Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Response to Danny about, "Waiting for Superman" film.
Welcome back Danny, as always I look forward to your responses. First, yes, I have seen the movie and to put it mildly I was pissed off. On February 26th I posted a blog, "I am pissed off, but why aren't you". This was in response to watching, "Waiting for Superman". So let's get started with my response to your questions. You miss a very important point that I have made several times. You tend to discuss the Federal Government as if it were an entity of it's own. It is not. We, the people, are the Government and we have done a terrible job at making it what it should be. We have made a complete mess out of education, by keeping it a political football, to be passed around and no one taking responsibility. The state and local governments should make the bottom line decisions, but again we have to be involved. The Federal government helps by providing money and setting standards. Again we are sitting back and allowing these choices to be made, without our input. So to summarize, yes we need federal involvement to hold state and local government accountable. Now as far as our felon governor. Rick Scott brought in Michele Rhee, as an advisor only. Her time was brief and was for the transition period only. Ms. Rhee is very polarizing and I am still looking at some of the results that she claims, to have had in D.C. schools. I believe she has some ideas that can be implemented, but she also has some that I disagree with. The merit pay system, I do support and teachers that do not do their jobs should be out of work. There are cases that the unions have overreached and need to be pulled back. Tenure is one of them. Great and good teachers deserve job security and in a state such as Florida, with it's ridiculous "Right to Work Laws," they, like all of us have none, without some union support. I believe instead of taking away unions from teachers, we need to have unions for many more of the workers in Florida and the country. You state unions are in our children's education. Not entirely correct. Yes, the unions, as stated above have gone too far in some areas, so why don't we change that area and keep the good part of the unions, like collective bargaining, job security for the good teachers, good benefits and pay and a voice to support the teachers in areas that matter to them and the children they educate. I happen to believe, and I can hear your blood pressure rising, Danny, that teachers along with every American deserves to be compensated fairly for their hard work and excellence. If that means a pay increase then let's reward them. I believe, and now your eyes are bulging out, that teachers and the average American worker should be able to work one job and support themselves and their families. Danny I believe that you want, exactly what I want. An excellent, world class education for all of our children. We all have to be involved. Whether it is the parents, grandparents, the corporate community, the general community and most importantly our great teachers and educators, we have to all be there. We have to make education the number one priority in our country and we need to support it financially. We can not continue to pay three to five times more for prisoners, then we do our children. We need to take the parts that work and keep them and take the parts that do not work and throw them out. We do not need the fictional Superman to rescue our education system, we need the everyday Super People that make up our country to get involved and make us the most highly educated people in the world. Together we all become Super!
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cant wait to respond but my girlfriend will kill me if she does not get some "quality time". :)
ReplyDeleteMost of what I will say here are the basics in thought and understanding that divide us. What I think is funny is that Im divided from those awesome republicans on most of this too. That makes me feel good inside. :)
ReplyDeleteI know there are different schools of thought on this so I will not say it definitively however I will say that my understanding and belief is that there are three (3) very distinct entities "created" by our constitution.
1.The People
2.The States
3.The United States (Federal Government)
This is my understanding and how I break down the level of involvement as well as the "delegated" responsibilities of the three.
You are correct that "we the people" should be in control. This is were I see the problem happening, and education is a good example. I believe very strongly that there is a reason that none of these DOMESTIC issues were given to the 3erd entity in our constitution. Because, we can not be in control as "the people" at such a distance, and when the federal entity is at such a size. The documentary made perfect note of this when it talked about Federal, State, County, and city regulations all trying to oversee our school system at once.
I find it strange (but typical) that you stand up and say that we the people have not done our job...but instead of dealing with the idea that the Federal Government just shouldn't be involved... we passively say "they provide money and set standards". Why? Why in a million years do we need a president or a congressman setting standards or even thinking about the education of individuals in different states.
You call it a political football. I believe you are correct... anytime there is money to be allocated, and you can pit rich against poor and black against white you will see the political hook and ladder. This is the exact reason why I argue that the Federal Government should not be involved in these matters. WE THE PEOPLE have a much more direct line to our LOCAL AND STATE representatives. WE THE PEOPLE can most efficiently run our SOVEREIGN STATE.
I believe if we could all name our local rep, and county commissioners, and they alone were in charge of what was going on... THEN WE MAY START TO HAVE A SAY. But all we hear about is how the Federal government has screwed up, or "what is Obama going to do about education"? At this point the local parent is truly not responsible nor do they have any power over the structure or curriculum of there child's government school.
This same argument can be applied to numerous issue. Keep them local and the people can rule. Give to the Federal government and it will become a mess, inefficient, costly, and a unattainable political football. (that's why they were never supposed to be involved)
I have stopped thinking that they need to get it right, and have come to the conclusion that they need to give it back!!!!!!!!! I do not expect the FED to get health care right, education right, energy right, or business right.
Have you ever travailed through the country and noticed how some states feel like a different country? How can you take local issues and pass federal regulations and expect them to make sense in farm states, hospitality states, manufacturing states, rural states, coastal states, mountain states, etc... This is the genius behind a democratic REPUBLIC!
Why do you think we "need a federal government to hold the state and local governments accountable"? This makes me want to scream.
ReplyDeleteTHAT IS WHAT YOU ARE FOR!!! Isn't that what you are saying? stand up, educate yourself, get involved, give an opinion...
John we DO NOT need the federal governments to hold our state and county's accountable on education. We need to hold them accountable, and we will never do that as long as we believe it is the federal governments responsibility!
In regards the the Michiele Rhee talk. I was wanting to point out that you are looking to see what "results" she has really done for DC... when what I was noting is that the Unions did not allow for even a vote on the Merit Pay issue. IF you feel that merit pay could have promising results, does this not bother you that the Teachers Unions whom love our children so much allow for this lack of change, and those awesome "rubber rooms".
Can you please elaborate on how having more unions in Florida will somehow fix where unions have ended up?
finally, my blood pressure rose "0" in regards to teachers deserving a good wage etc... I would pay teachers and cops, and firefighters 100K a year if possible. That dose not make me mad at all. I believe the merit pay system that the DC unions shut down was going to allow for 6 figure teacher salaries.
I woudl be many more times willing to pay taxes, and even higher taxes if I knwo that they were not going to be sent up the Potomac to be squandered in the name of my childs education. If this issue was kept where it should be I think you would once again see a major change in the way people interacted in their community, with their schools, politicians, family and with their children. FOR THE BETTER!