Comments on: Kansas school spending advocates: no alternative views welcome

By: kimpot54

kimpot54 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:50:21 +0000

Public education has been on a suicide mission for decades. You can badmouth those of us who have alternative ideas all you want, but it won’t make public schools any better–and neither will more money. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Teachers are our best resource for what’s happening in our schools. Unfortunately, most of them want to keep their jobs, so they remain silent about the lack of decent standards for all students. Public ed officials bad mouth the disproportionate number of poor students they must “educate” and blame them and their bad parents for low test scores. And knowing what I know, because of having teachers in my family, much of the problem with test scores today IS because of students whose families do not value education. However, as is pervasive throughout our country, schools refuse to judge these people who don’t value education. No, they coddle them. The public ed culture says that if you’re poor, it’s ok to lower standards for you, which lowers standards for everyone. Tax credits and/or vouchers WILL happen. It’s only a matter of time. The entrenched bureaucracy can scream for more $ “for the children” all they want. But it’s becoming increasingly clear to educated people that these bureaucrats are much more concerned about their own paychecks than educating children.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:19:55 +0000

I wonder why people object to the term government schools?

Also, most private schools operate on a budget that’s much smaller than government schools do, when thinking of spending per student.

Why the vitriol for just pointing out a few facts?

By: SpentPenny (retired copper)

SpentPenny (retired copper) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:02:17 +0000

Anonymous @4:37 wrote: “I believe I did identify myself as a conservative republican”

Well, I could identify myself as a race car driver, too, but that wouldn’t mean I am one. You have completely misunderstood (or misrepresented) Reaganism.

By: Anonymous @ 4:37

Anonymous @ 4:37 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:35:10 +0000

I believe I did identify myself as a conservative republican. Government schools, hardly get a grip. Let me guess you judge government schools because your kids are sent to a private school that is sooooo much better. Let me ask you. How much did that private school education cost for you or your kids? Probably a heck of alot more than what we pay for “gov ment” schools. I may be conservative and a true republican but at least I can see the other side and realize that not all students have a “suga” daddy to pay for private education or happen to live in “wichita”. Adolf Eichmann I am not, but it sure takes one to know one so that makes the Lib’s (libertarians, disguised as republicans) just like their liberal enemies. Can’t stand to have have someone else have a different viewpoint. I am a veteran that served honorably a country that allow “pukes” like the second anonymous and the author of this article to have the ludricous opinions. What happened to the America that I grew up in and the conservative Republicanism that Reagan believed in. Not this cut cut cut so I can keep more of my selfish motives and yes cut cut cut some more. That is not conservatism that’s lunacy

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:52:48 +0000

Since you didn’t identify yourself, “Anonymous,” how could you be labeled a leftist by this organization? And if you’ll read carefully, it was a blog, not a person, that was referred to as leftist.

Like Wichitator said earlier in a comment, the arguments of the public school spending advocates are feeble, and their vitriol when called out on it is sad. It seems they can only respond by hurling insults or focusing on trivialities by who someone works for.

By the way, you really mean that you support “government schools,” don’t you?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:37:32 +0000

Voice for Liberty. I doubt it! Although I do agree with T’s comment on the NEA. As a conservative Republican I find it incredulous that I am being labeled a leftist by this organization because I support schools.

Walt Chappel is ignorant and has no place to be where he is at.

Corkins couldn’t destroy the Department of Education as commissioner so he will do it from within the legislature by lobbying. How transparant is he, in that he hesitates to identify the group that he represents. CLEAR needs to be disbanded.
Sounds like we are back to the old Watergate days. Nixon did our party a disservice by that brand of politics and Reagan brought us back from the brink. Reagan would have never stood for the type of bullying that goes into the brand of conservatism that has unweilded itself in the form of Kansas government. If you wish to be conservative or libertarian why don’t you try living that way day in and day out. What a bunch of idiots.

By: Wichitator

Wichitator — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:47:23 +0000

We can expect the government school establishment to continue to claim that “it is for the children.” This is the universal shield to count all of the accountability and performance issues with the Kansas government school structure. How sad.

When the left uses the “Eichmann” argument to exempt themselves from this issue, I am saddened to see how intellectually feeble spending advocates’ arguments have become. Pathetic ad hominem attacks like this are better left for the eagle’s call in line.

By: T

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:09:10 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqn1rvv7Fis

Outgoing NEA General Cousel Bob Chanin explains all..22:50 is priceless admission that the NEA is more concerned with collective bargaining and union power, than student performance and closing achievement gaps.