Obama agrees with me and I'm not at all suprised, he's a smart guy.

1. 61

   Stump Parrishposted 13 years ago

   http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/ar … paragraph3
   
   It seems that President Obama has finally started to pay attention to my posts and comments here on Hub Pages. I'm not the only one who thinks this country is rapidily becoming dumber than a load of bricks. He has decided to do something to improve our educational system and I can't wait to hear how the republicans and tea farty members will stand in support of stupidity. My guess is that they will claim Obama is attempting to take away another of their rights. Their right to be dumber than a Stump. hehehe.
   
   With thw Republicans adamantely opposed to any spending and any overarching legislation with a whiff of reform, I am sure we will see some brilliant reasons that it's in this countries best interest to make sure the next generation of high school graduates are dumber than the last. if they stand against this bill it is the only explanation that makes any sense. Improving the education of the citizens of this country makes sure that American students are qualified to succeed in the ever changing world market place. This assures we will, or at least makes it possible for this country to begin to crawl out of the hole we have been delibrately been shoved into by those in control of this country's future. If you can accept the intentional dumbing down of your children and support those determined to do so, you need some serious mental health care. Wait until you get a load of the deductables they have in store for you, lol. Mental health conditions are being diagnosed more frequently as pre-existing conditions and are no longer covered. So now we have a lot of really stupid people who are deppressed and possibly just a tad, mad. That should do wonders for the violent rhetoric and killings for sure. Stupid, depressed people always listen to reason, right?
   
   As the new year begins with divided government, President Obama will signal a shift in his agenda with this fortchoming State of the Union Address.
   
   The new goal? Education policy reform, specifically tacking the No Child Left Behind Act. This law, while it passed with public support during the George w. Bush administration, has generally been received as having several large flaws, the primary one being an over-reliance on test scores. Many feel the focus on scores has in fact been detrimental to student achievement.
   
   It is virtually impossible to argue that no child left behind turned into no child get the chance to excell. American student literally suck when they are tested against graduates from around the world. Foreign students actually know more about American history than American students do. Go Dubya, Go Dubya. Sad thing is that even considering how low they dropped the bar for high school graduation, I doubt Dubya could get a diploma on his own.

   replyreport
   1. 60

      lady_love158posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      LOL! Obama agrees with you? The left is delusional as usual! The feds got into the education business under Carter and in 30 years of spending, illegally and unconstitutionally, we have nothing to show for it except indoctrination of our children singing happy Obama tunes!
      
      The first thing we should cut is the department of education and we'd save 100 billion right there!

      replyreport
      1. 60

         Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Not at all surprising that you are against education.  Makes the world more challenging doesn't it?

         replyreport
         1. 60

            lady_love158posted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I'm not against education, I'm against the feds providing it! Obviously they are incapable of success no matter how much they spend, so why would any sane rational person be in favor of continuing or expanding federal involvement? Of course the left would because they want stupid sheeple that they can control and oppress to be ruled over by their elites!

            replyreport
            1. 60

               Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Do you spend much time with sane, rational people?

               replyreport
               1. 60

                  lady_love158posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  LOL! Apparently not, I spend too much time on here with the lefty loons! LOL

                  replyreport
                  1. 60

                     Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     And why is that?

                     replyreport
                     1. 60

                        lady_love158posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        I believe there's always hope for people... sooner or later the lefty loons will come around and realize they have been played! Someone has to look out for the intellectually impaired!

                        replyreport
                        1. 62

                           John Holdenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           Intellectually impaired!
                           Compared to . . .?

                           replyreport
                           1. 60

                              lady_love158posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              Compared to any conservative...Sarah Palin for example! LOL

                              replyreport
                              1. 61

                                 Stump Parrishposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                                 Ok compare them to the conservative Pat Robertson who believes that natural disasters like the one in Haitii are caused by god and not movement in the earths crust.

                                 replyreport
                        2. 60

                           Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           Sarah's mom apparently did not.

                           replyreport
            2. 61

               Stump Parrishposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Lady, why does the right want to clear cut this entire country? What purpose will be seved by removing every tree above 13 feet tall? How is this possibly going to help the NASA program? Why doesn't the right admit that Abe Loncoln was born in yugoslavia? And finally, are you aware of the fact that the book, "To Kill A Mockingbird" is not a how to manual published by Palin?

               replyreport
   2. 58

      logic,commonsenseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Apparently the post you just made is proof of what you say is it not?

      replyreport
      1. 61

         Stump Parrishposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I just thought I would try my hand at posting nonsensical and irrelevant crap.
         
         Sorry but you know how us intellectually impaired lefty loons can get.
         
         My appologies to any on the right who decided to verify a statement for the first time in their life, with my previous post.

         replyreport
2. 60

   BillyDRitchieposted 13 years ago

   Why can't the government just get out of education altogether?  Where is it written that our children's education must be provided for by government?
   
   Private school and home schooled children routinely score better than their government educated counterparts (small wonder).  I think given the choice and financial ability, most parents would choose the path of private education.
   
   But hey, at least Obama is staying true to form.  Once again, his answer to the problem is "more government".

   replyreport
   1. 94

      habeeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Billy, you and I agree on some points, but not on this one. We must have public schools. Most people can't afford private schools, and many parents can't home-school their kids - either because they have a job or they don't have the necessary skills.
      
      I'm a retired public high school teacher, and I can also tell you that home schools and private schools are not always better. I've had numerous students from both backgrounds, and they were often behind my students.
      
      Public schools offer SO much more than most private schools and certainly more than home schools. For example, at our school, kids could learn to repair an auto, grow food, raise farm animals, build a house, grow fish for food with aquaculture, learn to play an instrument, learn to perform on stage, learn to cook, learn to sew, learn marketing, learn to be a hair stylist, learn welding, learn landscaping, etc. All of these were real hands-on activities.
      
      Students bound for college could take AP classes and get college credits for several subjects, too.
      
      And don't overlook public school activities like sports and clubs. Being involved with sports has kept several kids I know off the streets, and service clubs help kids learn to be better citizens by helping the community and their fellow man and other creatures.

      replyreport
      1. 61

         Stump Parrishposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Habee, another problem with home schooling is the programs that are available for purchase. If you believe in evolution and that the earth is over 6000 years old, there is very little available. If you are looking for a bible study course you can get a free high school diploma thrown in. That means at no cost for those who may have been home schooled with one of these programs.
         
         Our school system here in Spartanburg SC firmly believes that forcing kids to memorize only what's on the tests is the best way to prepare them for the real world. The fact that they're also demanding that historical facts be replaced with fairy tales, shows just how much they value education down here. They figure that they got along quite well without ever having a thought of their own and just who do their kids think they are for expecting something better.
         
         A larger part of the problem here in Spartanburg SC is that with a population of about 280k, we have 7 school districts and each is complete with an administrator and complete staff. Our school district managers are all among the highest paid people in this artea every year with an average salary of $175,000 plus perks. School district jobs are handed out like christmas presents by the good ole boy system that the republican party represents down here. I believe it is somewhere around 155 people who earn in excess of $100,000 a year in all districts combined. For all this money spent on salaries and the 100's of million dollars that have been spent on college campaus style admiinistration buildings, SC has consistantly ranked in the bottom 6 or 7 states that provide the worst educations to students.
         
         When did public education officially become more concerned with providing jobs than educating students, in your opinion?

         replyreport
         1. 94

            habeeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I support public education, but I also see many problems with it. Part of it is, as you say, the "good ol' boy" network. Principal's sister moves to town and needs a job teaching history. Okay, let's get rid of the perfectly good history teacher we already have. Also, there's way too much reliance on standardized tests as a measure of success. As I've said before on the forums, most school districts want cookie-cutter teachers to produce cookie-cutter students. They want every teacher to teach in exactly the same boring way.
            
            I was very fortunate to have had an innovative principal for much of my teaching career. I always tried to make learning fun and exciting, and he supported me on this. I'll give you an example. I came up with the idea of having an annual Renaissance Fair at my high school. The kids and teachers loved it! Kids got a real feel for what life was like in that era. We had an antique weapons guy from a local college who brought a large display of weapons and showed the kids how coins were minted long ago. The kids learned about food and farming from the period. We also had knights on real horses in a jousting competition. We had two students who showed the other kids how chain mail is made. We had an outdoor stage with the drama club's performing Shakespeare plays - in costume. We had live performances of Renaissance music and singing. We had a booth about Elizabethan English and Anglo-Saxon runes. The students also learned about the history of the longbow and Henry V as they participated in the archery contest. We had lots more, too. Kids were having a blast and learning at the same time.
            
            Putting on that fair every November was a huge amount of work for me, but it was truly a labor of love. Sadly, after I retired, no other teacher would do it because it involved so much work and planning.

            replyreport
            1. 61

               Stump Parrishposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               What was your opinion of the RI distric that fired all the teachers?  In my opinion, I think it was warranted and about time. The children in school right now are the future leaders of this country and right now 25% of them cant even get in trhe Army. I believe a majority of students who attend colloege spend about 1 year on remedial classes. If this is the best that the people there can do, it's about time to get some new friggin people. Is the future of this country so meaningless that we are willing to throw it away on this principle... this teacher is unable to or disinterested in, trying to teach her students, she has been here longer than the two who can be hired with her salary, and have proven that they can and will teach. A freind of mine's wife is a teacher in NC, The district admin workers got a raise while the teachers have lost work days and are being asked to take on more of their class room expenses.

               replyreport
               1. 61

                  Stump Parrishposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  BTW, the fair sounds like it was awesome. That experience will stick with those kids their entire life. Most wont remember next week what they learned under the approved methods as the test will already have been taken.

                  replyreport
3. 75

   Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

   I'm lost.
   The left wants "stupid sheeple" that can be "oppressed and ruled over by the ELITES" (one post by LaLo).
   In a later post LaLo says the "lefty loons" are "intellectually impaired."
   I thought the whole objection to the elitist liberals was that we ARE educated. Higher education means MORE intellectual, not less.
   
   Could you please pick one side of the argument and stick to it?

   replyreport
   1. 61

      Stump Parrishposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You have to admire the way the right likes to hire the mentally challenged. I would respect them a little more if they weren't so determined to put the in the Whitehouse so often. Reagan it turns out was suffering from old timers disease while in office. They follow that up with Dubya and the his My Pet Goat mentality. Now they want to elect the cream of the crap with Palin. No wonder lady is so set against education, Look how well her party does with out it.

      replyreport
   2. 61

      Stump Parrishposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      MM, I am beginning to look forward to LL's posts. She is rapidly becoming as entertaining as Jim is. I wonder if she will stop responding to me now that I have called her, entertaining as well.

      replyreport