Krauthammer scores a deep, direct hit.

[Perd Hapley]

I thought this was well-stated.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/05/AR2009030502951.html?sub=AR

The logic of Obama's address to Congress went like this:

"Our economy did not fall into decline overnight," he averred. Indeed, it all began before the housing crisis. What did we do wrong? We are paying for past sins in three principal areas: energy, health care and education -- importing too much oil and not finding new sources of energy (as in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf?), not reforming health care, and tolerating too many bad schools.

The "day of reckoning" has arrived. And because "it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we'll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament," Obama has come to redeem us with his far-seeing program of universal, heavily nationalized health care; a cap-and-trade tax on energy; and a major federalization of education with universal access to college as the goal.

Amazing. As an explanation of our current economic difficulties, this is total fantasy. As a cure for rapidly growing joblessness, a massive destruction of wealth, a deepening worldwide recession, this is perhaps the greatest non sequitur ever foisted upon the American people.

To avoid the awful sin of drive-by posting, let me state that I am always glad to see glib idiocies eviscerated by penetrating brevity. 

[Standing Wolf]

As an explanation of our current economic difficulties, this is total fantasy. As a cure for rapidly growing joblessness, a massive destruction of wealth, a deepening worldwide recession, this is perhaps the greatest non sequitur ever foisted upon the American people.

Yep. All the variant forms of statism depend upon belief in fantasy and the exercise of patently fake logic; inevitably, all produce poverty, backwardness, ignorance, hatred, and suffering.

I have no idea why we, the people, choose to remain ignorant of history.

[Scout26]

All he has known his entire adult life is burearucracy.....therefore my sig line.....

[grampster]

Yeah.  And the topper today was in Parade Magazine where a poll they did said that 66% of Americans want the federal government to write a law controling how much fatty foods we can eat.

America gets the government the people want.  When the libs took over the schools, that was the beginning of the end.....

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Yeah.  And the topper today was in Parade Magazine where a poll they did said that 66% of Americans want the federal government to write a law controling how much fatty foods we can eat.

America gets the government the people want.  When the libs took over the schools, that was the beginning of the end.....

Ya can't argue with that.

[Fjolnirsson]

Yeah.  And the topper today was in Parade Magazine where a poll they did said that 66% of Americans want the federal government to write a law controling how much fatty foods we can eat.

America gets the government the people want.  When the libs took over the schools, that was the beginning of the end.....

Why aren't we taking the schools back?

[Perd Hapley]

Got a plan?

There are a few obvious ways I can think of to "take the schools back."  Some people are doing so. 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Why aren't we taking the schools back?

We are.  We're trying, at least.  There are various school choice strategies being implemented all over the county, things like charter schools and magnet schools.  We're also trying to make vouchers possible, so that people are free to choose homeschooling, parochial schools, private schools and the like without suffering a financial penalty.  Even in the public schools we're trying to push curricula that present multiple viewpoints, to help students to realize that they must think for themselves and form their own opinions.

There are lots of alternatives to the usual government monopoly on schooling.  I think we'd all welcome any discussion or new ideas on that front.  Just watch out for those certain peeps that always fly off the handle whenever the possibility of religion enters into the equation.

[Perd Hapley]

I was thinking mainly of going to school board meetings, running for the school board or becoming a teacher.  And as you say, HTG, this is just another area where the anti-left wing is divided.  A lot of the people that are doing the above will be reviled and resisted by the other half, over religious issues, sex education, whether schools should have gay/straight alliance groups, etc. 

But mainly, I wondered if Fjolnirsson was inviting us to join him in his own education reform activities, or whether he was just grousing. 

FWIW, I'm not doing anything about the issue, myself. 

[MicroBalrog]

A lot of the people that are doing the above will be reviled and resisted by the other half, over religious issues, sex education, whether schools should have gay/straight alliance groups, etc.

School vouchers (or outright privatization of schooling) should resolve it all.

If you want to homeschool your child and bring him up on the values of loving Mother Gaia and Bambi and being a good little multiculturalist, more power to you.

If you want to send your child to Survivalist High where IDPA is the high-school sport and picking out your retreat is a topic in Geography, more power to you. I'm perfectly willing to give you tax cuts or vouchers to do that.

Just as long that you don't do something outright abusive or try to impose your version of schooling on my child.

[MechAg94]

We can probably start by eliminating every single scrap of Federal regulation, law, and funding related to K thru 12 education.  Get rid of it completely.  I would almost be in favor of getting rid of all state regulations and pushing everything back to the local level as well, but we can debate that. 

A voucher system is likely easier though. 

[grampster]

I'm helping a friend run for state office, Michigan House of Reps.  Election will be fall of 2010.

In Michigan, the state controls the purse strings and the curriculum.  One of our primary goals if he gets elected is to try to establish the notion that school curriculum should be set by local school boards, parents, administrators and local teachers, not the state or the feds. 

My friend is a conservative Republican as am I.  We believe that by pushing this agenda, it will be teacher friendly, administrator friendly and it might get support from normaly democrat voters.  It also does not create another level of bureaucracy.  Vouchers and what not, while perhaps good ideas have two faults:  It threatens teachers and it creates another infrastructure.  What if we can positively change how we educate kids and have the educational people not be obstructionists?

It's what kids are taught and how they are taught that is important.  We ask the question:  Who knows better what to teach your kids, a bureaucrat in the state capital or you and your friends and neighbors in the local community? 

[Balog]

We need to threaten some teachers gramps.The NEA is almost as big a racket as the UAW.

[ilbob]

I'm helping a friend run for state office, Michigan House of Reps.  Election will be fall of 2010.

In Michigan, the state controls the purse strings and the curriculum.  One of our primary goals if he gets elected is to try to establish the notion that school curriculum should be set by local school boards, parents, administrators and local teachers, not the state or the feds. 

My friend is a conservative Republican as am I.  We believe that by pushing this agenda, it will be teacher friendly, administrator friendly and it might get support from normaly democrat voters.  It also does not create another level of bureaucracy.  Vouchers and what not, while perhaps good ideas have two faults:  It threatens teachers and it creates another infrastructure.  What if we can positively change how we educate kids and have the educational people not be obstructionists?

It's what kids are taught and how they are taught that is important.  We ask the question:  Who knows better what to teach your kids, a bureaucrat in the state capital or you and your friends and neighbors in the local community? 

I think it is best if the state stays out of the curriculum decisions altogether. I do think it is appropriate for the state to require standardized testing to see if the local school districts are actually succeeding in educating their students.

[Fjolnirsson]

I was thinking mainly of going to school board meetings, running for the school board or becoming a teacher.  And as you say, HTG, this is just another area where the anti-left wing is divided.  A lot of the people that are doing the above will be reviled and resisted by the other half, over religious issues, sex education, whether schools should have gay/straight alliance groups, etc. 

But mainly, I wondered if Fjolnirsson was inviting us to join him in his own education reform activities, or whether he was just grousing. 

FWIW, I'm not doing anything about the issue, myself. 

Well, a little bit of grousing, a little bit of inviting, really.

Suggestions? My blog, from last week...
http://asphyxiatedemancipation.blogspot.com/2009/03/where-do-we-begin.html

Sunday, March 1, 2009
Where do we begin?
I've mentioned before the role of education in the saving of our Republic, and I think we all recognize, at some level, that we must reclaim education if we are to reclaim our country. Where do we start, though? Do we abandon our current careers, go back to school for teaching certificates, and spend 20 years trying to teach the next generation self-reliance?

I don't think so. Certainly, for young people, that might be a viable option, and it is an admirable one. However, we need action that produces faster results than that. To that end, I have suggestions...

Make a new shooter. Find a friend, family member or co-worker who is not a gun-owner, and work to make them one. It has been written that power comes from the barrel of a gun. Well, so can freedom. My own political rebirth and journey toward freedom began with shooting. As a new shooter learns more about guns, he/she learns about the absurd patchwork of laws governing them. Guns breed a desire for freedom, and that is your ally.

Subvert the work your local school district has done. When a young person in your life begins spouting the nonsense which passes for truth these days, correct them. Not with condescension or snotty remarks, but firmly, and provide sources they can check for themselves. When they learn they've been lied to about one thing, it will make them look more critically at other information. Failure to teach critical thinking has been the oppositions greatest success.

Above all, homeschool your own children. It isn't as hard as you might think. If you never allow the rot to gain a foothold, you don't need to dig it out of their brains.

It will take dedication, perseverance and a lot of patience, but freedom can be brought back to this nation.



I think there are a number of ways to have an effect, outside of simply infiltrating the schools as teachers. Certainly, that needs to be done, but here and now is where we can really make a difference. It's all to easy to write someone off as a nutcase on the internet, hit the ignore button, or whatever. It is more difficult face to face. In particular, when someone thinks of you as a rational, intelligent person, it's more difficult to call you an evil, greedy Rush supporter. Not to say it won't be done. my point is this:Engage people. Don't allow ignorance to be passed as gospel. Research your information, know the answers to the questions people are going to ask, and be an educator in your everday life. Particularly with young people, and most especially with the ones who look up to you.

Just to clarify, I don't mean preach to people about your particular brand of theology. I don't mean to tell them how the black helicopters are coming, or how they should store food for the collapse of society. That will shut people down fast, make them ignore you. I am not talking about left or right or libertarian here. I am talking about the dissemination of truth. Give young people the tools to think on their own. I can tell you from my experience with public school, they are not teaching critical thinking skills(IMO, on purpose). Start with the small stuff. Build. Guide. Be a mentor.

[coppertales]

The school situation has not changed one iota since I went back in the 50s.  Every election cycle you hear politicians singing the blues about how bad the schools are, the closing college door, etc,,,,,,and nothing gets done.  The current generation wants the schools to be their nanny and raise their kids for them.  I ref sporting events on the high school level and the extravigance of these schools is beyond belief.  Talk about super money pits.  Then you have the inner city schools run by dimocrat politicians and school boards that let the whole system go down the toilet.  It is discusting.  I really and truly believe the majority of the people in this country want this country to be socialists,so they can live on the government teat and not have to do anything for themselves.  chris3

[wacki]

America gets the government the people want.  When the libs took over the schools, that was the beginning of the end.....

FYI:  In the 60's Science  (the top scientific journal) polled academia.  Conservatives dominated the hard sciences (engineering, chemistry etc) while liberals dominated the fuffy stuff like art, english, etc.

[MicroBalrog]

The people's view of their own culture and history is what determines its future. The humanities are important.

Leftists have taken over the humanitarian faculties and shaped the way Western civilization views itself. This is why they are now virtually unchallenged in their key positions.