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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (229271)	2/20/2002 11:05:49 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Flapjack, let me get this in before the other posters do: "But the public school system, led by the NEA, already teach our children to hate America, blah, blah, blah."

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (229271)	2/20/2002 11:15:54 PM
From: Selectric II	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Not likely. You fan the flames of hate and hysteria, but that's what you're all about, isn't it, Flapjack?

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (229271)	2/21/2002 12:31:39 AM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

flapjack, a United States Public school should teach basic citizenship lessons about our history, and encourage patriotism and pride, not hatred of America. We have much to be thankful for. If a Muslim school were founded under the umbrella of vouchers and parents sent their children to it. I would hope it would be teach the kind of Muslim philosophy in which 90% of the Muslims in the world practice. That of moderation, tolerance, peace and valuing of diversity of thought. To have a school which teaches hatred of America under the Taliban like mindset of Muslim orthodoxy, would be nothing more than a religious sect. I would imagine some radical religious (private) school sect does exist in America today. And that some may even be supported indirectly by tax-payer dollars. Would the type of school you're describing be very much different? In a free society, weird views of life will exist in a small minority of people. When those weirdo's present a danger to the society around them we should act to prevent danger from spilling on innocent people. I would hope someone better equipped, both intellectually and morally, would be in charge then existed during the Waco fiasco. I've said this on many occasions in the past, but perhaps I should repeat it again. Vouchers are no panacea, and most of the conservatives who support it understand that. It won't fix all the problems in our society as they relate to education. Nor will it create the atmosphere in which stupid people will not exist. But really, let's face it, stupid people do exist in our public education system today, and narrow minded people do on rare occasion teach a sort of secularistic hatred of America in the classroom. Let's take a look for a moment at higher education as an example. Choice exists in higher education. And in many ways it's a sort of partial voucher system. Our tax dollars heavily subsidize state colleges. Recently a lot of press attention was given toward a female teacher having sex on stage with students. For extra credit students were encouraged to participate in what basically amounted to a classroom orgy. Is this "education"? Were our tax dollars which subsidized this endeavor used wisely? Vouchers are not a utopian answer, and they may on rare occasion create an uncomfortable situation which will have to be dealt with. But when balanced against the potentially positive impact they will surely have, it's not even a close call. Today, we have a public education system which is in disastrous shape. We keep spending more and more money under the belief we can fix the systemic problems with dollars alone. The structure of the system is what is killing public education. The same monopolistic government structure which has crippled the economy of the every purely government controlled nation of the world. When you have no "urgency to change" the system. The system fails toward the path of least resistance. In public education that path is toward the funding source, meaning political connections. The real customers (parents and students) are but a side show toward the most powerful reward mechanism the system has in place. That customer power which creates value in every market driven industry in the world, must be encouraged to exist within the framework of public education if we're to have any hope of long lasting systemic improvements. Vouchers are a step in the right direction. Everywhere they have been tried dramatic structural change begins to take shape. The system starts thinking about the customers again. The system starts looking for ways to meet the needs of the customers. The system starts to do what it should have been doing all along and aligning its mission, visions and values toward its new funding source. Educational improvement doesn't happen over night, but the more time it's given, the more positive change begins to take place. The antithesis of morbidity, stagnation, decay, and despair take place. Parents begin to feel empowered again. They begin to take back what was always theirs but controlled by bureaucrats for too long. They begin to see a light of hope, in an otherwise dark and frustrating place. Every parent wants a wonderful education for their children. And practically every parent wants to send their kids to the exclusive private schools liberal politicians like Al Gore and Bill Clinton sent their children to. Why don't we try and create that exclusive private school everywhere in America? Why don't we give the parents of poor inner city schools, who in poll after poll support choice in education, the same opportunity Chelsea Clinton had to be educated?