In 24 hours...

[Ron Munson]

Public education is terrible because of what they don't put into it... Go look at other countries that have surpassed the United States in almost every ACCOUNTABILITY measures there are. Teachers are paid better, more money is funneled into students and there is a general appreciation for public education.

We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, some studies have us lower, but always in the top 5. The countries that are near us are countries like Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg....countries where there is essentially only one demographic.

While we don't spend as much on teacher salaries as some countries, we are still above average from compared to all developed countries.

The problem isn't teacher salaries and it isn't funding. I don't know what it is, although a lot of it is just poverty...but you can't say that. Blaming low salaries is always a better talking point that gets votes. Almost all of these poor performing schools are in inner cities and some rural areas.

School choice and tying teacher salaries performance are steps in the right direction. But as long as teacher unions use politicians as puppets, it isn't going to happen.

 

[ChicagoTiger85]

When you don't fill out an ethics forms (something that was a must during Obama hearings of nominees) and refuse to take a hard stance against for profit scam Universities (like the one the pres-elect was a part of of), then you bring it on yourself. When you say you won't enforce IDEA, which will screw disabled children and their families across the country--you bring it on yourself. When you aren't going to do a thing about student loans, a huge issue in the campaigns--you bring it on yourself.

Yeah, the ethics thing is false. She filed the required forms, but the Office of Government Ethics simply hadn't processed them in time for the hearing. It was their delay, not DeVos's.

I don't know enough about what she said about for-profit schools and IDEA to comment in detail, but my guess would be that her answers largely had to do with her belief that the federal government shouldn't be as involved as it has become in making decisions for localities, and that it would be a mistake to paint all for-profit schools with the same brush.

 

[Ron Munson]

Trump hasn't payed taxes in 18 years.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Also, it is not proven he hasn't paid taxes. And you need to be more specific. He has certainly paid payroll and property taxes.

Don't blame Trump, blame horrible politicians in Washington (republicans and democrats), for creating the tax system we have.

 

[iceheart08]

DeVos is one of the better cabinet appointments he made, in my opinion.

You can't possibly be serious.

 

[iceheart08]

In what way? I mean her work in Detroit is middle of the road at best. She has little substantive experience.

She's a reformer; but the contradiction is hilarious. "We don't want common core because we don't need some federal buereacrat telling how to teach our kids!" But "we need a reformer as DOE sec. so she can reform things from as that federal bureaucrat!"

The Liberal wing of the Democratic Party is a hilarious bit of hypocrisy but dang the republicans aren't far behind when they're in power.

Also, like to point this out, common core is not a federal program and forcing states to withdraw would be a direct contradiction of Republican values.

 

[scartiger]

Maybe you can explain how great our public schools are now?

Public education is terrible right now. It can't get much worse. The federal government needs to stay out of it. No child left behind, common core and every other federal program have all failed.

But keep on with your generalities and baseless personal attacks.

As Obama said 4 years ago, the election is over. Trump won, now move on a clean the sand out of your vaginas.

Whoever came up with common core needs to be hog tied and burn at the stake.

 

[ladedade]

Yeah, the ethics thing is false. She filed the required forms, but the Office of Government Ethics simply hadn't processed them in time for the hearing. It was their delay, not DeVos's.

I don't know enough about what she said about for-profit schools and IDEA to comment in detail, but my guess would be that her answers largely had to do with her belief that the federal government shouldn't be as involved as it has become in making decisions for localities, and that it would be a mistake to paint all for-profit schools with the same brush.

Teacher unions bad!

 

[ladedade]

Whoever came up with common core needs to be hog tied and burn at the stake.

Seems a little harsh

 

[Sobchak Security]

Not really. Everyone has seen the statistics as to how we rate internationally in education.

Most everyone can agree no child left behind has been a failure, and Bush should have never signed it into law.

The Dept of Education began in 1980. Schools obviously did fine without out.

Based on many of the things I've read of yours, we probably aren't going to agree on the proper role of the federal government, and that's okay. The only thing I would have to disagree with in the original post of yours I was responding to is the characterization of Common Core as a "federal program," which it is not. The creation of the Common Core standards were funded by private donors as well as state governments, not the Feds, and Common Core standards are not federally mandated. You may regard that as a difference in semantics, but it's really not. Common Core is an effort to increase educational standards to compete internationally like you were saying earlier, but it's rustled conservative jimmies considerably in its efforts to do that.

 

[iceheart08]

We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, some studies have us lower, but always in the top 5. The countries that are near us are countries like Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg....countries where there is essentially only one demographic.

While we don't spend as much on teacher salaries as some countries, we are still above average from compared to all developed countries.

The problem isn't teacher salaries and it isn't funding. I don't know what it is, although a lot of it is just poverty...but you can't say that. Blaming low salaries is always a better talking point that gets votes. Almost all of these poor performing schools are in inner cities and some rural areas.

School choice and tying teacher salaries performance are steps in the right direction. But as long as teacher unions use politicians as puppets, it isn't going to happen.

Ron, fyi, common core is not a federal program or mandate.

 

[CU Alumnus]

Blows my mind why people are so excited over someone with zero government experience whatsoever

Because the ones with government experience keep mucking it up.

<<<<was a VERY reluctant Trump voter. Picked the cleanest turd. Which IMO is what most people did - regardless of who they voted for.

It's ok to have zero experience and be president, but tell the people of TI that our d line coach may have no experience and watch out.

Well, most of us are more worried about our D-line than the presidency I guess.

 

[ladedade]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/us/politics/rick-perry-energy-secretary-donald-trump.html?_r=0

If MAGA is Trump appointing all these billionaire "leaders" to positions they have absolutely zero knowledge about, then he is batting 1.000%. Rick Perry accepted the position of Energy Secretary and actually thought that his job would consist of promoting the oil industry. His job as Energy Secretary, if confirmed, would be to manage and keep safe the Nation's NUCLEAR stockpile and create nuclear policy. The nominee for Secretary of Education admitted she has never attended a public school in her life, nor has any of her kids, but lucky for us, SOME people she knows (I assume her maids and employees, since she is also a billionaire) have had kids in public schools . God Help Us!

I guess Dabo needs to hire a new D-Line coach that not only doesn't have any experience coaching Defensive Lineman, but someone that has never coached football in order to Make Clemson Great Again. The TI/Yahoo servers would crash. This is a new era where supposedly outsiders with no experience is great for our country in MAGA.

MAGA means telling the actual Nuclear Physicist in charge of our nuclear stockpile "you're fired" and replacing with a guy who not only graduated Texas A&M with a 2.2 GPA in Animal Science, but during said college career received a C in Gym class. He also got a D in a class called "Meats". What could go wrong?

 

[Death-ValleyTiger]

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Also, it is not proven he hasn't paid taxes. And you need to be more specific. He has certainly paid payroll and property taxes.

Don't blame Trump, blame horrible politicians in Washington (republicans and democrats), for creating the tax system we have.

Agreed, there is a difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance because the law allows it.

 

[tiger orange]

MAGA means telling the actual Nuclear Physicist in charge of our nuclear stockpile "you're fired" and replacing with a guy who not only graduated Texas A&M with a 2.2 GPA in Animal Science, but during said college career received a C in Gym class. He also got a D in a class called "Meats". What could go wrong?

 

[Death-ValleyTiger]

Whoever came up with common core needs to be hog tied and burn at the stake.

My kids experience with common core: Teachers are forced to teach so students can pass an end of year test. Teaching to one individual test is never a good thing. It lowers the overall learning experience.

 

[m_l_murphy]

8 years ago this country elected a community organizer with a sum total of 4 years experience in government, but he had the support of the news media & the establishment of the democratic party. He represented exactly 0.0% of my views. I was told by the media & his supporters that, if I disagreed with him, it was because I was a racist. I was also told by his supporters & the media that "He won, get over it".

4 years ago, that same community organizer, with a sum total of 8 years experience in government, who represented 0.0% of my views, was elected again. Once again, I was told by the media & his supporters that, if I disagreed with him, it was because I was a racist. Once again, I was told by his supporters & the media that "He won, get over it".

Last year, 2 candidates were campaigning for the office of President of the United States. One of them represented 0.0% of my views, was supported by the news media & the establishment of the democratic party, was a career politician as well as a documented liar, was proven to have been an influence peddler while in positions of authority, but was presented as someone that was more qualified to be POTUS. If I disagreed with her, I was told by the candidate herself & by the media that I was a deplorable misogynist sexist xenophobe.

Her opponent was a very successful business leader who was presented by the media as a scoundrel that wasn't qualified to be president, because he had no government experience. While don't necessarily like this person, he did represent 90% of my views &, while shown to be a arrogant a$$hole, he wasn't a documented liar & he wasn't a proven influence peddler. In my view, he would take the country in the direction I prefer that it go. As a result, I have been told by his opponent's supporters that I am an insensitive a$$hole who should be killed.

At what point can anyone that didn't vote for Trump accept what we were told twice in the last 8 years..."Get over it, he won" without wishing death on those who disagree with them?

 

[Poker_Tiger]

Fart.

 

[tiger orange]

For tomorrow

 

[Ron Munson]

And let me say for the record....I am not sure why Trump pick Devos. most of his picks are fairly reasonable, assuming you understand he is a conservative.

But she seemed clueless during her confirmation, almost like she is in way over her head. I don't she how she gets confirmed.

But like I said, the DOE is a bureaucracy and needs to be done away with anyways.

 

[ladedade]

Seems like a smart guy. Remember when his solution to the drought in Texas was to pray for rain?

 

[Tiger1425]

Do you really believe he can be much worse than what's been there the past 8 years?

Yes, I certainly do. Much worse.

 

[iceheart08]

It hard to believe just how bad some things are; few Americans really have a clue.

My older brother was talking to a guy at one of the military bases in the Low Country (not Shaw, don't remember which), but he had exact numbers on the following:
Of all the FA 18s on this particular base, over 80% of them are stuck on the ground because they have no budget to buy parts and keep them in the air.

Our POTUS KNOWS this, and has done it ON PURPOSE!
Anyone who defends that man either has NO CLUE, or hates America. And there are a lot of both.

You know, the radical left are a strange breed.
A couple of months ago, I was talking to this woman I met on a dating site, and I knew she was somewhat liberal.
So we start talking politics, and I tell her that I think that we need to protect our borders.
The next thing I know, she's literally SCREAMING at me that THERE ARE NO BORDERS.
I responded, "Well, I've done a fair about of traveling around the world, and I can assure you that every country I've ever visited, they control their borders."
Again, SCREAMING at me that there are no borders!
OK.
Next thing she asks me: "Are you aware what we did to the Native Americans?"
Sure, I tell her. They were done wrong, no doubt. And then I ask her, "Are you aware that the Native Americans THEMSELVES took the land from a previous race, who they evidently eliminated?"
Crickets.
And are you aware that every culture on the face of the earth has, at one time or another, over run neighboring cultures and taken land and resources?
Crickets.

They are taught to HATE America, that we must commit political suicide of our country due to our own sense of guilt.

Crazy. Just CRAZY.

I bet the native Americans were even appreciative. Amirite? I bet there are some letters from native Americans in a library somewhere that you can go read and report back to us on.

 

[wta21080]

Yes, I certainly do. Much worse.

Wow! I can't even imagine.....that you or anyone else could believe that.

 

[iceheart08]

you do know that Obama was a community organizer, right? did that make him qualified?

Solid post. That was the only thing he ever did in life.

 

[jacket710]

And let me say for the record....I am not sure why Trump pick Devos. most of his picks are fairly reasonable, assuming you understand he is a conservative.

But she seemed clueless during her confirmation, almost like she is in way over her head. I don't she how she gets confirmed.

But like I said, the DOE is a bureaucracy and needs to be done away with anyways.

Ron, this woman is not right for public education, regardless of what you believe is a federal program or not. I would be fine with the states handling education for the most part but there needs to be federal guidance in some areas like special needs. I am a public educator and taking funding and giving it to private schools and charter schools only makes it worse.

 

[Solid Orange Blood]

The two most important civil servants in our society, teachers and police officers, are VASTLY underpaid; consequently, the results show it.

 

[iceheart08]

Rick Perry, Ben Carson and Betsy devos are absolutely disastrous choices to run federal agencies. You can't disagree with that stance and claim to be reasonable.

For instance, Rex tillerson: am I worried that he's going to use his position to benefit ExxonMobil, yes. Do I think he is an incredibly talented and intelligent human being who makes reasoned decisions, yes.

 

[Ron Munson]

Ron, this woman is not right for public education, regardless of what you believe is a federal program or not. I would be fine with the states handling education for the most part but there needs to be federal guidance in some areas like special needs. I am a public educator and taking funding and giving it to private schools and charter schools only makes it worse.

I don't see how she is going to get confirmed though. You would think all democrats would go against her, as well as a few republicans. I did not follow her confirmation hearing, but I went back through and read the transcript, and she sounds like an idiot. And I don't mean that in the way people throw that word around to describe people who they don't agree with...I mean she sounds like an idiot. The exchange with Franken, Tim Kaine and the whole grizzly bear thing was very strange.

My guess is she is the 1 pick where Trump has to go find someone else.

 

[Transference]

8 years ago this country elected a community organizer with a sum total of 4 years experience in government, but he had the support of the news media & the establishment of the democratic party. He represented exactly 0.0% of my views. I was told by the media & his supporters that, if I disagreed with him, it was because I was a racist. I was also told by his supporters & the media that "He won, get over it".

4 years ago, that same community organizer, with a sum total of 8 years experience in government, who represented 0.0% of my views, was elected again. Once again, I was told by the media & his supporters that, if I disagreed with him, it was because I was a racist. Once again, I was told by his supporters & the media that "He won, get over it".

Last year, 2 candidates were campaigning for the office of President of the United States. One of them represented 0.0% of my views, was supported by the news media & the establishment of the democratic party, was a career politician as well as a documented liar, was proven to have been an influence peddler while in positions of authority, but was presented as someone that was more qualified to be POTUS. If I disagreed with her, I was told by the candidate herself & by the media that I was a deplorable misogynist sexist xenophobe.

Her opponent was a very successful business leader who was presented by the media as a scoundrel that wasn't qualified to be president, because he had no government experience. While don't necessarily like this person, he did represent 90% of my views &, while shown to be a arrogant a$$hole, he wasn't a documented liar & he wasn't a proven influence peddler. In my view, he would take the country in the direction I prefer that it go. As a result, I have been told by his opponent's supporters that I am an insensitive a$$hole who should be killed.

At what point can anyone that didn't vote for Trump accept what we were told twice in the last 8 years..."Get over it, he won" without wishing death on those who disagree with them?

If Trump represents 90% of your views then Obama represented at least 50%. You are underselling yourself here...

 

[clemsonalex]

Solid post. That was the only thing he ever did in life.

Right back at you, boy. I expect you'll lecture us on Soetor, er, I mean Obama's wanderlust mother that dragged him all over the globe and how Bill Ayers took him under his wing. Get out of here with that BS. Elections have consequences, remember?

 

[Ron Munson]

Rick Perry and Betsy devos are absolutely disastrous choices to run federal agencies. You can't disagree with that stance and claim to be reasonable.

For instance, Rex tillerson: am I worried that he's going to use his position to benefit ExxonMobil, yes. Do I think he is an incredibly talented and intelligent human being who makes reasoned decisions, yes.

I actually agree with you. Rick Perry was a head scratcher. I dont know if he gets confirmed either. And I am a conservative.

 

[ChicagoTiger85]

Teacher unions bad!

I think public unions are inherently corrupt, but the main problem with teachers unions is that they represent the largest obstacle to any kind of educational reform that would diminish their power. I think most educational labor leaders genuinely believe what they're doing is about improving education, but too many of their actions appear to be less about improving things for students than they are about making life more comfortable for teachers. I do recognize that there are people of good will on the other side of this issue, but it seems to me that teachers unions promote a mindset that delegitimizes anybody who's outside of their establishment (and outside of it because they disagree with the ideology of the unions to begin with).

 

[CUTiger81]

 

[clemsonpaw00]

That is why he got elected....he isn't a career government employee.

Once you get older, start working and paying taxes, and see how the federal government works, you will understand.

lol. this sort of token condescension never fails to make me laugh.

 

[ladedade]

I think public unions are inherently corrupt, but the main problem with teachers unions is that they represent the largest obstacle to any kind of educational reform that would diminish their power. I think most educational labor leaders genuinely believe what they're doing is about improving education, but too many of their actions appear to be less about improving things than they are about making life more comfortable for teachers. I do recognize that there are people of good will on the other side of this issue, but it seems to me that teachers unions promote a mindset that delegitimizes anybody who's outside of their establishment (and outside of it because they disagree with the ideology of the unions to begin with).

Unions are a business - their business is growing membership and collecting more dues. It's usually the end user (students, customers, etc) that suffer.

 

[clemsonpaw00]

^guy who likely voted based on his favorite Facebook memes

 

[johnhugh]

I am nervous because he seems so easily provoked but can someone please list Barack Obama's experience and accomplishments prior to him being elected?

Call me crazy but I believe he was a senator, that's just me though.

That is exactly why people are excited. Somebody who has actually been successful in the private sector without having their hands in the government coffers. You will understand when you get out into the real world. Most of what the liberal college professors spew is pure BS.

Funny how the most educated persons on a university campus lean left. Certainly an anomaly

Maybe you should sit this one, go play with the kids

 

[CUTiger81]

^guy who likely voted based on his favorite Facebook memes

Really not sure if I could make it through the day without my dose of Facebook memes and liberal tears on the rocks. Guilty as charged.

 

[ChicagoTiger85]

Which says how awful the other ones are as well.

Actually, no. Most of them are really good. A couple weren't.

 

[Cavitybacks]

My kids experience with common core: Teachers are forced to teach so students can pass an end of year test. Teaching to one individual test is never a good thing. It lowers the overall learning experience.

Teachers have taught to the end of year test for like 20 years. Most years it has always been a state test. It's called like SCPASS.