Anorexic, vacant-eyed blonde women on TV now describe as the "liberal elite"...The conservative definition of law and order:
A code phrase meaning "get the blacks."And finally, Vidal's comparison of 1972 and 2004:
I should note that in the thirty-two years since this particular state of the union, our political vocabulary has been turned upside down. Although the secret core to each presidential election is who can express his hatred of African-Americans most subtly (to which today can be added Latinos and "elite liberals," a fantasy category associated with working film actors who have won Academy Awards), and, of course, this season it's the marriage-minded so-called gays. So-called because there is no such human or mammal category (sex is a continuum) except in the great hollow pumpkin head of that gambling dude who has anointed himself the nation's moralist-in-chief, William "Bell Fruit" Bennett.He truly has a gift for storytelling and language. |W|P|109363529391749817|W|P|State of the Union, 2004|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com
Under the new FairPay rules, workers earning less than $23,660 per year — or $455 per week — are guaranteed overtime protection. This will strengthen overtime rights for 6.7 million American workers, including 1.3 million low-wage workers who were denied overtime under the old rules.However, many have begun to counter these statistics, most notably the Economic Policy Institute. In testimony before the Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations on May 4, 2004, Ross Eisenberry, Vice President and Policy Director of the EPI, listed eight substantial misconceptions and flaws of the new legislation, as well as analysis as to the impact it will have on blue-collar workers in many different fields. The link to his testimony is here. I highly recommend reading it. According to the EPI:
Contrary to the Bush Administration’s claims, it is not the case that 1.3 million low-wage workers who are not getting overtime pay now will. The Administration is engaged in consumer fraud, selling this new regulation on the promise of benefits it knows full well will not materialize. Part of the problem is that the Department’s estimate assumes that every employee among these 1.3 million low-wage workers actually worked overtime during the year, even though the evidence is that they did not, and even though only about one employee in seven generally works overtime. If the Department had made this same assumption with respect to the proposed rule, it would have found that almost 5 million employees would have lost overtime pay, rather than the 644,000 it claimed. Moreover, the number of employees who will be guaranteed coverage by the $23,660 threshold will diminish over time because it is not indexed for inflation. An administration that cared about low-wage workers would have raised the threshold to at least keep pace with inflation since 1975, in other words, to at least $28,075. ... A bizarre and poorly explained new exemption for “team leaders” creates the potential for hundreds of thousands of currently exempt non-supervisory workers to lose their overtime rights. The use of self-managed teams of non-managerial, non-supervisory, front-line employees is widespread in American industry, and millions of employees are routinely involved in them. The regulations provide no definition of “team leader,” it has never been defined in FLSA case law, and the Department’s assertion that it is clarifying current law is patently false. ... Despite the Department’s claims in power point presentations to public officials that blue-collar workers are entitled to overtime, the rule limits overtime rights to “ blue-collar employees,” begging the question of who gets classified as a non-managementmanagement blue-collar worker, a seemingly new class of exempt workers that will grow significantly under these new rules.All of these new explanations seem to show only one thing: thanks to a Republican president and congress, big business interests win again while the little guy is stomped on like a bug. |W|P|109319605951203946|W|P|New overtime regulations|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com
Chris Woods|W|P|According to their website: "The Economic Policy Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy."Who knows if this is true or right, I'm just glad they make a compelling argument.
I again will start posting on your site, just as soon as I get settled into my freshman year in college.
Halliburton has been granted additional time by the U.S. Army to substantiate its costs in Iraq and Kuwait, staving off a threat of having 15 percent of its payment withheld. Government contractors normally cannot be paid more than 85 percent of their invoices until they fully account for their costs, but Halliburton said on Monday that it had been given a respite. Twice this year, the army set this rule aside for Halliburton as the company cataloged its costs and explained how it was billing the government. The most recent reprieve expired on Sunday.The story is here on the International Herald Tribune's website (via the NY Times). Halliburton is the largest corporate recipient of contracts from the US government for rebuilding Iraq. They have received more than $8 billion in contracts. They have also been charged in Congress for overcharging and overspending in Iraq, then passing the bill to the government. Furthermore, Halliburton was fined $7.5 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for accounting changes that were not reported under the tenure of former CEO Dick Cheney and now Vice President. Evidentally the majority of the money in the fine comes from an attempt to hinder the SEC investigation, which began mid-2002. From the SEC press release:
Halliburton's penalty for the disclosure failure reflects lapses in the company's conduct during the course of the Commission investigation, which commenced in mid-2002.Moreover, there's nothing like doing business with the enemy. A Halliburton subsidiary in the Cayman Islands offers contracts and services to Iran. Halliburton isn't the only company that does this, however it is illegal for any American company to do business with "rogue states." However, these companies have found a loophole to help them: The law does not apply to any foreign or offshore subsidiary so long as it is run by non-Americans. So, thanks to this law, Halliburton Products and Services, Ltd. is able to safely do business with the Iranian government. According to a CBS News report:
Halliburton Products and Services, Ltd., is wholly owned by the U.S.-based Halliburton and is registered in a building in the capital of the Cayman Islands – a building owned by the local Calidonian Bank. Halliburton and other companies set up in this Caribbean Island, because of tax and secrecy laws that are corporate friendly. Halliburton is the company that Vice President Dick Cheney used to run. He was CEO in 1995 to 2000, during which time Halliburton Products and Services set up shop in Iran. Today, it sells about $40 million a year worth of oil field services to the Iranian Government.Just another example of how being in a position of power can help your former employer (who still gives you benefits) keep in business and only worry about the bottom line, not worrying about what is right and what is wrong. The CBS News story is here. |W|P|109275543633995765|W|P|The problems with Halliburton|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com
The data shows fourth graders attending charter schools performing about half a year behind students in other public schools in both reading and math. Put another way, only 25 percent of the fourth graders attending charters were proficient in reading and math, against 30 percent who were proficient in reading, and 32 percent in math, at traditional public schools.
Graphic courtesy of the New York Times.
This definitely must cause concern for the Bush Administration and their education policies. After the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act, the number of charter schools was expected to grow exponentially. And this has indeed begun to happen with numbers increasing over the years. But these figures will most likely put a halt to their growth because it is evident that the quality of the education is not comparable to that a student will receive in a public school.
The story is here (membership required, but is free).
|W|P|109275339054640706|W|P|Charter schools lag behind|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.comThe CBO study...found that the wealthiest 20 percent, whose incomes averaged $182,700 in 2001, saw their share of federal taxes drop from 64.4 percent of total tax payments in 2001 to 63.5 percent this year. The top 1 percent, earning $1.1 million, saw their share fall to 20.1 percent of the total, from 22.2 percent.Over that same period, taxpayers with incomes from around $51,500 to around $75,600 saw their share of federal tax payments increase. Households earning around $75,600 saw their tax burden jump the most, from 18.7 percent of all taxes to 19.5 percent.
This is big news, especially since the CBO is an independent and bipartisan group, actually chaired by an economist from the Bush White House.
Just another reason to vote for John Kerry and John Edwards this fall.
|W|P|109270802234523687|W|P|Tax burden shifts to the middle|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.comSuppress the Vote? By BOB HERBERT The big story out of Florida over the weekend was the tragic devastation caused by Hurricane Charley. But there's another story from Florida that deserves our attention. State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November. The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March. Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the investigation might end, and acknowledged that it may continue right through the presidential election. "We did a preliminary inquiry into those allegations and then we concluded that there was enough evidence to follow through with a full criminal investigation," said Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law Enforcement. The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns. I asked Mr. Morales in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal activity had taken place. "I can't talk about that," he said. I asked if all the people interrogated were black. "Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at - yes,'' he said. He also said, "Most of them were elderly." When I asked why, he said, "That's just the people we selected out of a random sample to interview." Back in the bad old days, some decades ago, when Southern whites used every imaginable form of chicanery to prevent blacks from voting, blacks often fought back by creating voters leagues, which were organizations that helped to register, educate and encourage black voters. It became a tradition that continues in many places, including Florida, today. Not surprisingly, many of the elderly black voters who found themselves face to face with state police officers in Orlando are members of the Orlando League of Voters, which has been very successful in mobilizing the city's black vote. The president of the Orlando League of Voters is Ezzie Thomas, who is 73 years old. With his demonstrated ability to deliver the black vote in Orlando, Mr. Thomas is a tempting target for supporters of George W. Bush in a state in which the black vote may well spell the difference between victory and defeat. The vile smell of voter suppression is all over this so-called investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Joseph Egan, an Orlando lawyer who represents Mr. Thomas, said: "The Voters League has workers who go into the community to do voter registration, drive people to the polls and help with absentee ballots. They are elderly women mostly. They get paid like $100 for four or five months' work, just to offset things like the cost of their gas. They see this political activity as an important contribution to their community. Some of the people in the community had never cast a ballot until the league came to their door and encouraged them to vote." Now, said Mr. Egan, the fear generated by state police officers going into people's homes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to voting is threatening to undo much of the good work of the league. He said, "One woman asked me, 'Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by absentee ballot?' " According to Mr. Egan, "People who have voted by absentee ballot for years are refusing to allow campaign workers to come to their homes. And volunteers who have participated for years in assisting people, particularly the elderly or handicapped, are scared and don't want to risk a criminal investigation." Florida is a state that's very much in play in the presidential election, with some polls showing John Kerry in the lead. A heavy-handed state police investigation that throws a blanket of fear over thousands of black voters can only help President Bush. The long and ugly tradition of suppressing the black vote is alive and thriving in the Sunshine State.I don't know what's going on here, but something sure does seem fishy. I don't think it's a direct result of a directive from the Bush Administration, but the efforts here are intent on helping GW in November election. The cruelty of discrimination, racism, and fear are coming back in Florida, and that is dispicable. |W|P|109270754430332691|W|P|Vote suppression in Florida|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com
NEW YORK – Roland Martin reeled in a big one for his weekly fishing show on the Outdoor Life Network.
Baiting a hook beside him on a dock in Crawford, Texas, was President Bush, whose leisurely afternoon casting for bass was chronicled for “Fishing with Roland Martin” in an episode that first aired Friday. (It re-airs Wednesday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Fort Wayne time.)
If you’re wondering what the leader of the free world is doing fishing on an obscure cable TV show, you don’t know politics. In a tight presidential campaign, the candidates seek any edge they can get, and will find it all over the TV dial.
Okay, so obviously this is a move to once again place POTUS as the "man of the people" who fishes just like we do. Yet another contrast between him and Sen. Kerry, who obviously wouldn't be caught dead on a fishing show. Though, as the article points out, Kerry did throw out the first pitch at the Yankee-Red Sox game.
In one of my favorite movies of all time, The American President, Aaron Sorkin wrote a very good monologue where the lead character and President defends his character valiently, poetically, and specifically to the White House Press Corps. Has that kind of character illustrating excersize been replaced by this one of implying a candidate's character? (He likes fishing or baseball, therefore he understands people like me.) Did it ever really exist?
As Andrew Shepard put it, "We've got serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them." And I don't think fishing or baseball come even close to judging a candidate's devotion to this country and enthusiam for the cause. In fact, it may just deter from it.
|W|P|109220158911886608|W|P|Bass Force One|W|P|- Ann Coulter
- Bill O’Reilly
- Robert Novak
- Tucker Carlson
- Rush Limbaugh
- David Limbaugh
- Charles Krauthammer
- Cal Thomas
- Sean Hannity
- Alan Keyes
- John Stossel
- Michael Savage
- Neil Cavuto
- Oliver North
- Paul Harvey
- Chris Matthews
- Jonah Goldberg
- Peggy Noonan
- William Safire
- Matt Drudge
- Pat Buchanan
- Joe Scarborough
- Jack Cafferty
- Dennis Miller
- Keith Olberman
- Brit Hume
- John Gibson
- Geraldo Rivera
- Newt Gingrich
- Bernard Goldberg
- William Kristol
- Jeff Jacoby
- Laura Ingraham
- Paul Krugman
- Bob Dole
- Fred Barnes
- Tony Snow
- Bill Bennett
- Tom Brokaw
- Peter Jennings
- George Stephanopoulos
- James Carville
- Paul Begala
- Al Franken
- Janeane Garofalo
- Randi Rhodes
- Arianna Huffington
- Molly Ivins
- Lou Dobbs
- Larry King
- Bill Maher
- Bill Schneider
- Alan Colmes
- David Broder
- Ben Affleck
- Bill Press
- Ron Reagan
|W|P|I would disagree with your assesment of Chris Matthews. I say that if only because he worked for Carter, Tip O'Neill, Though, even as an avid Hardball fan, he's very difficult to read.
Chase
Chris Woods|W|P|When it comes to Alan Colmes, I do believe he is a liberal, just with a tiny backbone. He enjoys having a job so much with FoxNews that he would not do anything to jeopardize it, like actually standing up for his views. His book "Red, White, and Liberal" is an interesting read. He definitely seems more liberal in it than he appears on air. He just needs to toughen up.As for Chris Matthews, if anyone can provide me a transcript or two proving a slant liberal or at least prove he's pretty neutral, I'll reassign him to liberal or add another category for non-biased.
|W|P|Okay, I'll accept Colmes, but I don't have to like it. (LOL) I saw his book, but ignored it, so maybe, maybe I'll check it out. As to Chris Matthews: Aaaggghhh! Does this mean I'll have to play with the remote. You know, turn the sound way down when he shouts then quickly turn it up when the other person responds? Maybe I should buy one of those TVs that keeps the sound at the same level. (Actually, maybe I'll see if he has a recent book, or troll for transcripts.)
Power, in other words, is not a natural monopoly; the struggle for mastery is both perennial and universal. The “unipolarity” identified by some commentators following the Soviet collapse cannot last much longer, for the simple reason that history hates a hyperpower. Sooner or later, challengers will emerge, and back we must go to a multipolar, multipower world.But what if these esteemed theorists are all wrong? What if the world is actually heading for a period when there is no hegemon? What if, instead of a balance of power, there is an absence of power?
This is quite an interesting question posed, one I've never encountered before, nor even thought about before.
The question is then offered "Why might a power vacuum arise early in the 21st century?" and she provides some solid answers. First, "The clay feet of the U.S. colossus," second, "Old Europe grows older," third, "China's coming economic crisis," and finally, "The fragmentation of Islamic civilization." The reality posed by Ferguson is dark, dreary, dramatic, and dreadful.The reversal of globalization—which a new Dark Age would produce—would certainly lead to economic stagnation and even depression. As the United States sought to protect itself after a second September 11 devastates, say, Houston or Chicago, it would inevitably become a less open society, less hospitable for foreigners seeking to work, visit, or do business. Meanwhile, as Europe's Muslim enclaves grew, Islamist extremists' infiltration of the EU would become irreversible, increasing trans-Atlantic tensions over the Middle East to the breaking point. An economic meltdown in China would plunge the Communist system into crisis, unleashing the centrifugal forces that undermined previous Chinese empires. Western investors would lose out and conclude that lower returns at home are preferable to the risks of default abroad. The worst effects of the new Dark Age would be felt on the edges of the waning great powers. The wealthiest ports of the global economy—from New York to Rotterdam to Shanghai—would become the targets of plunderers and pirates. Meanwhile, limited nuclear wars could devastate numerous regions, beginning in the Korean peninsula and Kashmir, perhaps ending catastrophically in the Middle East.I recommend reading the article (link here)and then please comment with your thoughts. I would love to have some in-depth discussion. |W|P|109159012200037376|W|P|An apolar world?|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com
- Two of John Kerry's three Purple Heart decorations resulted from self-inflicted wounds, not suffered under enemy fire.
- All three of Kerry's Purple Hearts were for minor injuries, not requiring a single hour of hospitalization.
- A "fanny wound" was the highlight of Kerry's much touted "no man left behind" Bronze Star.
- Kerry turned the tragic death of a father and small child in a Vietnamese fishing boat into an act of "heroism" by filing a false report on the incident.
- Kerry entered an abandoned Vietnamese village and slaughtered the domestic animals owned by the civilians and burned down their homes with his Zippo lighter.
- Kerry's reckless behavior convinced his colleagues that he had to go -- becoming the only Swift Boat veteran to serve only four months.
"I believe that there is a fairly well established centrist or conservative bias in the media. This is in large part because of the predominance of religion in American society. Voters take their religious views and correlate them to their political views. In general, anyone considered religious is considered to be conservative, but this is quite the opposite. A large number of Catholics are indeed Democrats, as well as a large population of Jews. However, there are other things that play into the media bias. An obundance of centrist or nonbiased groups (BBC and PBS, for example) and newspaper stories do not display a partisan view. If you look at the two major, family-owned newspapers in America (NY Times and the Wash. Post) they both have liberal and conservative editorialists. When you read their stories, the coverage is usually quite concise, reflecting both sides of a particular story, at least if the story is political. The main claim that conservative pundits use is the placement of a particular story or whether or not it made it to press. However, sometimes it's an editorial decision because of a multitude of reasons: 1) not enough space, 2) the story isn't comprehensive enough, 3) it does display a certain bias, or 4) it's not that important. Furthermore, the abundance of conservative pundit commentators on the media adds to the appearance of a conservative bias. People like Cal Thomas, Ann Coulter, and Charles Krauthammer have a large amount of airtime, especially on a channel like FoxNews (by the way, if you want some good information on FoxNews, check out www.outfoxed.com). The rage and insulting remarks added by these commentators do nothing to help any type of discourse in this country, but only add to hateful and discriminatory remarks towards certain groups of people. Ann Coulter is a prime example. Just read a few of her articles at www.AnnCoulter.com. Finally, whether or not their is a bias in the media, American's who plan on voting should make an effort to become informed. And their are a multitude of paths they can take. First, attend a rally put on by the candidates. Second, using the Internet, research the policy initiatives planned by potential candidates. Three, engage in discussions based on fact, not just unsubstantiated opinion. Fourth, form your own opinions, don't let someone else do it for you."|W|P|109151026320805699|W|P|Liberal bias in the media|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com
"Much of the information that led authorities to raise the terror alert at several large financial institutions in the NY and D.C. areas was 3 or 4 years old... NYT Tuesday Page One Splash To Claim: Intelligence and law enforcement officials 'had not yet found concrete evidence that a terror plot or preparatory surveillance operations were still under way'... WASH POST Page One: Alerts Stemmed from Pre-9/11 Acts /// 'There is nothing right now that we're hearing that is new,' said one senior law enforcement official who was briefed on the alert. 'Why did we go to this level?... I still don't know that'... POST: 'Most of the information was compiled prior to the Sept. 11 attacks and that there are serious doubts about the age of other, undated files'"Link to NY Times story here. Link to Post story here. |W|P|109149803141704583|W|P|Old documents?|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com
Today John Kerry and John Edwards released their comprehensive plan for America if they are elected to the presidency. It is entitled "Our Plan for America: Stronger at Home, Respected in the World." The 263-page document is full of specific actions and goals that will guide the new democratic leadership. Today, I will read and review the document to provide specific analysis. I will provide this information and analysis later today.
To read it yourself, go to Kerry/Edwards.
UPDATE: Preliminary Analysis (and probably the only I'll be giving for now).
While looking at their overview’s first section, I’m pretty disheartened (mind you, this is just the overview, the actual reading of the plan is still go come). It is entitled “Restore America’s Respect in the World and Make us Independent of Mideast Oil.” The disheartening thing is that most of the pillars described sound quite similar to the rhetoric the Bush campaign is spewing down the throats of Americans.
Kerry/Edwards will do almost the same things as Bush with concern to “Launch and Lead A New Era Of Alliances,” “Modernize The World’s Most Powerful Military To Meet New Threats,” and “Deploy All That Is In America’s Arsenal.” However, the one pillar that does stand out is “Free America From Its Dangerous Dependence On Mideast Oil.”
In this section, it says: “Kerry-Edwards will create a new energy and conservation trust fund to accelerate the development of innovative technologies, such as more efficient cars and trucks, the development of biofuels, and creating clean, secure, hydrogen-based energy. Kerry-Edwards will also expand the supply of natural gas, assure 20% of electricity comes from renewable sources by 2020, and make clean coal part of our energy solution.” This excites me. If we really can do this as a nation under their leadership, it only reaffirms my voting choice come November.
The overview gets a bit better when we move to the section headed “Create New Jobs, Strengthen the Middle Class, and Ensure Educational Opportunity.”
Here is where I disagree with the democratic platform. As odd as it may seem, I’m a free trade democrat. I believe that creative destruction is the only way for business, industry, and economics to evolve and change. This is similar to a Republican Party ideal, I know, but it’s what I believe. Now, when it comes to outsourcing, I’m all for it. It’s all about creating a competitive market, which then increases the quality of living for all people. However, outsourcing does need to be regulated. And that’s not happening right now.
Under the heading “Reward Companies that Create Jobs in America” the Kerry/Edwards ticket will “end tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas and use the savings to reduce the corporate tax rate by 5 percent, cutting taxes for 99 percent of corporations.” I understand it’s critical to give harsh rhetoric like this to pick up key industrial battleground states like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, however, you should educate the voter on economics and creative destruction, not play into their frailties.
Instead of all of these plans, the Kerry/Edwards ticket should develop a plan to focus on providing incentives for new and advanced job training for those Americans who do lose their jobs to overseas industry. We shouldn’t compete for the lowest class of workers, but we should strive for having the most competent and productive labor force of any country in the world.
The Kerry/Edwards plan continues on attempting to “Strengthen the Middle Class.” It begins by talking about income decline, which is exactly what the Democrats need to stress in this coming election. According to the IRS, there were two straight years of income decline among average Americans, and from 2001-2002 (the latest information from the IRS) there was a 9% drop in average income. During this same period of time CEO salaries doubled! They tell us “A Kerry-Edwards administration will provide relief to middle class families by cutting taxes and investing in health care and education.” The only problem is: How?
Next, they talk about Investing in “The Jobs of the Future.” They propose tax credits and investment in technology and research to unleash innovation in business. Also, they want to provide a $4000 tax credit for each four years of college tuition. The only problem they don’t address is what to do for Americans who have already lost their jobs to outsourcing and other problems? As I said earlier, a new national initiative to re-educate those workers displaced by international competition needs to come from a Kerry/Edwards administration.
Finally, their goal is to “Restore Fiscal Discipline to Washington.” They promise to live within the budget principles that helped lead this nation to balance the budget. If they can live up to this promise, prosperity is on the horizon.
The final section of the overview is called “Provide High-Quality Health Care, Improve Education, and Strengthen Families.” From reading the overview, I don’t understand where strengthening families comes in. Maybe it’s just a subtle hint that the Kerry/Edwards administration will allow homosexual couples to marry and adopt children to create families. They deserve the ability to do so.
Enough digression, back to the analysis. The Plan for America explains an excellent plan to provide a health care plan for every child in America. They plan to do this by picking up the full cost of children enrolled in Medicaid. “In exchange, states will expand eligibility for children’s health coverage and low-income adults and enroll every child automatically.” This is probably the best illustrated plan I have heard the Kerry/Edwards plan offer, and I am quite enthusiastic about it.
Here’s the problem with education under the Kerry/Edwards proposal. They plan to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act. And while I agree, that if federal government is going to pass legislation requiring the states to uphold these guidelines that it needs to be completely funded, I disagree with the whole idea of the NCLB Act. A report released by the National Center for Fair and Open Testing titled “Failing Our Children” explains the dangerous consequences of NCLB.
Two false assumptions undermine NCLB:
1. Boosting standardized test scores should be the primary goal of schools. This assumption leads to one-size-fits-all teaching aimed primarily at test preparation, and it works against efforts to give all children a high-quality education.
2. Schools can best be improved by threatening educators with harsh sanctions, since poor teaching is the primary cause of unsatisfactory student performance. Threats may get teachers to focus narrowly on boosting test scores. They fail, however, to address the underlying problems of family poverty and inadequate school funding that are major reasons why many students start off far behind and never catch up.
A new accountability system must start from accurate assumptions, which will lead to a fundamentally different approach than NCLB's test-and-punish methodology. This alternative approach assumes educators want to do their jobs but often need assistance to do better. Rather than threaten educators with sanctions based on limited information provided by test scores, this alternative approach focuses on gathering multiple forms of evidence about schools and then using that evidence to support comprehensive improvements in teaching and learning. All levels of government must help schools build the capacity to ensure all children receive a high-quality education that meets their individual needs. Governments, therefore, must fulfill their responsibilities to provide adequate and equitable resources. This alternative approach also encourages parents and the community to be core participants in keeping local schools accountable, rather than excluding them through incomprehensible statistical procedures dictated by remote bureaucrats.
Without heavy revision or an entirely new plan, American public education is doomed. The other problem with the Kerry plan for education is the support they provide for charter schools, which they call “innovations” for education. Charter schools are NOT innovations, they are detriments to quality public education and they bring exclusion, not inclusion, back into the classroom.
The plan, however, does offer significant efforts to improve teaching efforts in the classroom as well as helping new teachers out in the long run.
|W|P|109146943135309328|W|P|Plan for America|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.comThe EU's VAT has been around since it's inception in 1967. With little time to contemplate to offer full analysis, this seems like it could be a plus for the American people by eliminating the billion-dollar bureaucracy that is the IRS. However, a flat tax applied on goods/services will cause many significant problems for those in poverty and with financial difficulties in the US. Before any legislation is ever passed, I recommend that a commission or investigative group be formed to assess the value and impact a VAT or national sales tax would have on the United States. This should, of course, be a bipartisan commission, independent of the government in most circumstances. In other news, major audits of the Coaltion Provisional Authority have uncovered some accounting flaws. From the Associated Press on Friday: U.S. authorities in Baghdad spent hundreds of millions of Iraqi dollars without keeping good enough records to show whether they got some services and products they paid for, government investigators said. Yahoo News is currently carrying the AP story. |W|P|109141344396926776|W|P|Big news|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.comValue Added Tax (VAT) is a general consumption tax assessed on the value added to goods and services.
It is a general tax that applies, in principle, to all commercial activities involving the production and distribution of goods and the provision of services. It is a consumption tax because it is borne ultimately by the final consumer. It is not a charge on companies. It is charged as a percentage of price, which means that the actual tax burden is visible at each stage in the production and distribution chain. It is collected fractionally, via a system of deductions whereby taxable persons (i.e., VAT-registered businesses) can deduct from their VAT liability the amount of tax they have paid to other taxable persons on purchases for their business activities. This mechanism ensures that the tax is neutral regardless of how many transactions are involved.
Contrary to what most pundits will argue, the goal of this election is not just to pick the lesser of two evils and elect John Kerry as president, but to actually pick a candidate who will really support the American people with a pledge to lead truthfully and fiercely. John Kerry is the man for this job. Not only is his naval service a plus, but his twenty-plus years in the United States Senate creates a foundation of leadership unlike our incumbent president. Together, on domestic policy, the Kerry/Edwards administration can help all Americans. John Kerry has a plan to ensure all Americans have a right to health care that is affordable and accessible. John Edwards has been a leader in the fight for affordable, quality health care, fighting alongside Kerry to pass a Patients Bill of Rights and bring down the cost of prescription drugs. As a recent public school graduate, I understand the importance of quality public education. John Kerry’s plan for a new National Education Trust Fund will make sure, for the first time ever, that schools are fully funded. To bring forth new and dramatic change and revitalization to America, John Kerry and John Edwards must be elected this fall.|W|P|109139688306401969|W|P|Why Kerry is good|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com
" Mr. President...I heard you say Friday that you had questions for...African-American voters...: Did the Democratic Party take us for granted? ...Let me answer your question. You said the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule. We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres. We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us." --The Rev. Al Sharpton, on why it is GOOD to be a Jackass. "I don't want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God's side." --John Kerry "Hope is on the way." --John EdwardsMore to come later. |W|P|109133848882096862|W|P|Highlights from the DNC|W|P|christopherdwoods@gmail.com