The problem stems from the fact that the people who are the strongest proponents of tenure reform do not have educational efficiency as their primary political agenda. The main impetus behind the move to abolish tenure comes not from old line conservatives or any other educational proponent but from coalitions of people who because of their very weak and fragile religious beliefs have consistently opposed any and all efforts to expand dialogue on moral issues. They have consistently promoted an anti intellectual "no nothing" political agenda promoting the imposition of a very shallow and intellectually weak moral agenda that can not withstand any kind of intellectual or even religious scrutiny.

Unfortunately, their plan for the abolition of tenure will increasingly place the best teachers who stimulate learning by expansion of classroom dialogue at risk. Ironically, as these people pay lip service to the "lack of values" in the public school agenda, they will strictly limit the teaching - since their value system can't stand up to any sort of intellectual or religious scrutiny. It will also place teachers in close knit rural communities at risk for any sort of political activity by themselves or their families. It is a common practice of those of shallow faith to keep their children out of classrooms taught by teachers whose outward politics - or of their families - is directly at odds with their big government agenda. This serves as a double edged sword to be used against non politically correct teachers: 1) the very act of refusal reflects badly on the teachers' records 2) the removal of children with parental support for conduct problems leaves a disproportionate number of conduct problems in the [politically incorrect] teachers' classrooms. As a politically active spouse of a teacher I know of this first hand; since I toned down my political activities, my spouse is starting to get better behaved classrooms - what a coincidence! Maybe that is why truer old line conservatives generally have supported tenure - despite the ravings of their coalition brethren.