27 provides critical insight into voters’ lack of trust in the Democratic Party and their failure to resolve kitchen table issues negatively affecting everyday Americans. Survey highlights include: When asked which party they trust more to handle immigration, 43 percent of voters said they trust Republicans while only 28 percent of voters said they trust Democrats.
Educators and critical pedagogy: an antidote to authoritarianism
The world in which we live has increasingly resembles a dystopian novel. The dream of a more democratic world is diminishing as the global assault on democracy expands. The world is awash in the discourse of white supremacy, Christian nationalism, a culture of lies, and a contempt for democracy. Since the 1980s, there has been an unyielding attack on the social contract, the common good, public goods, and government responsibility.
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