As I posted earlier, I felt that Tim Walberg’s “Discharge Petition” was going to be the opening volley in the House battle to get something done about rising fuel costs and other common sense solutions the Republicans have put forth to help solve other problems in education ect. The following link seems to bear this out. Even the mighty Ma Ha Rushie is on board. The link below is from the John Boehner web site. Put it in your favorites to help keep track of the coming battle.
-----link-----
http://republicanleader.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=93582
---------------
The Republicans in the Congress are finally getting mobilized, they are finally starting to offer solutions. If John McCain can quickly get behind some of these issues as a Senator and lead the fight then maybe the public will see that the Republicans are the party that has ACTUAL solutions to the problems of government. If they can get some of the legislation passed the public will see that the Republicans have solutions that work.
We as Republicans don’t have the luxury of just talking about change. We did once, then won the right to lead, then blew the chance. We lost the trust of the public which we had fought for so hard and for so long. We like any other person who wins the lottery let it go to our heads. We turned into what we were fighting. The people saw it and paid us back. We need to earn that trust back, which will be harder than just talking a good game. Harder than it was the first time. We are out of easy ways out. We have to walk the walk. We have to come up with common sense solutions then go to the wall for them even if we know it will be a losing battle. The public will gradually warm to us again it they see that the Republican party is made again of people of principle. For the party to do this the leadership will have to lead or get out of the way.
Below is a link to some specific positive solutions being put forth in the Education and Labor fields by Republicans.
-----link-----
http://republicans.edlabor.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=610
---------------
Ranking Republican member of the Education and labor Committee Howard P. “Buck” McKeon is doing his share.
------quote from above link-----
The reform principles outlined today build upon Republican efforts in recent years to promote education reform through accountability, flexibility, and parental choice. For instance, Rep. McKeon last year proposed legislation to give state and local officials even greater freedom than they already enjoy under the No Child Left Behind Act to spend federal dollars in the way that will best meet their students’ needs. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) has championed the Teacher Incentive Fund, which helps states establish innovative pay-for-performance systems that reward teachers for their success in the classroom. And Republicans are responsible for creation of the hugely popular D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which offers disadvantaged students in one of the nation’s most troubled school districts the opportunity to transfer to a private school.
----------------------------------
Noticed a name I’m becoming familiar with due to the Energy battle in the House, Tom Price (R. of Ga.) and his Teacher Incentive Fund.
-----link-----
http://republicans.edlabor.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=141
---------------
Notice too that we did get the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program passed and working and the public took notice. That is what I’m talking about. Putting forth good common sense solutions and going to the wall for them and eventually some of it goes through. Small victories maybe, but proof for a skeptical public to hang their hat on. This follows my idea of “MAKE DO, MAKE IT NOW, MAKE IT WORK, that I’ve posted before. Also the MacGyver idea of making something work with whatever we have at hand. Letting our ingenuity loose.
House Republican leader John Boehner’s web site has a lot of the plans that Republicans are starting to get behind.
-----link-----
http://republicanleader.house.gov/Blog/
---------------
Good beginning but as the quote I’ve learned from “Team Burton” says “So stick to the fight when hardest hit. It‘s when things go wrong that you mustn‘t quit.” From Dan Burton’s blog. He is the congressman from Indiana, a conservative leader in the House running again this year.
-----link-----
http://www.indianadan.com/DanStory---------------
Hopefully Boehner will stick to his guns and the conservatives like Burton, Price, Westmorland McKeon, and our own Tim Walberg and others will keep the heat up on the Democrats and perhaps gain a few victories along the way. The main thing is not to let the Dems scuttle our attempts with compromises that water down solutions. We must stick to the ideas that make us Republicans.
We’ll see. I’ll keep doing whatever I can think of to help.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
PS
Edit. Just got this off of Drudge.
-----link-----
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/house-dems-plan-new-energy-push-2008-06-15.html
---------------
Looks like the Dems are getting worried that we are taking away an important issue for the election. Now we have to be careful not to be cast as usual in bed with the oil companies. The Dems are very good at that. We must counter by holding firm on the Walberg “Discharge Petition” and keep pushing our agenda for real change and explain it to the public. Let Newt do it, Let Dan Burton, and Tim Walberg do it. Keep it simple, keep it focused on producing more to drive the cost down now. NOW.
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Academic Fraud
In the following link from the Mackinac Center the author shows how when there is a question of whether there was financial fraud in the Detroit Public Schools there was a remedy in the courts. The author wonders why when promises were made and not followed through with in the education of the students, that the academic fraud had no immediate remedy.
-----link-----
http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=3315
--------------
The article goes on to show one possible solution made by a local school board. My “bottom up” award to the Rockford school board, headed by Dr. Michael Shibler.
-----quote------
At least one Michigan school district is taking a new approach to address the problem of academic fraud. Over a decade ago, Rockford Public Schools in Kent County recognized the need to guarantee that its graduates possess basic skills. If a student does not attain a certain level of competency, the district provides, and pays for, remedial education. In this way, Rockford seeks to ensure its diplomas are representative of academic achievement. Dr. Michael Shibler, superintendent of Rockford, recently challenged all public school districts in Michigan to adopt similar accountability measures.
------------------
I googled Dr. Michael Shibler and found this interview of him. I found it instructive as to his management style. He basically listened to everyone to come up with the needs of the community. He calls the people stakeholders in the educational system. They will be the ones paying the taxes and are the ones who will be directly affected by the policies. Next he makes all the people responsible for the implementation accountable for it’s success by applying consistent metrics to measure those results, and importantly by holding public meetings on the progress or lack thereof. The article is long but worth the read. Not being familiar with the politics of how a school system operates, I learned quite a bit.
-----link-----
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:VByzav4-hcsJ:www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-17446933_ITM+Dr.+Michael+Shibler&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=35&gl=us
---------------
Kent county followed the lead of Dr. Shibler in 2006
------link-----
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:zmUS-QHLVCUJ:www.educationreport.org/7622+Dr.+Michael+Shibler&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=50&gl=us
----------------
I like his approach. I really like the idea of individual school trying their own ideas, of having the freedom to try what they think will work. The Mackinac Center’s study asked what was the way for students to get satisfaction when faced with academic fraud. I think that having the threat of charter schools will help give the necessary incentive to public schools to try and cure themselves. Perhaps along the lines of the methods above. I hope they can as I also believe in the economies of scale the large schools can give. I like the idea of giving as many options to students as possible. As Dr. Shibler relates, a large school can cull enough students interested in a small subject that a smaller school could not. Maybe a Chinese language class, an art class, or perhaps an involved tech type class. I don’t know the answer, I know what I want and it is nice to think that a Dr. Shibler might be out there willing to listen to what I want then have the chutzpa and integrity to carry it out.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
-----link-----
http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=3315
--------------
The article goes on to show one possible solution made by a local school board. My “bottom up” award to the Rockford school board, headed by Dr. Michael Shibler.
-----quote------
At least one Michigan school district is taking a new approach to address the problem of academic fraud. Over a decade ago, Rockford Public Schools in Kent County recognized the need to guarantee that its graduates possess basic skills. If a student does not attain a certain level of competency, the district provides, and pays for, remedial education. In this way, Rockford seeks to ensure its diplomas are representative of academic achievement. Dr. Michael Shibler, superintendent of Rockford, recently challenged all public school districts in Michigan to adopt similar accountability measures.
------------------
I googled Dr. Michael Shibler and found this interview of him. I found it instructive as to his management style. He basically listened to everyone to come up with the needs of the community. He calls the people stakeholders in the educational system. They will be the ones paying the taxes and are the ones who will be directly affected by the policies. Next he makes all the people responsible for the implementation accountable for it’s success by applying consistent metrics to measure those results, and importantly by holding public meetings on the progress or lack thereof. The article is long but worth the read. Not being familiar with the politics of how a school system operates, I learned quite a bit.
-----link-----
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:VByzav4-hcsJ:www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-17446933_ITM+Dr.+Michael+Shibler&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=35&gl=us
---------------
Kent county followed the lead of Dr. Shibler in 2006
------link-----
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:zmUS-QHLVCUJ:www.educationreport.org/7622+Dr.+Michael+Shibler&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=50&gl=us
----------------
I like his approach. I really like the idea of individual school trying their own ideas, of having the freedom to try what they think will work. The Mackinac Center’s study asked what was the way for students to get satisfaction when faced with academic fraud. I think that having the threat of charter schools will help give the necessary incentive to public schools to try and cure themselves. Perhaps along the lines of the methods above. I hope they can as I also believe in the economies of scale the large schools can give. I like the idea of giving as many options to students as possible. As Dr. Shibler relates, a large school can cull enough students interested in a small subject that a smaller school could not. Maybe a Chinese language class, an art class, or perhaps an involved tech type class. I don’t know the answer, I know what I want and it is nice to think that a Dr. Shibler might be out there willing to listen to what I want then have the chutzpa and integrity to carry it out.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
Friday, May 2, 2008
WHY DO WE NEED TO TAKE BACK EDUCATION?
WHY DO WE NEED TO TAKE BACK EDUCATION?
Below is a link to “Nick” from the Detroit News. Graphic example of what happens when you don’t follow the rules. The “rule of mouth” gets followed instead of the “Rule of law”. The point is that nothing gets accomplished. The efforts of all those people were thwarted by one ego-maniac.
-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/user/Nick/stories
--------------
Ms. Conyer’s unassailable ego jumps out during the next clip when she unsuccessfully tries to debate school kids. What a joke. Another example of “Unconstrained Vision” unleashed. What we need is an educational system that doesn’t pooh pooh out- bursts like that but rather shuns them. Holds them in contempt. Not elect them to office!!
-----I am proud of the advances civilization has made over the millennia. From savages to millions of people living together, and moving forward. This has been accomplished through continually teaching the youth what we have accomplished and demanding that they carry forward and build upon what our civilization has accomplished. We have done this through education based upon learning history and political science along with all the current skills in math and the sciences as the first step in progress. By basing our educational system on achievement. The USA has risen to world dominance through our leadership in that type of education. Our teachers were underpaid, and our schools were smaller, more functional. Those two things alone may have played a part in our attaining educational excellence. There was a lack of money. The school boards were forced to work harder to pick the very best teachers, and get rid of those who weren’t the best. They needed teachers that would make do with what they had, and not waste time complaining about what they didn’t have. Gradually that power was taken away from the school boards and put in the hands of others. Ever try to fire a teacher? I haven’t, but I fire plumbers, mechanics, and carpenters if they don’t perform.
-----I am not proposing that we go back to those “olden” days. We simply can’t and wishing won’t make it so. What I am saying is that we can go back to the main driving force behind that successful model.---- Give the power back to the local school boards. They have a better chance to pursue achievement based goals than the National Unionized Model which has failed miserably. I know if I was sitting on my school board, and had children in the system, I would be pretty eager to make sure they were being taught social survival skills necessary to get ahead in the real world. Not necessarily worried about hurting someone’s feelings.
-----Below is a link to one of a rare breed who is fighting an impossible task in the Detroit area. All the cards are stacked against him. But he fights on and fight he does. Stroll through his site, check out Genesis. This guy is trying.
-----link-----
http://whoisakindele.info/2008/05/detroit-needs-vouchers-right-here-right.html
--------------
-----A man not afraid to say what he thinks. Example below.
-----snippet-----
“We can do the same here in Detroit except we have ghetto standards for educating our children. We have a ghetto mayor, ghetto city council, ghetto school board, ghetto State Representatives and ghetto State Senators and a ghetto teacher union. We deserve better.”
------------------
I think I “Live Dangerously” in Muskegon because of my political views! I think it’s a walk in the park compared to being a Conservative in Detroit. I applaud Akindele F. Akinyemi for his courage and obvious abilities.
-----NOW WHAT CAN I DO????-----
<
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.
<
ps. I just found this excellent article by George Will.Below is a Link to George Will'x article about education. That guy can get the point across. States pretty much my ideas but clearer in conception.
-----link-----
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/04/sen_moynihan_the_neoconservati.html
---------------
Below is a link to “Nick” from the Detroit News. Graphic example of what happens when you don’t follow the rules. The “rule of mouth” gets followed instead of the “Rule of law”. The point is that nothing gets accomplished. The efforts of all those people were thwarted by one ego-maniac.
-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/user/Nick/stories
--------------
Ms. Conyer’s unassailable ego jumps out during the next clip when she unsuccessfully tries to debate school kids. What a joke. Another example of “Unconstrained Vision” unleashed. What we need is an educational system that doesn’t pooh pooh out- bursts like that but rather shuns them. Holds them in contempt. Not elect them to office!!
-----I am proud of the advances civilization has made over the millennia. From savages to millions of people living together, and moving forward. This has been accomplished through continually teaching the youth what we have accomplished and demanding that they carry forward and build upon what our civilization has accomplished. We have done this through education based upon learning history and political science along with all the current skills in math and the sciences as the first step in progress. By basing our educational system on achievement. The USA has risen to world dominance through our leadership in that type of education. Our teachers were underpaid, and our schools were smaller, more functional. Those two things alone may have played a part in our attaining educational excellence. There was a lack of money. The school boards were forced to work harder to pick the very best teachers, and get rid of those who weren’t the best. They needed teachers that would make do with what they had, and not waste time complaining about what they didn’t have. Gradually that power was taken away from the school boards and put in the hands of others. Ever try to fire a teacher? I haven’t, but I fire plumbers, mechanics, and carpenters if they don’t perform.
-----I am not proposing that we go back to those “olden” days. We simply can’t and wishing won’t make it so. What I am saying is that we can go back to the main driving force behind that successful model.---- Give the power back to the local school boards. They have a better chance to pursue achievement based goals than the National Unionized Model which has failed miserably. I know if I was sitting on my school board, and had children in the system, I would be pretty eager to make sure they were being taught social survival skills necessary to get ahead in the real world. Not necessarily worried about hurting someone’s feelings.
-----Below is a link to one of a rare breed who is fighting an impossible task in the Detroit area. All the cards are stacked against him. But he fights on and fight he does. Stroll through his site, check out Genesis. This guy is trying.
-----link-----
http://whoisakindele.info/2008/05/detroit-needs-vouchers-right-here-right.html
--------------
-----A man not afraid to say what he thinks. Example below.
-----snippet-----
“We can do the same here in Detroit except we have ghetto standards for educating our children. We have a ghetto mayor, ghetto city council, ghetto school board, ghetto State Representatives and ghetto State Senators and a ghetto teacher union. We deserve better.”
------------------
I think I “Live Dangerously” in Muskegon because of my political views! I think it’s a walk in the park compared to being a Conservative in Detroit. I applaud Akindele F. Akinyemi for his courage and obvious abilities.
-----NOW WHAT CAN I DO????-----
<
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.
<
ps. I just found this excellent article by George Will.Below is a Link to George Will'x article about education. That guy can get the point across. States pretty much my ideas but clearer in conception.
-----link-----
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/04/sen_moynihan_the_neoconservati.html
---------------
Saturday, April 19, 2008
THE GOVERNMENT STATE
THE GOVERNMENT STATE
Michigan and Detroit
A Case Study
--------- I would like to share some facts from a book I read called Real Change by Newt Gingrich about Michigan and Detroit. He has used Michigan and its political leadership as an example of the “impact of bad policies”. Detroit as an example of “bad outcome from bad policies”.
--------- He compares statistics between the Engler and the Granholm eras. Our bond rating of AAA the best there is was lost, hence more money needed to service the debt. “From 2000 to 2006, Michigan lost 336,000 jobs and is predicted to lose an additional 33,000 by the end of 2008” pp48. The unemployment rate has doubled. In 2007 a poll of the big 3 universities found that over half of the graduates were planning to leave the state. In the 2006 Census Michigan was the ONLY state to lose population.
--------- To help offset the extra cost to service the debt and loss of tax revenue due to the loss of business, Granholm raises taxes on those still making money. This would provide the needed monies for the state employee union and state government to keep happy at the expense of the rest of the state.
--------- Detroit is even a better example of a city run of by and for the government bureaucracies it represents. It has lost 50% of its pop. Since 1950. The public school system and the Detroit city government are the 2 largest employers in the city. Of the 25 biggest employers, 40% of the jobs are hired out by the city county and state government. The number of individuals per city employee is 50, Chicago is 68, LA is 108, Indianapolis is 223..
--------- I called the civil service department of Muskegon, Finance director of Muskegon and researched the 2005-2010 Consolidated Plan. For Muskegon I came up with the number of Muskegonites served by one city employee was 151. That’s counting every employee. Also found or figured out from the budget and # of employees ; one employee of Muskegon costs all told for the services and wages ect about $127,000 of the Budget. Seems reasonable to me. Remember that includes all the overhead a fraction of which is actual salaries.
--------- With the number of jobs in Detroit paid for by government almost even with the number of jobs in the private sector which provides the tax base, is it any wonder jobs are leaving Mi. or that Granholm has to raise the taxes of those in the private sector left behind to pay the wages of government? Of the people left. 1/3 are under the poverty level, and unemployment is higher than any other major Metropolitan city.
--------- The Detroit City school system is just as bad. It only graduated on time in 2006, 22%, the national average was 70% ( Critics say it’s because they need more money). They spent $7,469.00 per pupil. Teachers are paid the highest of all major metropolitan cities $47.28 per hour.
--------- I got hold of the Muskegon public schools and all I could dig up was that we graduated in 4 years around half of the kids. Again not good but better than 22% Twice as good. I think the amt. per pupil was around $7,200, This figure was an estimate.
--------- The whole deal is that bad policies don’t work as far as creating better education of the children. It has worked extremely well though for the enhancement of and funding for the bureaucracy (unionized). This dedicated focus on the betterment of the Bureaucracy is based upon the assumption that the bureaucracy is the best way to better the education of our youth. I believe the record speaks for itself. This approach has led to this top heavy and inefficient system at the expense of our children.
--------- It is time to start replacing the old with models from the private sector that have shown they work. Fed ex for example. Newt cited in Real Change the example of Katrina of bad policies on the National level run of by and for bureaucracy with little thought for the victims. One example was that Fed ex was on the ground and in business within 2 weeks, while the Post Office had an embargo on magazines, newspapers ect for 6 months. Then the tragically funny expenditure of $67 million by FEMA to buy ice which they did then they stored it around the country which after a time (but before it all melted) they decided it had lived past it’s shelf life and spent another 3.4 million to melt it. I try to compare what a private co. would do. They would distribute it I’m sure but I imagine a big deal would have been made about real or perceived irregularities. Gee the guy across the street got his earlier than I did and my children were thirsty and on and on. True grievances perhaps but the alternative is no water.
--------- The metric in my opinion then should be based on actual results. Not the Nirvana always promised before a new government program is started. There should always be built into each program a clear set of standards to judge performance and have the yearly funding tied to it.
<
That’s it for today
Regards, Live Dangerously
Michigan and Detroit
A Case Study
--------- I would like to share some facts from a book I read called Real Change by Newt Gingrich about Michigan and Detroit. He has used Michigan and its political leadership as an example of the “impact of bad policies”. Detroit as an example of “bad outcome from bad policies”.
--------- He compares statistics between the Engler and the Granholm eras. Our bond rating of AAA the best there is was lost, hence more money needed to service the debt. “From 2000 to 2006, Michigan lost 336,000 jobs and is predicted to lose an additional 33,000 by the end of 2008” pp48. The unemployment rate has doubled. In 2007 a poll of the big 3 universities found that over half of the graduates were planning to leave the state. In the 2006 Census Michigan was the ONLY state to lose population.
--------- To help offset the extra cost to service the debt and loss of tax revenue due to the loss of business, Granholm raises taxes on those still making money. This would provide the needed monies for the state employee union and state government to keep happy at the expense of the rest of the state.
--------- Detroit is even a better example of a city run of by and for the government bureaucracies it represents. It has lost 50% of its pop. Since 1950. The public school system and the Detroit city government are the 2 largest employers in the city. Of the 25 biggest employers, 40% of the jobs are hired out by the city county and state government. The number of individuals per city employee is 50, Chicago is 68, LA is 108, Indianapolis is 223..
--------- I called the civil service department of Muskegon, Finance director of Muskegon and researched the 2005-2010 Consolidated Plan. For Muskegon I came up with the number of Muskegonites served by one city employee was 151. That’s counting every employee. Also found or figured out from the budget and # of employees ; one employee of Muskegon costs all told for the services and wages ect about $127,000 of the Budget. Seems reasonable to me. Remember that includes all the overhead a fraction of which is actual salaries.
--------- With the number of jobs in Detroit paid for by government almost even with the number of jobs in the private sector which provides the tax base, is it any wonder jobs are leaving Mi. or that Granholm has to raise the taxes of those in the private sector left behind to pay the wages of government? Of the people left. 1/3 are under the poverty level, and unemployment is higher than any other major Metropolitan city.
--------- The Detroit City school system is just as bad. It only graduated on time in 2006, 22%, the national average was 70% ( Critics say it’s because they need more money). They spent $7,469.00 per pupil. Teachers are paid the highest of all major metropolitan cities $47.28 per hour.
--------- I got hold of the Muskegon public schools and all I could dig up was that we graduated in 4 years around half of the kids. Again not good but better than 22% Twice as good. I think the amt. per pupil was around $7,200, This figure was an estimate.
--------- The whole deal is that bad policies don’t work as far as creating better education of the children. It has worked extremely well though for the enhancement of and funding for the bureaucracy (unionized). This dedicated focus on the betterment of the Bureaucracy is based upon the assumption that the bureaucracy is the best way to better the education of our youth. I believe the record speaks for itself. This approach has led to this top heavy and inefficient system at the expense of our children.
--------- It is time to start replacing the old with models from the private sector that have shown they work. Fed ex for example. Newt cited in Real Change the example of Katrina of bad policies on the National level run of by and for bureaucracy with little thought for the victims. One example was that Fed ex was on the ground and in business within 2 weeks, while the Post Office had an embargo on magazines, newspapers ect for 6 months. Then the tragically funny expenditure of $67 million by FEMA to buy ice which they did then they stored it around the country which after a time (but before it all melted) they decided it had lived past it’s shelf life and spent another 3.4 million to melt it. I try to compare what a private co. would do. They would distribute it I’m sure but I imagine a big deal would have been made about real or perceived irregularities. Gee the guy across the street got his earlier than I did and my children were thirsty and on and on. True grievances perhaps but the alternative is no water.
--------- The metric in my opinion then should be based on actual results. Not the Nirvana always promised before a new government program is started. There should always be built into each program a clear set of standards to judge performance and have the yearly funding tied to it.
<
That’s it for today
Regards, Live Dangerously
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