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Who's Behind the 65% DeceptionThe evidence from teachers, families and education policy experts is clear: The 65% Deception will hurt schools by cutting programs and jobs that keep our children healthy, safe and productive in school. So, who would support such a plan? Patrick Byrne is a multi-millionaire tycoon, the current and controversial CEO of Overstock.com, and the man bankrolling the 65 Percent Deception. He doesn't represent parents, teachers or students. We think the public should know more about Mr. Byrne when and if his 65% Deception comes to their state. Patrick Byrne is not a teacher of grades K-12, a concerned parent or an education expert. However, his plan would likely force schools to lay off nurses, librarians, crossing guards and guidance counselors. Byrne has asserted that he fires 10-15 percent of his employees every year at his company, Overstock.com. On an August 2005 conference call, Byrne went on a what many stock analysts and financial reporters thought was a paranoid rant, accusing a mysterious 'Sith Lord' of conspiring to ruin his company, Overstock.com. "I started realizing that there was actually some more orchestration here being provided, by what I'm calling here is the Sith Lord or the mastermind," Byrne said on the conference call with reporters from around the country. "He's one of the master criminals from the 1980s, and he's back in business." Also, during the rant, Byrne admitted to trying to spread rumors about himself that he was gay and a cocaine addict. Later in the call, he said these rumors were false. Byrne's eccentric behavior caused many on Wall Street to question his stability. "It was the most bizarre hour and change I have ever witnessed on [Wall] Street," said Jeff Mathews, a hedge fund manager. Byrne's billionaire father has even questioned Patrick Byrne's outlandish statements — and whether they hurt his son's business. "I don't agree with all the flamboyant statements and reckless statements he has been making," Jack Byrne told the New Hampshire Business Review "...It really has nothing do with Overstock." His eccentric behavior has prompted a colleague to call him a "paranoid fool" and a New York Times columnist to refer to him as "a menace." Byrne has also maintained a decades-long friendship with Bo Gritz, a survivalist and militia leader with white supremacist ties. Gritz is probably best known for trying to talk to militia leader Randy Weaver in Idaho during Weaver's armed standoff with federal agents in the 1990s at Ruby Ridge. Byrne supposedly worked for Gritz in the 1980's at "a super secret agency" in Laos. Byrne, described by conservative columnist George Will as "rich and restless," has invested in various political pet projects. Among the most disturbing of these is Byrne's work to loosen drug laws. The Byrne Foundation, headed by Patrick Byrne, has donated thousands to organizations that seek to repeal mandatory minimum sentences for criminals convicted of drug offenses. |
Who's Behind the 65% Deception 65% Deception's Impact on Kids |