Why the hell is it that the first that seems to always get cut is education? Don't politicians realize that education is the only way we can keep our position as a world power. Every year it seems like teaching jobs get cut and tuition keeps going up.
You can pay for 'em now, when they're learning, or pay for them later when they're stealing and drugging and on welfare. Apparently the powers that be would rather put it off til later. At least then they can be "tough on crime"
It is political posturing. They cut education, police and fire departments, etc... so they can justify raising taxes in a failing economy. My community is raising gas taxes and creating fire assesments while building giant fountains welcoming you to the city, multi million dollar golf course refreshes, buying overpriced historically significant crap property, and funding unused health insurance to support the working poor.
What he said. When you cut education then people will sit still for just about anything to get it back.
There's so many other ways and things they could cut, but it doesn't give them the outrage they need to screw us.
Our great new governor is trying to bust the Teacher's Union, get rid of tenure completely, and really screw over retiring teachers, even ones that have been in the system for 30 years.
He wants a principal to be able to fire a teacher on the spot. No due process involved.
My wife and I are considering a move. Is that 83 stable unicorn ranch in Ohio still for sale at $13,000?
I'm not sure why, but the teacher's unions have been a favorite target for Republicans for a really long time. It always seemed odd to pick on a group of people who have opted into a public service career with limited compensation potential.
ShadowSix wrote: I'm not sure why, but the teacher's unions have been a favorite target for Republicans for a really long time. It always seemed odd to pick on a group of people who have opted into a public service career with limited compensation potential.
Exactly... its a group of passionate people who obviously love the rewards of the job, not the pay - and they are roped into teaching what the conservative majority purport as truth in an effort to raise more republicans.
Seems like Republicans should be kissing their butts.
It's more complicated. The NEA is not an organization that is good for anyone but the Democrat party and the NEA leaders. Look at the platforms they spew out. "Teaching children" isn't even on the list.
The more money we spend on education, the worse education the children get. In general. It doesn't cost a lot of money to teach a child to read. It does cost a lot to teach him that butt berkeleying each other or murdering his little sister is a good thing. Throw in the politicians cutting police, fire and schools before golf courses every time they blew the budget and you have problems.
In reply to Dr. Hess:
Ok but you can't say cutting teaching jobs and raising tution is helping anyone. I mean hardly anyone can afford college now.
Derick Freese wrote: Our great new governor is trying to bust the Teacher's Union, get rid of tenure completely, and really screw over retiring teachers, even ones that have been in the system for 30 years. He wants a principal to be able to fire a teacher on the spot. No due process involved.
My mother, brother and sister in law are educators in local public school systems - and they'd be happy if principals had this power. Ever worked a government job before? A system where employees arent held accountable for their performance is ripe for mediocrity and abuse.
MrJoshua wrote: It is political posturing. They cut education, police and fire departments, etc... so they can justify raising taxes in a failing economy. My community is raising gas taxes and creating fire assesments while building giant fountains welcoming you to the city, multi million dollar golf course refreshes, buying overpriced historically significant crap property, and funding unused health insurance to support the working poor.
+1
Derick Freese wrote: He wants a principal to be able to fire a teacher on the spot. No due process involved.
Oh, you mean like every other job. For shame!
93EXCivic said: Ok but you can't say cutting teaching jobs and raising tution is helping anyone. I mean hardly anyone can afford college now
Cuts in education funding do not have to equal cuts in teaching jobs. Most school systems have a huge amount of administrative overhead that needs trimming.
As far as college, you could have fooled me - the parking lots at Texas Tech sure are busy for a place no one can afford.
But when cost $740 an hour per credit hour and your college is consider one of the best values for education. To me that is pretty unreasonable.
Yeah, and every one of those students is going to end up paying back those loans for the next 100 years. I look at my wifes student loan debts and realize, quite simply, I will never be able to go back to school, simply because of the financial strain it would put on us. I think the rising costs of post secondary education is the biggest joke ever. All I ever see these days is how so and so from so and so college got a free ride and then blew his cat, berkeleyed a goat, and has 4 babies on the side. I don't care if he's destined to be the next freakin' jesus of football, his time there is of no use to me, as he will not be doing anything to better society.
DILYSI Dave wrote:Derick Freese wrote: He wants a principal to be able to fire a teacher on the spot. No due process involved.Oh, you mean like every other job. For shame!
The problem is the "every other job" part. I'm not a strong union man (and I belong to a powerful and wealthy one). But I can acknowledge that unions have led to benefits for all workers -- maternity leave, paternitiy leave, occupational health and safety laws, and such.
Backwards thinking -- reducing the benefits, changing working conditions, removing due process because that's what it is like for others is the wrong way to go. It certainly doesn't lead to a productive and healthy middle-class, wihich is arguably the goal of most democratic societies.
If your one child lost a leg, you wouldn't maim your other so that he could be "like the other".
It's easier to keep a dumb public mesmorised. 
In reply to 93EXCivic:
Well, I am guessing that is the out of state tuition rate. Step one to a cheap education is to stay in your state of residence.
ZOO wrote: If your one child lost a leg, you wouldn't maim your other so that he could be "like the other".
That is exactly what the current public education system does. Near as I can tell, most everyone is taught at the level of the dumbest kid in the class. That's great for the dumb kid, but destroys the education system for the rest of the country. Unless your goal is to generate an entire class of dumb kids.
And 93EXCivic, college education is a different subject, one I am quite familiar with.
Dr. Hess wrote:ZOO wrote: If your one child lost a leg, you wouldn't maim your other so that he could be "like the other".That is exactly what the current public education system does. Near as I can tell, most everyone is taught at the level of the dumbest kid in the class. That's great for the dumb kid, but destroys the education system for the rest of the country. Unless your goal is to generate an entire class of dumb kids. And 93EXCivic, college education is a different subject, one I am quite familiar with.
Not disagreeing, based on my understanding of US education. But that's certainly not something to aspire to.
mndsm wrote: Yeah, and every one of those students is going to end up paying back those loans for the next 100 years. I look at my wifes student loan debts and realize, quite simply, I will never be able to go back to school, simply because of the financial strain it would put on us. I think the rising costs of post secondary education is the biggest joke ever. All I ever see these days is how so and so from so and so college got a free ride and then blew his cat, berkeleyed a goat, and has 4 babies on the side. I don't care if he's destined to be the next freakin' jesus of football, his time there is of no use to me, as he will not be doing anything to better society.
Two responses here:
The cost of higher education is prohibitive to everyone but the upper middle class and the obscenely wealthy. We need to make higher education more accessible to everyone. That is the only way we will stay a world class power. Otherwise we'll end up sucking up to the Chinese, Indians, and any other culture that makes secondary education available to the majority of the population.
The effect of sports on higher education cannot be under-estimated. My feeling is that colleges should not be involved in sports at all as they have proven they are not capable of maintaining education and sports concurrently. Numerous stories abound of abuse when scholastic achievement runs head to head with sport achievement. There are some exceptions to the rule like at Davidson college. Then there are numerous stories, I've witnessed some from VA Tech, wherein a student is booted from a class for a money making football player who never attends class and yet somehow still passes.
Dr. Hess wrote: That is exactly what the current public education system does. Near as I can tell, most everyone is taught at the level of the dumbest kid in the class. That's great for the dumb kid, but destroys the education system for the rest of the country. Unless your goal is to generate an entire class of dumb kids.
I completely agree with this.
I have a theory that kids who are diagnosed with ADHD are actually some of the most intelligent and perceptive. They don't fit the "one size fits all" education model of schools and so they are drugged to fit that factory form of education. Stamping out millions of students year after year after decade. You should be able to choose a school for your child that best fits his/her personality and ability without having to pay extra to a charter or private school.
We do need to be able to change our schools either via firing non-performing teachers or changing the curriculum to fit how humans have changed since the factory revolution.
I won't even speak to how schools were originally designed to stamp out workers productive in a factory environment. Our thinking and approach to this, as a society, needs a revolution.
Dr. Hess wrote:ZOO wrote: If your one child lost a leg, you wouldn't maim your other so that he could be "like the other".That is exactly what the current public education system does. Near as I can tell, most everyone is taught at the level of the dumbest kid in the class. That's great for the dumb kid, but destroys the education system for the rest of the country. Unless your goal is to generate an entire class of dumb kids.
Agreed.
Xceler8x wrote: The cost of higher education is prohibitive to everyone but the upper middle class and the obscenely wealthy. We need to make higher education more accessible to everyone. That is the only way we will stay a world class power. Otherwise we'll end up sucking up to the Chinese, Indians, and any other culture that makes secondary education available to the majority of the population.
I have to disagree here. Higher education is indeed too expensive - yet because of Federal aid programs financed by taxpayers, access to higher education is way too easy, for too many under-qualified students. The result is a system where 2/3 of mail carriers have college degrees. Where a four-year degree is a requirement for entry-level clerical jobs. Where skilled blue collar work is left to immigrants because only college-prep courses are being emphasized in schools. Where many college graduates aren't able to find work in their fields.
Chinese students fight tooth and nail for every university seat, so the best and brightest get degrees. We have the University of Phoenix, so that anyone with a loan and a pulse can get a degree, even if they go bankrupt in the process.
Otto Maddox wrote: In reply to 93EXCivic: Well, I am guessing that is the out of state tuition rate. Step one to a cheap education is to stay in your state of residence.
Which would be great if I had my state had a good program for my program of study. I mean I don't really have a problem since I scored a full ride.
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