Mitt Romney’s plan to federalize education reform
“What we do not need are prescriptive top-down mandates emanating from Washington D.C., which are so fashionable among many in the nation’s capital.”
– Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in his foreword to Mitt Romney’s “white paper” on education.
Promises such as that have become boiler-plate in Republican campaigns, which take as a given that there is no problem that cannot and should not be attributed to meddling by the federal government.
However, in reading Romney’s 35-page education white paper (more on that later), I was struck by the contradiction between that boiler-plate promise and the long string of new requirements that Romney would place on state and local governments.
They include, and I quote (emphasis mine):
– “Require states to adopt open-enrollment policies for students receiving Title I and IDEA funds, and to eliminate caps on charter and digital schools.” (Note: This part of the Romney plan would create a federally funded school voucher system, using federal tax dollars. Is a federal voucher system an enumerated power in the Constitution?)
– “To expand the supply of high-performing schools in and around districts serving low-income and special-needs students, states accepting Title I and IDEA funds will be required to take a series of steps to encourage the development of quality options:
First, adopt open-enrollment policies that permit eligible students to attend public schools outside of their school district that have the capacity to serve them. Second, provide access to and appropriate funding levels for digital courses and schools, which are increasingly able to offer materials tailored to the capabilities and progress of each student when used with the careful guidance of effective teachers. And third, ensure that charter school programs can expand to meet demand, receive funding under the same formula that applies to all other publicly supported schools, and access capital funds.”
– “Replace federally mandated school interventions with a requirement that states create straightforward public report cards that evaluate each school on its contribution to student learning.”
– “States must have in place standards to ensure that every high school graduate is prepared for college or work and, through annual testing, hold both students and educators accountable for meeting them. The results of this testing, for both their own children and their schools, must be readily available to parents in an easy-to-understand format.”
“… states seeking block grants will be required to establish evaluation systems based in part on effectiveness in advancing student achievement, reward effective teachers and principals with additional compensation and advancement opportunities, eliminate or reform teacher tenure, streamline the certification process for becoming a teacher, and prohibit seniority-based transfer and dismissal rules (including Last In, First Out layoffs).”
If I didn’t know better, I’d say that those sound very much like “prescriptive top-down mandates emanating from Washington D.C., which are so fashionable among many in the nation’s capital.”
They sound as if Washington will be dictating how teachers will be hired and fired and also how they will be compensated, evaluated and promoted. They sound as if Washington would dictate how and even whether teacher tenure is granted. They sound as if Washington will require states to promote vouchers and charter schools. They sound as if Washington will dictate standardized testing of students and how those tests will be used.
We can debate the wisdom of such steps, and as I noted above, I intend to come back to the white paper and to Romney’s speech this week on the topic, because it contains some important material. But for the moment, let’s just acknowledge the basic hypocrisy involved in claiming to reject federal mandates on Washington and then proposing an entire new slate of those very mandates.
The idea of a federal voucher alone makes this a Washington intervention of historic proportions.
– Jay Bookman
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230 comments Add your comment
Jefferson
May 25th, 2012
2:23 pm
Romney is just a greedy President Bush.
Look before I leap...
May 25th, 2012
2:23 pm
If Fox News and Rush Limbaugh are to be believed, American business is tottering on the edge of the abyss and life as we know it will soon come to an end.
Except for these guys….
From AP:
Profits at big U.S. companies broke records last year, and so did pay for CEOs.
The head of a typical public company made $9.6 million in 2011, according to an analysis by The Associated Press using data from Equilar, an executive pay research firm.
That was up more than 6 percent from the previous year, and is the second year in a row of increases. The figure is also the highest since the AP began tracking executive compensation in 2006.
Companies trimmed cash bonuses but handed out more in stock awards. For shareholder activists who have long decried CEO pay as exorbitant, that was a victory of sorts.
That’s because the stock awards are being tied more often to company performance. In those instances, CEOs can’t cash in the shares right away: They have to meet goals first, like boosting profit to a certain level.
http://www.ajc.com/business/typical-ceo-made-9-1446181.html
Adam
May 25th, 2012
2:24 pm
RB: The only way public sector ee’s can contribute to debt reduction is to resign an get a job that generates tax revenue instead of consuming it.
This kind of claptrap would be much more obviously ridiculous if the tax cuts had never taken place and we hadn’t overspent during the Republican Presidential AND Congressional years of 2000-2006, with consequences that exist even now.
Uh oh
May 25th, 2012
2:24 pm
“The only way public sector ee’s can contribute to debt reduction is to resign an get a job that generates tax revenue instead of consuming it.”
All previous and current military personnel all said just thank you for your take on their service
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:26 pm
Heard this today:
“Liberalism pushes self-esteem”
“Conservatism teaches self-control”
Thulsa Doom
May 25th, 2012
2:26 pm
Adam,
You never showed me to be wrong- about anything. And certainly not about your proposition that the U.S. govt can allocate scarce resources as efficiently as our private sector can. That statement alone shows everybody on here a degree of loonyness that is beyond belief. I still can’t fathom that you believe that. BTW I would shred your link except that I was unable to open it for some reason. Anyway you could post whatever nonsense was in it so that we can all laugh about your supposed evidence.
jm
May 25th, 2012
2:26 pm
“I agree with Jay. Sounds like the schools and teachers will be required to teach. I realize this is a novel concept for many of todays liberals which prefer a school system that doesn’t hurt anyone’s feelings especially the feelings of school teachers.”
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:27 pm
Mick:
Are you still looking up the number of car dealerships Obama closed down and the number of employees put out of work ?
davetv
May 25th, 2012
2:27 pm
Is it that you don’t want companies or people to maximize profits or is it just that you want to seize more of that money in taxes?
Joe Hussein Mama
May 25th, 2012
2:27 pm
0311 — “If you think she was “unaware”, I have some land in Florida I would like you to look at.”
You posted it *yourself,* Champ.
if you’re so sure she knew what she was doing, then trot out your proof.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:28 pm
Bumper Sticker:
“Give Your Kids Vitamin “N” …. No!”
Jm
May 25th, 2012
2:28 pm
Dragon docked with ISS
Awesome news
Good job elon musk. Cred to NASA. And a teeny sliver of cred to Obama (in motion pre Obama but he finished it out)
Adam
May 25th, 2012
2:29 pm
Thulsa: You never showed me to be wrong- about anything
Believing oneself to never be wrong is often the sign of a delusional mind.
Jm
May 25th, 2012
2:29 pm
All Americans should be proud today of SpaceX and our country
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
May 25th, 2012
2:29 pm
Well, why can’t we just set up a bunch of TV programs to teach the kids? I mean, we spend a fortune to build school buildings and pay teachers and stuff. Now everybody knows kids don’t do nothing but watch TV and check on their I-phones anyway. So set it up so they can’t get no channels except classes on TV. During school hours, that is.
You got to admit this school the way it’s run gets in the way of alot of things. Like NASCAR races and learning how to use a chainsaw and all kinds of stuff. If kids could go to school by watching TV or checking their I-phone, everybody would have 100% attendance. And the education would be just as good as what we have now. Heck, it couldn’t be worse.
And that way I wouldn’t need to pay taxes so people like josef could lay around on his ass all summer.Anyhow, it’s just a idea. I’ll see y’all at FNM.
Look before I leap...
May 25th, 2012
2:30 pm
“Are you still looking up the number of car dealerships Obama closed down and the number of employees put out of work ?”
Someone parked in my assigned parking spot this morning. I think it was Obama’s fault.
MrLiberty
May 25th, 2012
2:30 pm
Shut down the Department of Education and ELIMINATE all Federal involvement in education – PERIOD!
This was once in the contract for america. Now every GOP leader (Except Ron Paul of couse) seems to agree that there should be a role for the feds in education. Just look at the horrors of the Bush administration and NCLB. There is no role whatsoever for the feds in education if you actually READ the Constitution and follow it. Its in plain english. You don’t need a bunch of clowns in black robes to interpret it. Everything the feds do with regards to education is unconstitutional.
Mitt Romney = Barak Obama. The republicans still have a choice. They can nominate Ron Paul and actually give america a real choice between freedom and fascism this election. Fascism vs. fascism is no choice at all.
davetv
May 25th, 2012
2:30 pm
On average, how many private sector people have to work and pay their taxes in order to pay the salary of one government employee?
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:30 pm
Joe:
You wouldn’t care if she told you herself !
Uh oh
May 25th, 2012
2:31 pm
RB
That goes for FBI, CIA, Secret Service, Border Patrol, ICE, etc
They all gave a collectuve thank you for your take on their service to this country
Adam
May 25th, 2012
2:31 pm
Thulsa: And certainly not about your proposition that the U.S. govt can allocate scarce resources as efficiently as our private sector can.
Find where I said that. I double dog dare you.
That statement alone shows everybody on here a degree of loonyness that is beyond belief.
What that statement shows is that you have every ability to think I said something I didn’t say.
I still can’t fathom that you believe that.
Of course you can fathom it. YOU are the one who made that up.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:31 pm
Joe:
“Pal”
Common Sense
May 25th, 2012
2:32 pm
“The problem with HOPE is it is used by people who can afford the education without using it. It needs income caps.”
Parents have no fiscal responsibility for the college education of their children. You cannot mandate it by law.
So to use a parent’s income to tell a kid he has no access to a Hope scholarship because of his parent’s income is wrong.
Hope is for all students who meet the standards, not just children of the families you feel are worthy.
Adam
May 25th, 2012
2:34 pm
Thulsa: BTW, I see what you did there, now. So you will find that I said they are essentially equal, but you’re making the same assertion that this is somehow insane. I already backed up my statement. Care to back up your statement that government is always less efficient, and that onlya fool would believe otherwise?
Ok, ok, I will let you pass on the latter part. You don’t have to prove that only a fool would believe otherwise
HDB
May 25th, 2012
2:34 pm
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
Hummmm ……………………
“President Obama took an apparent racial swipe at Colin Powell in a 1994 NPR interview in which he implied the four-star general is acceptable to “white America.”
Scout…..it’s not a swipe since it’s the TRUTH!!
Joe Hussein Mama
May 25th, 2012
2:35 pm
0311 — “Joe: You wouldn’t care if she told you herself !”
She didn’t tell me herself. You just POSTED it yourself. Do you even read the stuff you post before you hit the Submit button?
jconservative
May 25th, 2012
2:35 pm
The idea that modern Republicans are small government conservatives is pure fiction.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:35 pm
Look before you leap:
Headline: “Obama Closing of Auto Dealerships Cost Tens of Thousands of Jobs, Government Audit Suggests”
“A new audit by Neil Barofsky, the Inspector General of the TARP program, suggests that the Obama administration made a huge mistake when it closed a number of auto dealerships when it seized control of Chrysler and GM.”
http://voices.yahoo.com/obama-closing-auto-dealerships-cost-tens-thousands-6428292.html
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/07/19/128625027/obama-team-overdid-car-dealer-closings-watchdog
Look before I leap...
May 25th, 2012
2:36 pm
“Hope is for all students who meet the standards, not just children of the families you feel are worthy.”
I agree. But with demand exceeding resources, you have 3 options:
Increase the flow of money into HOPE
Decrease HOPE benefits
Increase the standards
Mighty Righty
May 25th, 2012
2:36 pm
Regarding Obama’s extravagant spending spree which the left is now pulling out all stops to distort and hide. Here are the only facts anyone needs to know. The U.S. is no 15.7 billion dollars debt the largest in the history of the world and Obama has spent more money in 3.5 years than the hated George Bush did in 8 years and further if Obama is reelected and continues his spending spree he will spend more money than all presidents combined dating back to George Washington. BTW, pray tell what on earth do we have to show for this extravaganza? Further, if this spending is not so bad why is are the loons hell bent on hiding the facts from the public?
Adam
May 25th, 2012
2:36 pm
President Obama took an apparent racial swipe at Colin Powell in a 1994 NPR interview in which he implied the four-star general is acceptable to “white America.”
I love how you guys have to keep reaching into the past to take digs at Obama. A past that is before January 20, 2009, which you have already indicated is a demarcation point.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:36 pm
Joe:
Keep your head in the sand.
Mick
May 25th, 2012
2:38 pm
1811
Just to show you I really think obama is just OK and heads and shoulders above romney, I totally agree with the point penn jillete makes here-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/penn-jillette-slams-obama-drug-policy-states-rights-video_n_1533004.html
Joe Hussein Mama
May 25th, 2012
2:40 pm
0311 — “Joe: Keep your head in the sand.”
You know, keeping one’s head in the sand and believing the unsupported crap you just happen to make up are two different things.
If it’s such unassailable truth, then PROVE she knew it. Otherwise, take a hike.
Either strap on a pair and prove what you said or man up and accept that other people aren’t just going to fall in line because you said something.
I'm a liberal and believe everything I read and nothing the other side comes up with...cause we're smart and they are not
May 25th, 2012
2:40 pm
Off subject, but I have to laugh about all the stories about Obama declaring martial law before the election….LOL………..number 1, there are about 500,000 military ground troops in the armed services and I would say 1.5 mil cops……..There are 40 million well armed hunters alone in the US. Good luck with that. Also, I doubt 90% of the ALL VOLUNTEER services would obey the order, Sleep tight tonight.
HDB
May 25th, 2012
2:40 pm
Scout….in a mock election….Powell would have beaten Obama….which makes that statement true!! Here’s the link….
http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=25478.0
Mick
May 25th, 2012
2:40 pm
mighty@ 2:36
Your rant has been debunked so many times its ten times worse than beating a dead horse…but keep on believin inside that nice little bubble you inhabit…
Joe Hussein Mama
May 25th, 2012
2:41 pm
Righty — “Obama has spent more money in 3.5 years than the hated George Bush did in 8 years and further if Obama is reelected and continues his spending spree he will spend more money than all presidents combined dating back to George Washington.”
“Deficits don’t matter.”
–Vice President Dick Cheney
I'm a liberal and believe everything I read and nothing the other side comes up with...cause we're smart and they are not
May 25th, 2012
2:43 pm
It won’t even be about the deficits with Obama. It’ll be about the plight of the 50% paying in the system and ones not paying in who want to.
davetv
May 25th, 2012
2:44 pm
We need to spend our tax dollars more like when you go to Subway. At Subway, you tell them what you want, you watch them make what you ordered, and you pay for what you directed them to make. If you get to your table and your sandwich is wrong- it’s your fault because you had total oversight.
Instead of having oversight of how our taxes are spent, we send a lump sum of money every week with our sandwich order to some restaurant in the sky and wait for them to decide what kind of sandwich we really want, what condiments are on it, who we need to share our sandwich with, where we eat our sandwich, how much our sandwich costs and when we get our sandwich. Chances are, it’s not going to be what we ordered.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:45 pm
EGADS ! Warning: Graphic !!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/25/hillary-clinton-photo-caption-contest_n_1545548.html
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:46 pm
HDB: Thanks
Joe Hussein Mama : Yawn !
I'm a liberal and believe everything I read and nothing the other side comes up with...cause we're smart and they are not
May 25th, 2012
2:47 pm
Obama losing ground big time with the 21-29 group, college educated. Fool me once motto comes to mind.
Look before I leap...
May 25th, 2012
2:47 pm
0311:
The bulk of the dealership job losses (about 178K) occurred between Jan 2008 and Jan 2009, prior to Obama taking office.
The dealership closing plans were included in the TARP applications submitted to the BUSH administration.
That dealerships continued to close after Obama took office is true, but they closed because they were NOT selling cars and were not profitable.
Basic capitalistic theory says, if you can’t make money doing it, stop doing it.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 25th, 2012
2:47 pm
0311 — “Joe Hussein Mama : Yawn !”
Your surrender is hereby accepted.
Jm
May 25th, 2012
2:48 pm
Jhm Cheney was a liberal
Thulsa Doom
May 25th, 2012
2:50 pm
“Believing the U.S. govt can allocate resources as efficiently as the private sector is often the sign of a delusional mind.”
Corrected your typo Adam.
And certainly not about your proposition that the U.S. govt can allocate scarce resources as efficiently as our private sector can.- Doom
Find where I said that. I double dog dare you.- Adam
Back to semantics games again Adam. You may not have said it exactly that way but you certainly said or at least implied that the U.S. govt can efficiently allocate scarce resources as well as the private sector right? You did say or imply something very close to that correct?
“Of course you can fathom it. YOU are the one who made that up” Adam
Adam with his semantics games again. Are we at least accurate in saying that you believe that the U.S. govt can efficiently allocate a dollar of scarce resources as well as the private sector? If not then please enlighten us again as to exactly what you are trying to say sir.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:51 pm
“The Boston Globe this morning reported that Harvard University listed the Democratic Massachusetts Senate candidate as a Native American for six years in its federal diversity statistics — the latest example of Warren having been labeled a minority by the school.
The difference with this case, though, is that the Globe reports that such designations are almost always based on how an employee identified him or herself.”
Mick
May 25th, 2012
2:52 pm
HDB
Yes, but did powell have the cajones to run for president and put himself out there? NO – fact His wife was afraid that he would be an assassination target, so he didn’t run. Obama, fully aware of being a target, took it on..another gutsy call…
Contrarian
May 25th, 2012
2:53 pm
Rules for regrssives: lie; cheat; steal; obfuscate; lie. Yes, the draw inspiration from Dodgeball.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 25th, 2012
2:54 pm
0311 — “The difference with this case, though, is that the Globe reports that such designations are almost always based on how an employee identified him or herself.”
Oh, don’t want to surrender? Fine. Where’s your proof?
Joe Hussein Mama
May 25th, 2012
2:55 pm
Jm — “Jhm Cheney was a liberal”
I expect you’d like for us to believe that, but it’s not going to happen.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 25th, 2012
2:56 pm
Folks, I’m out. Everyone drive safely and play safely this weekend. Come back in one piece — hopefully a non-hung-over one — next week.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:56 pm
Look before I leap:
“That dealerships continued to close after Obama took office is true, but they closed because they were NOT selling cars and were not profitable.”
Many disagree with you …….. it’s a complicated case. Time will tell ……. time will tell.
Headline: “Car Dealers Press Case Against U.S. Over Bailout, Citing Constitution”
“U.S. government bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler became a constitutional battleground when they were pushed through bankruptcy court in 2009.
Turns out the battle isn’t over just yet.
More than 220 former car dealers are pressing their case that the Obama administration violated the U.S. Constitution when the car makers terminated franchise agreements while in bankruptcy restructuring.
They are seeking compensatory damages ranging from $500,000 to more than $5 million apiece.”
Uh oh
May 25th, 2012
2:56 pm
“It’ll be about the plight of the 50% paying in the system and ones not paying in who want to.”
What do you think the lower ranking enlisted military personnel, many who qualify for EITC, would think of what you think of them in terms of who pays into the system?
Common Sense
May 25th, 2012
2:56 pm
“I agree. But with demand exceeding resources, you have 3 options:
Increase the flow of money into HOPE
Decrease HOPE benefits
Increase the standards”
So you penalize some because of their parent’s income?
How thoughtful.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:57 pm
Joe:
Take it up with the Globe.
Mick
May 25th, 2012
2:57 pm
jm
If romney couldn’t defeat ted kennedy, what makes you think he can best obama? Get ready for a bain wreck…
HDB
May 25th, 2012
2:57 pm
Mick
May 25th, 2012
2:52 pm
No argument with me!! Just making the point that what is considered a swipe by some isn’t….but the truth that many wish not to admit!!
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:57 pm
P.S.:
“But the latest report confirms that the media in that state is continuing to dig and find things, and that means that the issue isn’t likely to be put to rest for some time.”
Brosephus™
May 25th, 2012
2:58 pm
The only way public sector ee’s can contribute to debt reduction is to resign an get a job that generates tax revenue instead of consuming it.
Sure Mr. Retail Man, and if you sale, use, or operate anything that’s imported, you wouldn’t get it without it clearing customs first. You’re so hung up on your rhetoric that you can’t even acknowledge the things government is Constitutionally required to do. If every customs and immigration officer resigned as you suggested, this country would grind to a complete stop in a matter of days if they were not replaced.
HDB
May 25th, 2012
3:01 pm
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
2:56 pm
Scout….that won’t be an issue…..remember how the Bush Administration pushed Lehman Brothers into bankruptcy court in order to create TARP…with the idea to SAVE the American economy?? Note the Preamble to the Constitution: “…to provide for the general welfare”…..
There is a precedent…………..
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
3:02 pm
Joe Hussein Mama:
And as we also discussed the other day, let’s have Harvard release Obama’s enrollment records …………….. did he “claim” foreign student status even though he was an American citizen?
That one could be cleared up today !
HDB
May 25th, 2012
3:03 pm
Brosephus™
May 25th, 2012
2:58 pm
You mean MINUTES….don’t you?? With the flow of money being controlled via computer…..the stoppage of revenue streams can happen within minutes…..
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
3:03 pm
HDB:
I hear you but courts can be fickle ………. and two wrongs (precedent or not) don’t make it right.
Thulsa Doom
May 25th, 2012
3:04 pm
“Care to back up your statement that government is always less efficient, and that onlya fool would believe otherwise?”
Govt is not always less inefficient- just the overwhelming majority of the time. One can probably find isolated instances of govt doing something better than the private sector but generally speaking that is the exception and not the rule.
And I think you may be confusing market failure with the idea that govt is more efficient. Market failure alludes to instances where there is no incentive for a private entity to undertake a project either because its not profitable or because the vast scale of the project does not allow for a private firm to do it. Examples would be the Panama canal, Hoover dam, interstate highway system, and the rural electrification act.
Nobody is saying that govt does not have a role or that there are things that govt can’t do. What I am saying is that generally speaking that almost anything that can be done via the private sector versus govt the private sector is going to do a better job of it. Why? Because a private sector entity generally allocates a dollar of scarce resources more efficiently than govt. And again. That’s something few people would dispute. Only a fool would believe otherwise.
Look before I leap...
May 25th, 2012
3:08 pm
“So you penalize some because of their parent’s income?
How thoughtful”
I am not advocating any course of action.
I am simply stating a mathematical fact.
Please do not put words into my mouth.
Super TaxPayer PAC
May 25th, 2012
3:09 pm
And I’ll bet the real kicker to Romney’s top down approach (aka, more trickle down) is that it will be funded by more tax cuts for the wealthiest.
Brosephus™
May 25th, 2012
3:13 pm
HDB
I was referring more to the practice of just in time shipping to avoid warehousing costs and the free movement of workers across the border. If that tanker of crude oil can’t clear the border, that load can’t be offloaded. If that cargo plane full of goods can’t be cleared, it can’t be unloaded. There are also many workers, both foreign and American, that depend on the ability to get in and out of the country as quickly as possible. Those duties are required to be done by the Constitution.
Adam
May 25th, 2012
3:15 pm
Thulsa: Govt is not always less inefficient- just the overwhelming majority of the time. One can probably find isolated instances of govt doing something better than the private sector but generally speaking that is the exception and not the rule.
Back this up with facts please. Facts I found show that you are incorrect.
Why? Because a private sector entity generally allocates a dollar of scarce resources more efficiently than govt. And again. That’s something few people would dispute. Only a fool would believe otherwise.
Like I said, this is all you have. A subjective opinion and a subjective opinion to back up your subjective opinion. In other words – nothing.
Jefferson
May 25th, 2012
3:15 pm
Why not just fix the problems with gov’t, instead the GOP wants to profit off gov’t.
Adam
May 25th, 2012
3:16 pm
Bro: If every customs and immigration officer resigned as you suggested, this country would grind to a complete stop in a matter of days if they were not replaced.
And that’s just a teeny tiny aspect of government too. There are tons of agencies and employees that would basically result in the same effect.
josef
May 25th, 2012
3:19 pm
I’ll wait until I’ve read the white paper to make comment, but for now let me just say that if it’s coming from the federal government level, I don’t trust it much to begin with…
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
3:22 pm
“HOW TO INSTALL A SOUTHERN STYLE HOME SECURITY SYSTEM
1. Go to Goodwill and buy a pair of size 14-16 men’s work boots.
2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo Magazines.
3. Put four giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.
4. Leave a note on your door that reads:
Bubba,
Me and Marcel, Virgil, Erra, T-Bone and Jimmy Earl went for more ammo and a gallon of sweet tea. Be back in an hour. Don’t mess with the pit bulls. They got the mailman this morning and messed him up bad. I don’t think Killer took part, but it was hard to tell from all the blood. Anyway, I locked all four of ‘em in the house. Better wait outside. Be right back.
Cooter
Adam
May 25th, 2012
3:22 pm
josef: I have equal distrust for all forms of authority. That is to say, I don’t just believe what I am told because of the source, nor do I assume that it is good because of the source. I also don’t immediately think that it is bad or a complete lie either, because of the source. And in case we have any nit[pickers out there, it is sources of authority I am talking about. YOU don’t count.
Look before I leap...
May 25th, 2012
3:24 pm
“Govt is not always less inefficient- just the overwhelming majority of the time. One can probably find isolated instances of govt doing something better than the private sector but generally speaking that is the exception and not the rule.”
I’d agree except in one area, the area of developing innovative technologies where risk-averse private enterprise and near-term ROI requirements or highly capital intensive investment is required.
The government is perfectly suited for such endeavors because they don’t have to show near-term results and financial return.
We spent nearly 30 billion dollars in the 60’s to put 12 men on the moon.
We did not do this for national pride and there was no pot of gold buried in the moondust.
We did it to tell the USSR, don’t even THINK of weaponizing space.
HDB
May 25th, 2012
3:25 pm
Brosephus™
May 25th, 2012
3:13 pm
I’m with you on that….
As an IT person, I also know that JIT has enormous pressure on cash flow! For as many HOURS a shipment is delayed, that plays havoc on a revenue stream….and a matter of minutes can be the difference between profit and bankruptcy!1 Remember how during the banking collapse how GE was catching issues due to its finance division?? It rolls downhill…..
Jm
May 25th, 2012
3:26 pm
Mick
We’ll see I think Romney has a very good chance
Nothwithstanding your catchy sloganeering
Doggone/GA
May 25th, 2012
3:26 pm
“So you penalize some because of their parent’s income?”
You aren’t “penalizing” anyone, because they will go to college regardless…since they can ALREADY afford it.
RB from Gwinnett
May 25th, 2012
3:28 pm
Uh oh, go play your childish game with somebody else.
Jm
May 25th, 2012
3:30 pm
Scout 3:22 hilarious
Adam
May 25th, 2012
3:30 pm
I’d agree except in one area, the area of developing innovative technologies where risk-averse private enterprise and near-term ROI requirements or highly capital intensive investment is required.
You agree about it in other areas than the one you cited, but that’s because you believe it to be true for the other areas. What I want to see is some hard evidence that the government, as a rule with a few exceptions, does things less efficiently than the private sector. My contention is that, statistically, there is no significant difference between government and private sector in terms of efficiency. A source of data to back this up is here: http://www.psiru.org/reports/2005-10-W-effic.doc
josef
May 25th, 2012
3:35 pm
ADAM
“I also don’t immediately think that it is bad or a complete lie either, because of the source”
I do. That way on those very, very rare occasions where it’s not, I can be pleasantly surprised.
But, this is education specifically being addressed here, and federal involvement there I will damn out of hand…it’s dangerous in my opinion…
Adam
May 25th, 2012
3:36 pm
josef: I find it more dangerous to damn any argument or position out of hand.
josef
May 25th, 2012
3:41 pm
ADAM
What can I say? At heart, I’m a Jeffersonian in these matters.
Dems_R_Idiots
May 25th, 2012
3:41 pm
Since the Democrat creature known as the DOE has done such a wonderful job on the education front, Go Mitt Go!
Look before I leap...
May 25th, 2012
3:42 pm
@Adam:
As the owner of a data crunching consulting firm that has numerous private business and public sector contracts, I can tell you anecdotally, my admin costs for public sector contracts are easily 20% higher (from RFP to program admin and reporting) than what I incur with similar contracts in the private sector. My bids reflect those additional costs.
Another case in point, one private sector energy client had multiple sites. I filled out one form was issued one ID badge and had all the access I needed. This took 6 hours to accomplish.
I had a concurrent contract with the DOE. I had to fill out 31 forms for site access and it took 7 weeks. I also ended up with 15 different badges.
jm
May 25th, 2012
3:43 pm
jay.
you and kyle getting along?
dueling reports on Obama’s spending habits? uh oh
MrLiberty
May 25th, 2012
3:45 pm
davetv @2:44pm – You make a good point, but the only way to achieve total accountability for the money we spend would be to eliminate the government completely, allow private companies to competitively provide ALL of the services that anyone might want, allow market forces to determine winners and losers, allow private and competitive arbitration to decide conflicts, hold everyone accountable for fraud, force, etc. and allow everyone to actually decide EXACTLY where their money is going and for what.
Sounds like the greatest system of governance anyone could hope for. That is the definition of Anarcho-Capitalism, a philosophy that is being embraced by more and more people worldwide as they see the true reality and face of government (and its chronic failure at everything it does). The best site to read more about this voluntarist approach to human interaction is lewrockwell.com. You are absolutely on to something. Go with it, its the right approach.
Moderate Line
May 25th, 2012
3:49 pm
You can’t complain about ideological rigidity then complain when one party or candidate steps away from it.
skipper
May 25th, 2012
3:50 pm
School systems are SO SCREWED UP NOW that any cure-of-the-day is deemed applicable…………APS is a prime example….it would take Shakespeare 7 quill-pens and 4 barrells of ink to write about how messed up this cluster is, AND THIS IS NOT A LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE VIEW; this is a cold, hard fact, no matter which (if any) camp you are in! We need a cure, but the incompetants we have there now are part of the reason somebody is looking to do something!!!
getalife
May 25th, 2012
3:51 pm
He finally told the truth on spending cuts will harm our economy.
Thulsa Doom
May 25th, 2012
3:53 pm
Scout,
Those are 2 issues that could come back to haunt Obama.
1-Several of us have read that various GM dealers were claiming that they were closed down purely due to politics while O’s administration picked and chose winning dealers based on political contributions and party affiliation. Just more blatant corruption and crony capitalism.
2- Did O try to claim foreign status as a student to get into Harvard? His Harvard records need to be opened up and examined. According to his own biography and I paraphrase he “drifted through his last 2 years of high school, attended class sparingly, drank a lot of beer, and enthusiastically engaged in drug use”. These are his own words from his own book.
What I want to know is how does one who drifted through high school and attended class sparingly get into Columbia and Harvard. How??? Did he get in by claiming status as a foreign student? Its a pretty legitimate question for a man who clearly was not vetted by the media the first go round.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
3:56 pm
Thulsa:
Thank you ……….. but it won’t come from the so called “main stream” media.
They are in bed with him.
Where are those great investigative reporters of yesteryear ? You know, the “Woodward and Bernsteins” of today !
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 25th, 2012
3:56 pm
Going out on patrol …………… Everyone be nice !
josef
May 25th, 2012
3:56 pm
skipper
Yep. It’s what happens when the bureaucrats are in control. Education is the last place we need a bureaucracy. But they ain’t goin nowhere no time soon. We might as well throw out the whole idea of “reform,” shut the s*cker down and start all over from scratch…
JamVet
May 25th, 2012
3:57 pm
Education matters are, to me, as perplexing as economic matters. They are enormously complicated and interrelated and the many layers and facets of the systems and problems simply do not lend themselves to puerile “fixes” like many of those proffered here.
I was a very good student. Because I worked very hard at it. Intellectual curiosity is a wonderful thing!
And gawd knows that where and when I went to school is radically different than from what kids in this metropolitan area go through. Therefore, I’m pretty sure that I don’t have any “answers” other than that for those children who are lazy or distracted or whatever, what do you expect? A straight A average?
Besides I have bigger problems right now. I’m thinking of changing the name of my fantasy baseball team to the 62 Mets…
skipper
May 25th, 2012
3:58 pm
@josef,
You are right on………………
josef
May 25th, 2012
3:59 pm
THULSA
I’d like to see those transcripts myself, but not for any of the reasons being bandied about. I’d just like to know see the full curriculum vitae of the man we hired to do the job of chief executive…
Thulsa Doom
May 25th, 2012
4:02 pm
“Back this up with facts please. Facts I found show that you are incorrect.”
Adam,
I already did. I used North Korea which is the ultimate guide to the efficiency of how successful govt works. Another example would be the former Soviet Union.
But enough. Lets look at just one sector of the economy to see which provides a better product shall we. How about education? Sooooo Adam. Both the private sector and the govt do education. Which one produces a better product?
Its going to be fascinating watching you try to say that govt does a better job of education than private schools. Go ahead Adam. Try and tell me that govt public schools do better than private schools.