Eminent Domain Stuff
New London Update (2/24/06)
Bad NLDC!
Coverage of the Rally at New London's City Hall (w/ pics)
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Kerry To Education's Rescue
I love these sorts of announcements. John Kerry promises (read: future waffles) to, “…push for 1 million more high school graduates within five years.” Thank God! Man, I feel better already. But Mr. Kerry, how will you do this?
Kerry said more students would graduate if the federal government encouraged smaller schools and required them to improve graduation rates. He proposed a national effort to align the standards of what students learn in school to what they're supposed to know when they get to college or work. And he backed laws already on the books in some parts of the country that allow states to withhold driver's licenses of those who drop out.
Oh, I see. So we should require schools to improve graduation rates. Sounds great. The problem is that there are two ways to accomplish this goal. 1) Do a better job educating students. 2) Lower the standards. #1 is difficult, expensive, time consuming and requires a long-term commitment. #2, on the other hand, is quite easy. So, all other things being equal I think it’s pretty obvious which would be more likely.
To address this problem Mr. Kerry proposes to teach kids in high school the things they need to know when they get to college or find a job. What a great idea. I can’t believe no one’s thought of this before. Get the Teachers’ Union on the horn, they’ve got to hear this.
As for the final part of Kerry’s far-reaching scheme, he wants to deny driver’s licenses to dropouts. Yeah, here’s a great idea. Let’s make it even more difficult for a high school dropout to hold down a job.
In the wider view of things, what have we come to in this country that we now require everyone to attend high school? I know it’s not a popular opinion, but I can find no reason to force kids to attend school. What do we get? We end up with unmotivated students who bring the level of learning down around them, hurting the kids who do want to be there. I say let anyone drop out of high school, so long as they know they’re going to have to make it on their own. No public handouts.
Well, I hope everyone has learned something from our esteemed presumptive nominee. Read up students, we should all get to know Mr. Kerry well before the election, so we’ll know a waffle when we see one.
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I love these sorts of announcements. John Kerry promises (read: future waffles) to, “…push for 1 million more high school graduates within five years.” Thank God! Man, I feel better already. But Mr. Kerry, how will you do this?
Kerry said more students would graduate if the federal government encouraged smaller schools and required them to improve graduation rates. He proposed a national effort to align the standards of what students learn in school to what they're supposed to know when they get to college or work. And he backed laws already on the books in some parts of the country that allow states to withhold driver's licenses of those who drop out.
Oh, I see. So we should require schools to improve graduation rates. Sounds great. The problem is that there are two ways to accomplish this goal. 1) Do a better job educating students. 2) Lower the standards. #1 is difficult, expensive, time consuming and requires a long-term commitment. #2, on the other hand, is quite easy. So, all other things being equal I think it’s pretty obvious which would be more likely.
To address this problem Mr. Kerry proposes to teach kids in high school the things they need to know when they get to college or find a job. What a great idea. I can’t believe no one’s thought of this before. Get the Teachers’ Union on the horn, they’ve got to hear this.
As for the final part of Kerry’s far-reaching scheme, he wants to deny driver’s licenses to dropouts. Yeah, here’s a great idea. Let’s make it even more difficult for a high school dropout to hold down a job.
In the wider view of things, what have we come to in this country that we now require everyone to attend high school? I know it’s not a popular opinion, but I can find no reason to force kids to attend school. What do we get? We end up with unmotivated students who bring the level of learning down around them, hurting the kids who do want to be there. I say let anyone drop out of high school, so long as they know they’re going to have to make it on their own. No public handouts.
Well, I hope everyone has learned something from our esteemed presumptive nominee. Read up students, we should all get to know Mr. Kerry well before the election, so we’ll know a waffle when we see one.
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