Stupid is As Stupid Does
"I have seen the future, and it does not work." - The Nattering Naybob Chronicles
Last December the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international think tank based in Paris, published the results of tests administered to 250,000 15 year olds in 41 different countries.
Out of 41, American kids ranked 18th in reading, 20th in science, and 33rd in math. Apparently Johnny can't count or think very well, but that's not surprising to readers of these pages. We know well how this is not circumstantial or accidental, but by design.
The really sad thing is how "pork" laden our K-12 educational system is. Empirical evidence shows that even with "budget and tax revenue crisis" and other media hobgoblins, in only four states does 65% of the educational budget actually reach the K-12 classroom (Utah, Tennessee, New York, Maine).
The national average is 61.5%. Fifteen states spend less than 60%, and the bottom of the barrel is in Washington, D.C., where not even 50 cents of each dollar makes it into the classroom.
Thats hard core evidence that your hard earned tax dollars are being misallocated by a system designed to produce failure, and which has been run amok with bullshit bureaucrats and asinine administrative academians.
An average of 38.5% of every dollar is spent on what I call "pure pork", because these worthless paper pushers are living off the fat of the land, while our K-12 systems produce more miscreants by the day. Frankly, I would just as soon have none of my tax dollars going to the educational system, as I by choice have no children.
You need a license to perform certain professional services and certain recreational endeavours i.e. drive, fish, hunt, etc. In addition, you must have some educational accreditation or at least pass a test to obtain most licenses. No license, training or test is required for procreation and rearing of progeny.
Those who have children should pay a child tax, those who don't should get a credit. Instead, its the other way around. But, since it is in societies interest to make sure that all children get an education, in for a penny, in for a pound.
Its a double whammy for me, I have to contribute money for someone elses choice and the contribution gets further fiscal abuse in the system itself. Apparently I am not the only individual who is pissed off at the end product in this system.
Someone thinks its time for another tax payer revolt in the form of the 65% solution. Instead of paying for bureaucrats, administrators, nepotism and political cronyism, we pass by referendum a law which requires that 65% of the money has to be spent in the classroom.
Lets take Arizona which ranks 49th in the nation in current classroom spending, at 56.8%. Bringing them up to a minimum 65% requirement would mean $446 million in additional funds available to be spent in the classroom per annum, without raising a cent in new taxes.
That's enough to hire 11,000 new teachers at the present pay scale or, if you favor quality over quantity, to give every current teacher an immediate raise of $10,000 a year. Or, if you're into raw technology, to gift the system with over 1 million new computers.
California, for example, would see a net transfer of over $1.5 billion, while in Illinois it would be nearly a billion. (To see how your own state would fare, and for further information on the project, check out the official 65% Solution website: www.firstclasseducation.org.)
Aside from complete privatization which will never happen due to societal agenda, the 65% solution seems to be the best method out there. A rational allocation of money can do wonders, imagine if every branch of the government had to operate this way?
What if god forbid the DOT acutally had to spend money on the roads, and the military on actual defense? Let's hope this campaign is successful, and the judiciary that has run amok doesn't strike it down.
What little future is left depends on it. Speaking of which, just like George Carlin... I'll take Joey, Frankie and Johnny or Barbara, Jackie and Elizabeth, to kick the crap out of Kyle, Taylor and Bailey or Gemma, Kaitlin and Chantel, any place or any time.
These new age names are so whiny and soft. Don't get me started again... thanks to our friends at Casey Research for the statistical information.
Last December the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international think tank based in Paris, published the results of tests administered to 250,000 15 year olds in 41 different countries.
Out of 41, American kids ranked 18th in reading, 20th in science, and 33rd in math. Apparently Johnny can't count or think very well, but that's not surprising to readers of these pages. We know well how this is not circumstantial or accidental, but by design.
The really sad thing is how "pork" laden our K-12 educational system is. Empirical evidence shows that even with "budget and tax revenue crisis" and other media hobgoblins, in only four states does 65% of the educational budget actually reach the K-12 classroom (Utah, Tennessee, New York, Maine).
The national average is 61.5%. Fifteen states spend less than 60%, and the bottom of the barrel is in Washington, D.C., where not even 50 cents of each dollar makes it into the classroom.
Thats hard core evidence that your hard earned tax dollars are being misallocated by a system designed to produce failure, and which has been run amok with bullshit bureaucrats and asinine administrative academians.
An average of 38.5% of every dollar is spent on what I call "pure pork", because these worthless paper pushers are living off the fat of the land, while our K-12 systems produce more miscreants by the day. Frankly, I would just as soon have none of my tax dollars going to the educational system, as I by choice have no children.
You need a license to perform certain professional services and certain recreational endeavours i.e. drive, fish, hunt, etc. In addition, you must have some educational accreditation or at least pass a test to obtain most licenses. No license, training or test is required for procreation and rearing of progeny.
Those who have children should pay a child tax, those who don't should get a credit. Instead, its the other way around. But, since it is in societies interest to make sure that all children get an education, in for a penny, in for a pound.
Its a double whammy for me, I have to contribute money for someone elses choice and the contribution gets further fiscal abuse in the system itself. Apparently I am not the only individual who is pissed off at the end product in this system.
Someone thinks its time for another tax payer revolt in the form of the 65% solution. Instead of paying for bureaucrats, administrators, nepotism and political cronyism, we pass by referendum a law which requires that 65% of the money has to be spent in the classroom.
Lets take Arizona which ranks 49th in the nation in current classroom spending, at 56.8%. Bringing them up to a minimum 65% requirement would mean $446 million in additional funds available to be spent in the classroom per annum, without raising a cent in new taxes.
That's enough to hire 11,000 new teachers at the present pay scale or, if you favor quality over quantity, to give every current teacher an immediate raise of $10,000 a year. Or, if you're into raw technology, to gift the system with over 1 million new computers.
California, for example, would see a net transfer of over $1.5 billion, while in Illinois it would be nearly a billion. (To see how your own state would fare, and for further information on the project, check out the official 65% Solution website: www.firstclasseducation.org.)
Aside from complete privatization which will never happen due to societal agenda, the 65% solution seems to be the best method out there. A rational allocation of money can do wonders, imagine if every branch of the government had to operate this way?
What if god forbid the DOT acutally had to spend money on the roads, and the military on actual defense? Let's hope this campaign is successful, and the judiciary that has run amok doesn't strike it down.
What little future is left depends on it. Speaking of which, just like George Carlin... I'll take Joey, Frankie and Johnny or Barbara, Jackie and Elizabeth, to kick the crap out of Kyle, Taylor and Bailey or Gemma, Kaitlin and Chantel, any place or any time.
These new age names are so whiny and soft. Don't get me started again... thanks to our friends at Casey Research for the statistical information.
Comments
It’s true that the quality of education is seriously lacking in this country. Requiring at least 65% of education money to actually be used in the classroom would help many struggling teachers and students.
In addition, there is another fatal flaw in the system to consider. What we are allowing the system to teach children is diluted and sub-par. Perhaps the most glaring example is in the area of responsible citizenship, even the average college graduate is fairly uninformed as to what their rights and responsibilities are as a citizen of this country. The average person in this country really can not give an accurate explanation of what due process is or how it works, let alone, at most, list 10-12 of their rights. Forget about having them give any kind of in-depth explanation on what responsibilities go with rights. They just want the benefit of the few rights that they happen to know about.
Are we really a nation that is governed by the consent of the governed if the average person is both clueless as to what is really going on and how to make a meaningful difference? The biggest threat to an individual’s loosing their rights is THEIR own fear, ignorance and apathy. Unfortunately, we have an education system (aided by the media and commercial religions) doing a very effective of job of breeding fear, ignorance and apathy by the curriculum and agenda it sets. Amazing, the education system by suppressing the knowledge or what inalienable rights are, why their important, how to recognize and effectively defend against rights violations, in and of itself is violating a very important right: the right of an individual to have a freewill and clear understanding. Being ignorant of what your rights are and how they work is anything but freedom!
Hopefully, those who believe in suppressing legitimate knowledge for power and profit will see the folly of this shorted sighted approach. Wars, 911, crime, poverty, divorces, auto accidents etc. all revolve around rights violations and are all unnecessary products of an uneducated populace. People do what they do because they don’t see and understand a better way of doing and being. Furthermore, are those who suppress legitimate truth and knowledge really any different then Hitler or Bin Laden? Evil is as evil does.
It’s true education needs more funding and the funding needs to used more judicially but WHAT we’re teaching children will the determine the future and the quality of life for all. We all need to demand a more sensible public education curriculum, the stupidity is killing us!
By: Les Luton