Do Teachers Really Know Best?

Teachers have been maligned, derided, put on a pedestal, ignored, followed, awarded, lionized, and sued by parents. Administrators choose their favorite teachers as educators of the year, star teachers, or outstanding faculty, lavishing praise and accolades on those they deem the best team players.

The unprepared teachers or those who cause embarrassment to the school district through their unscrupulous and immoral behavior are usually quietly transferred elsewhere with excellent recommendations unless there is a teacher’s union that prevents dismissal of such specimens of the teaching profession.

Do teachers really know best? Etymologically speaking, they “show, point out, guide, give instruction” to their charges but some of them go beyond their call of duty for better or for worse. Teachers are able to instruct to the extent of their level of education, actual comprehension and knowledge of the subject matter, and their level and type of ideological programming. As a student I’ve had some fantastic professors and some atrocious indoctrinators.

A teacher has the opportunity eight hours a day to mold a child’s mind, the proverbial brain “full of mush,” independently of their parents’ wishes. They have your child’s rapt attention. Young pupils believe their teachers to be the ultimate authority on everything and are never wrong.

People Magazine awarded their 2013 Teacher of the Year to eight teachers who work in challenging environments such as “underfunded schools, students with difficult home lives, andlanguage barriers.” The media and the public in general believe that throwing more money at education will resolve fundamental flaws.

Named “The supportive survivor,” Valencia Robinson from New Smyrna Beach Middle School in Florida is a yoga devotee. “I will not let my students eat junk food in my class.” Aside from the fact that students should not eat in class and eating healthy is a good idea, it is the parents’ role to choose their children’s diet; they have not abdicated that role once their children step into the classroom.

Via: Canada Free Press

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California: After The Transportation Money’s Gone…

In its assessment of California’s budget for the current fiscal year, which began July 1, the Legislative Analyst says this about state highway spending:

“Proposition 1B, a ballot measure approved by voters in November 2006, authorized the issuance of $20 billion in general obligations bonds for state and local transportation improvements…. The budget appropriates $258 million of Proposition 1B funds for various transportation programs. This appropriation level is significantly lower than the appropriations made in recent years because the majority of funds have already been appropriated.” (Emphasis added.)

Caltrans reports that as of August 31, the Legislature has appropriated $14.2 billion of the $15.6 billion in Proposition 1B that were given to Caltrans for dispersal. Nearly $1 billion of the funds left are earmarked for transit projects. Of the $14.2 billion lawmakers have determined how Caltrans will spend, $13.4 billion has been spent.

Of the remaining $4.3 billion in the bond, $2 billion went directly to cities and counties for road repair. Another $1 billion went to the Air Resources Board for pollution reduction efforts like subsidies to purchase cleaner-burning deisel trucks.

The Legislative Analyst’s overview doesn’t say that coupled with the exhaustion of Proposition 1B funds, state gas tax collections are declining.

More Californians are driving – as any commuter will attest – but they’re driving less distances and they’re behind the wheel of increasingly fuel-efficient vehicles.

Gas tax revenue is the primary funding source for California street and highway maintenance and construction. Twenty counties, however, have boosted local sales taxes by one-half cent to pay for local highway and road improvements.

There’s been no increase in the gas tax in 20 years. And the federal Highway Trust Fund, which supplies California and other states with transportation dollars, has been broke since 2008.

An even-numbered election year like 2014 is unlikely to be the time elected officials decide how best to extract more money from their constituents — even if for needed transportation improvements.

Perhaps the Legislative Analyst might begin a 2015 discussion of the problem with a 2014 publication on the state of the state’s transportation funding.

A possible title:

Now What?

Via: California Political Review

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U.S. Sends Marines to Help Philippines After Typhoon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A team of about 90 U.S. Marines and sailors headed to the Philippines on Sunday, part of a first wave of promised U.S. military assistance for relief efforts after a devastating typhoon killed at least 10,000 people, U.S. officials said.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel this weekend ordered the U.S. military’s Pacific Command to assist with search and rescue operations and provide air support in the wake of super typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded.

The team of U.S. forces from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade left for the Philippines from a U.S. base in Okinawa, Japan, aboard two KC-130J Hercules transport aircraft, the Marines said in a statement.

Two Florida-based Navy P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft, which had been on a six month rotation to Misawa, Japan, have been prepositioned in the Philippines to assist with search and rescue operations, the Marines said.

The typhoon is estimated to have killed at least 10,000 people in the central Philippines. Most of the deaths appear to have been caused by surging sea water strewn with debris that many said resembled a tsunami, leveling houses and drowning its victims.

Via: WFB

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RNC Chair: 'We Will Tattoo' Obamacare to Dems' Foreheads in 2014

(CNSNews.com) - Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, says Republicans will clobber Democrats with the Affordable Care Act -- and President Obama's false promises about it -- in next year's mid-term elections.

"And this issue is going to be toxic for the Democrats," Priebus told CNN's "State of the Union With Candy Crowley." 

"And believe me, we will tattoo it to their foreheads in 2014. We will run on it. And they will lose because of it."

Priebus also told Crowley that Chris Christie isn't the only star in the Republican Party:

"Chris Christie is a conservative. I think he's going to do very well in all of his endeavors. But the fact is we've got stars all over our party, Candy," Priebus said.

"I mean, we're going to be the party that is fresh and new in 2016. It's the Democrats that are going to be rolling out the same old names that you would expect them to roll out. So I love our chances. I love our bench. And we're going to have a great primary season come a few years from no - 

Via: CNS News

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Annapolis Council To Consider Stripping Republican Mayor-Elect’s Power

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Days after a Republican was elected mayor of Annapolis, City Council members say they will revisit legislation that would strip the mayor’s office of much of its power.

Democratic Alderman Ross Arnett of Ward 8 tells The Capital he will introduce a charter amendment to move Annapolis to a council-manager style of government. The city manager would report directly to the City Council, not the mayor.

Under Arnett’s legislation, the mayor’s post would be largely ceremonial. The mayor would retain a single vote on the council. Arnett says the change would stabilize the city’s management.

If the measure is approved, it would mean the Democratic-dominated council would be removing the powers of the first Republican mayor elected since 1997.

Last week, Republican Mike Pantelides defeated Democratic incumbent Josh Cohen.

Via: CBS Baltimore

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Obama using food-stamp cash to fund Michelle’s ‘Let’s Move’

As you dig into your Butterball with all the trimmings this Thanksgiving, remember that millions of famished schoolkids around America may be forced to forgo classic turkey — and chow down instead on vegan black-bean patties and organic locavore quinoa salad.

On Nov. 1, sizable cuts were gouged into the federal food-stamp program (or, as it’s now called, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which feeds 47.6 million people, or nearly one in six Americans. In the city, 1.9 million folks get the bulk of their Jell-O and Campbell’s Soup from stamps.

But news has spread among the poor, like leafy green vegetables, that it wasn’t heartless Republicans who triggered the cuts.

Rather, some of the food-stamp cash was snatched to pay for Michelle Obama’s pet project, Let’s Move. What?

It’s come to this. Some 76 million meals a year will vanish from this city — poof! — partly because the president diverted money from SNAP to the first lady’s signature program, part of her Let’s Move anti-obesity initiative — the bean-sprout-heavy, $4.5 billion Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

The rest of the $5 billion annual food-stamp cuts was taken when 2009 stimulus funds dried up. But with ObamaCare woes stealing the oxygen in Washington, there’s little urgency to replace dandelion greens served on recyclable trays with family-friendly buttered mashed potatoes.

Via: NY Post

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Kristol, Carville spar over Obama approval numbers

On Monday’s “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol and Democratic strategist James Carville debated President Barack Obama’s low opinion numbers and if there are any hopes Obama can rebound and do something with his presidency.

Kristol downplayed the historical significance of the sinking numbers and suggested this had more to do with Obama’s failed policies.

“Can I say that you guys are over thinking this?” Kristol said. “Deep, historical, systemic things — Obamacare is a total disaster. If Obamacare were working well and if we were respected around the world and people had the sense that Iranians were in retreat and our allies had confidence in us, don’t you think Obama’s points would be 10 points higher? I don’t think this is due to history. This is due to the fact that his actual policies are failing: Americans are losing health insurance and Iranians are keeping their nuclear program.”

Carville fired back by saying there are a lot of things looking good for Obama and room for improvement, which in his opinion is cause not to give up on the president.

“Can I make a point here?” Carville replied. “The deficit is dropping as a percentage of GDP faster thany anytime since World War II. He saved the auto industry. Health-care costs are flattening any time better in the last 20 years. Teenage pregnancy is at an all-time low. And the health care thing — who’s to say. I do not know. But on Nov. 30 suppose it’s working well. Then that story will fade somewhat in the background. I think we can stop putting the nails in the coffin here. We can admit that there’s some real, deep, fundamental problems with this president. But I think we’re throwing the dirt here too soon, guys, I really do.”

Kristol agreed a lot hinged on the success of Obama’s policies, but that success could be a tall order.

“I agree with James in the sense it all depends on policies. If Obamacare works, if it turns out, hey, they love that new health insurance they’re paying more for and the system works wonderfully, the central planning for 320 million people really works much better than one might think it might, that’ll be — then he’ll be in better shape. Indeed — and, indeed, if Iran starts dismantling its nuclear weapons and we’re stronger around the world and people stop dying in Syria and so forth, then Obama’s numbers will go up. I agree. It’s about substance.”

Carville added that Obama has kept the country out of wars, but said the self-imposed Nov. 30 deadline to see that the Obamacare website functions properly will play in huge for Obama’s public opinion numbers.

Via: Daily Caller

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[CARTOON] Obamacare’s Big Sell

Via: California Political Review