Is Louisiana the future of Georgia’s education system?

I believe the expression you’re looking for is “race to the bottom”

not that Louisiana has that far to go …

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ooooooooo … firsties, too …

my day is now made.

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Although, Jay … I can’t believe you brought up the Louisiana voucher program and DIDN’T mention Valerie “religious freedom is for Christians” Hodges

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2012/07/louisiana_lawmaker_needs_lesso.html

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The next step is selling off all that pesky educational real estate at pennies on the dollar to the new class of educational entrepreneurial.

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While I do disagree with what is going on with your hand picked samples from Louisiana, I do agree with the fact that parents should be able to take their kids to the best school possible and use the money they pay in taxes to do that. Ga ranks in the bottom every year in education. They system is broke and parents are getting fed up. Parents blame the teachers, teachers blame the parents. There are a select few who have had it, and want change. Is this the answer? I guess time will tell, when they try to go to college.

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By the way, as a comment on the topic, for reals…

So, the tax issue aside (because people will argue that the money is theirs anyway and if they’d never had to have it forcibly removed from their bank accounts they’d blah blah blah naive and self-centered whatever), the question of “Who are you to tell ME what to do?!” can be answered by: Your Employer.

A person’s ability to be a contributing member of society rests on their ability to get a job that pays the bills. And that’s related to education, be it self-employed, blue collar, white collar, whatetver.

In 15 years or less we’re going to have a huge population of kids graduating from these fake schools (I bet you many of them set up simply to make a profit and the other many set up to impose religious education). And they won’t qualify for further education. And they’ll end up on public assistance.

Fantastic.

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Willie, no comment on the topic? Only here to bash the author? Nice. Another intellectual joining the discussion.

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@barking frog – it’s not free if they can’t get a job.

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irun
you have the freedom to
not work in right to work
states.

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Sounds promising. Anything to get us off the Chicago-Washington track.

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haha : “gives state officials not just the right but the obligation to ensure that the money is well-spent” Morning laugh.

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Jay, would you let your children go to Fulton County Schools ? Vouchers please.

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Keep ‘em stupid.

Then they vote right.

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@bark – still not free. Burden on society due to the actions of said society. Downward spiral.

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The voucher approach is a copout for state and local politicians that fail. Much easier than doing their jobs.

If public education works in Mass, Maryland, New Jersey, etc. it can work in LA, GA, SC. The difference is the competence of State and Local government.

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Also, Shout Out to APS. My son, Ruckus, was at Lin and is at Inman in the Fall and then onward to Grady!

(Also, he will have a free education at Emory waiting for him).

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irun
freedom as in free choice
not free as in no cost.

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Ok, my bingo card is ready. I’m looking for the “Throw[ing] money at the problem” talking point, and the ever popular “Government Schools” epithet.

scanning…

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I really do not want my tax dollars going to some religious nutter of a school if this is going to be the case then we need to start taxing churches to pay for it

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‘Yes, LHU, I am.’

Sorry if I am beating a dead horse, but how do you know this? If true, no amount of $ will fix the problem and changing schools certainly won’t help.

IMO, the biggest difference in the school systems I mentioned is competence of elected officials, school administrators, and teachers.

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if you want to see where Democrats want to take our educational system, just look at Chicago…or LA. Yikes!

Why don’t you do that, do a like:like comparison to large metro areas of states run by Republicans, and let us know what you find out about expected achievement levels.

Since apparently you’re such an expert in such matters that you are going “yikes” about Chicago and Los Angeles, you must have such info at your fingertips.

Right? Willie? You can do this for us, yes?

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Jay
when josef arrives he will
splode….

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Hmmm…well obviously Georgia’s system is working out so much better. But hey..at least we let libs indoctrinate them with evolution theories.

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evolution theories.

yippee! I needed that one for the card. Just two more to go now.

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Jay@7:35, I see your point, but my experience in GA shows that school districts that literally touch each other can perform drastically differently. That has nothing to do with agrarian or commercial tradition, IMO.

The public schools my kids are in are outstanding (they blow away the local private schools). They are far from perfect and need to improve, but, by and large are good schools.

Just down the road, not so much…

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This is about prayer in schools.

Teach your kid to pray privately, quietly, to themselves.

Just like every kid did and still does before a trig quiz.

Problem solved.

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I recall similar scoffing when Kennesaw (Sp?) passed their gun law. The libs shut up quick when the stats came out showing a reduction in violent crime. They were so sure the opposite would happen. I can’t wait to see how this turns out. Maybe it’ll be a bust..Maybe not. What seems to bother the libs so much is the loss of control. People like Jay can’t fathom that parents want a say in what their kids are taught and seek by law to keep that from happening.

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Jay @ 7:35.
Finally somebody figured that on out.
The county where I teach has an overall graduation rate of about 45%. Right now we graduate about 70% of our incoming freshmen.

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Granny – praryer is surely in the equation, but this is really about getting the Federal governments nose out of as many things as possible. And, countering the liberal doctrination so rampant in public education. It also retains liberty for both sides of the debate.

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As a baby boomer I went to Fla public schools then got caught up in a religious frenzy of the late 1960’s movements – went to a ‘bible college’ in SE Atlanta @ my own expense, earning a BS, ThB, & MA degree. After 25 years of not being able to get a competitive job in private industry after leaving the religious arena I went to GSU in Atlanta & earned a BBA & MBA degrees. Now have a good position paying reasonably well. My point is that my religious education made me a well-rounded individual knowledgeable about many things but my degrees were WORTHLESS in the job market outside of the closed religious community. Saddens me to see that my country is becomming infested with religious zealots that have NO idea what is required to function in today’s job markets. As stated in the old testament – there is a time and a season for all things.

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I’m off to see the Wizard. Bye until tomorrow.

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praryer [sic] is surely in the equation

thanks for confirming that, J-Reb.

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Misty Fyed- I think you might want to go back to school to learn the definition of indoctrination. You apparently don’t understand what it means.

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I don’t pay taxes to send someone elses child to a private school, and I refuse to pay for some other person’s private education. If some people were not so friggin’ intent on destroying the educational system, we wouldn’t even have this conversation. However, we have a segment of our society that is hellbent on destroying anything and everything related to government under the guise that government is the problem.

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My head doesn’t explode to hear opinion about evolution stands. I’ve taken a great deal of time studying what is known and what is theory. It takes more faith to believe evolution (macro evolution anyway) than creationism. I’d sooner believe we were planted by aliens than evolution. You libs make the mistake of believing anyone who disagrees with how you see the world is uneducated, close minded, and backwards. You don’t grasp the concept that people can study the same science you do and come to different conclusions.

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And, countering the liberal doctrination so rampant in public education.

I wouldn’t put that pile of BS too close to an open flame. After all, methane is highly combustible. I learned that in a public school a long time ago.

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The anti-voucher side is
about fear of defunding
public schools and i think
that fear is misplaced.This
could easily improve public
schools by causing smaller
classes, smaller schools
and better instruction
and better salaries.

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If you get government money, you should have to meet government standards

Just like with welfare and unemployment and government contracts

Doing so much so fast is going to generate some headline making blowups

The status quo is also not acceptable

Charter schools are my preferred route

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“I think the money should follow the child”

Ok, as long as it’s ONLY the parents money that follows them. Leave MY money alone.

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Creationism is not science and is not comparable to evolution

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If one religion survives then all will survive in the charter school system. I cannot imagine a Supreme Court that would allow one religion to be taught in a publicly funded school. Louisiana will either have no religion in their publicly funded charter schools or they will have Islam and Sikh and L. Ron Hubbard, etc., alongside the Christian charter schools.

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Which student would you rather perform your heart transplant?

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I don’t pay taxes to have my children taught liberal nonsense. I guess that makes us even.

You guess wrong. If your child is learning liberal nonsense, it has nothing to do with the educational system. It may come from a lack of parental guidance at home. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree unless the tree falls in the opposite direction. A child with a good upbringing doesn’t stray far from the parent(s) unless the parent(s) don’t involve themselves enough in their childs learning at all.

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Granny Godzilla – Union Thugette:Keep ‘em stupid. Then they vote right.

You are so scarily right on the mark!

Like Jay said, it is the culture here-parents have lower expectations for their kids- I’ve worked my tail off in the 25 years I’ve had children in these schools to educate them. That means we had to teach them outside school hours and UNTEACH the crap they learned from friends and even from some of their teachers…even principals who invited us to their Baptist church in answer to complaints about religious teachings in the public school. Little changed in 25 years…until we were able to move our youngest into a school in an area where educational excellence meant something. I look forward to never again having a child in Georgia’s public education system. The belief that ” The South will rise again!” burns nearly as brightly as it did 100 years ago…and so much that happens in the home, schools, churches, and legislature is hell bent towards meeting that goal. Educated masses are a threat to those who would control us.

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“A child with a good upbringing doesn’t stray far from the parent(s) unless the parent(s) don’t involve themselves enough in their childs learning at all.”

Bro, I bow to your wisdom!

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This will open the door for Islamic madras schools

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the far-left polluting

This, too, is Wingnutese for “teaching globally accepted principles of science.”

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We’ve become a nation of educated idiots thanks to the far-left polluting our public school system and universities. At this point shifting to a private school system might be our only salvation.

Spoken for yourself.

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madras schools

hmm. Are dress code issues really relevant to the topic at hand?

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We’ve become a nation of educated idiots thanks to the far-left polluting our public school system and universities. At this point shifting to a private school system might be our only salvation.

Piffle

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By the way, just so it’s clear–I have a kid in the public school system. It’s a lot of work to ensure that the parent-educator lines of communication are kept open, and balancing between too much second-guessing, and too little daily involvement, on our part is never as clear-cut a choice as you’d like it to be.

And speaking of choices, yes, there ARE choices within the GA public educational system, if you are willing to schlep your kid to a school outside of your district yourself. That’s not always a practical option for working parents, but it’s a possibility, one that is rarely discussed and probably should be.

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“Uncle Jed! I got accepted to Phoenix University!” – Jethro Bodine

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Hey Del, since you’re flinging inflammatory stuff my way–answer me this, honestly.

Do you think “American Exceptionalism” means that Lord Jesus personally wanted our Founding Fathers to form the USA, and that’s what makes us a “Christian Nation?”

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My grandson went through the 1st semester of the first grade in Georgia and he was barely reading at a first grade level. His family moved to North Carolina for the second semester of the first grade. He finished the year reading at a third grade level.

Public education in Georgia and North Carolina are miles apart.

Also, I recommend everyone re-read Jay’s 7:35 comment.

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Madrassa

is Arabic “for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious (of any religion)”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrasah

just so it’s clear.

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And this will lead to:

Which will then lead to a much larger Peasant Class.

Oh no! More Democrats.

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There is no real place for Government in the School system…but the REAL ROBLEM that no one will address is parents. Thanks to the Government, the family has been destroyed, replaced by the Government. Have more kids, get paid, send them to our babysitting service aka Government Schools and we, the government will raise them. Time to hold parents responsible. there is no single mom – it takes two to tango – so lets hold everyone accountable – have a kid – it is your responsibility to raise them and not the Government. Can’t afford a kid then do not have them….vouchers – yes but lets take care of the problem at the roots – parents – you have a kid, you have a responsibility and it is not to collect additional funds from those that actually work!

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The state’s largely private prison system profits from high incarceration rates and tough sentencing, and many with the power to curtail the system actually have a financial incentive to perpetuate it.

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Jm -”If you get government money, you should have to meet government standards”

AGREED! I don’t have a problem with any Governor taking a stance on the right of his/her state to refuse federal aid. If they want their states to fund themselves, I say more power to them. However, the fact is that when the next natural disaster strikes their state, these “principled” advocates of states rights will be the first to line up at the trough begging for the federal aid.

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The biggest factor in whether your child recieves a good education is the parents themselves. Having said that, I would NOT send my childern to a puplic school to be taught things that I don’t approve of. So If a voucher program gives parents a choice I am for it but it comes back to the parents, don’t just send your children off to ANY school and hope for the best ! Get involved and see to it that the are properly educated!

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cosby

“Thanks to the Government, the family has been destroyed”

Nonsense

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Ok got it thanks Stands,I just find it interesting that Louisiana thinks it can open the door for one religion and not others

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Louisiana’s program is the only way to truly create competition for our sclerotic public school system, which exists only to line the pockets of the unions, and thus the Democrats (example numero uno – DeKalb County). My children’s small Christian school, which met in a trailer, got every student into the Duke TIP program (my children did exceedingly well on the SAT as seventh graders). Parents will figure out, quickly enough, which are the good schools. And yes, they are much more concerned, and qualified, than the education bureaucracy, to figure out what is best for their children. God bless Bobby Jindal.

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Oh, Jay? just wanted to know, I happened to scan the rather charming end of the last thread, where you posted:

I’m like that guy in the old commercial: “Gotta make the donuts.”

For the record, it was “TIME to make the donuts.”

(great ad, and that catchphrase is still sometimes uttered at Stately sfd Manor.)

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This sounds like something from the movie “Idiocracy”.

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Thomas Heyward

“Whether I love the nation is irrelevant.
I was forced at gun-point to be a part of it.”

Balderdash

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Whether I love the nation is irrelevant.
I was forced at gun-point to be a part of it.
Kinda like what the progs advocate in “schooling” our children.

WTF!

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Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

July 18th, 2012
8:30 am
Louisiana’s program is the only way to truly create competition for our sclerotic public school system, which exists only to line the pockets of the unions

Vast Right wing piffle

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GG

Sometimes I wonder why any of y’all respond to that crap. At some point, you have to realize that the mindless don’t want to use their mind.

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TaxPayer
—————

If he was forced to be part of this nation by gunpoint it must have been an interestign scene in the delivery room at his birth.

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Jay and the liberals are confusing education and the ability to succeed. The trades schools are where the jobs are and they are paying more than the traditional indoctrinated liberal arts degrees. Why dont you show us a chart about that Jay?

I have a right to practice my religion anywhere I want that includes in the places of education, state parks, and fedeal buildings. A few athiest and other perverts have had their way in court and have taken away most of my constitutional rights by saying that is for home and church. Now we have voucher schools where Judea-Christain teachings are not outlawed. That has really peeved Jay and the atheist liberals(an oxymoron). You have the public schools and you can teach monkeys come first. I pay taxes too. I should get my taxes to work for me and mine. I hope Ga does go the way of La.

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Just going by Bookman’s post at 7:11.
.
I know that “coerce” is a big word for the government educated, but it’s also a ‘fancy” word meaning “at gun-point”.
.
And as far as leaving…………I was here first and I’ll take my stand to keep our children’s education from aspiring to Washington DC standards…How is that working out?

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I just find it interesting that Louisiana thinks it can open the door for one religion and not others

With this SCOTUS, absolutely any wingnutty, unconstitutional idea can be foisted on the public.

It’s a crapshoot, really, until Scalia or Thomas kick the bucket and are replaced with rational human beings.

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Bro

Consider it a sport…..Piffle Hunting.

Like this pound of piffle:

“A few athiest and other perverts have had their way in court and have taken away most of my constitutional rights by saying that is for home and church. Now we have voucher schools where Judea-Christain teachings are not outlawed”

That…and I’m having kind of a slow morning…..

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“the value of an “real” education”
I would like a further description of a “real education”. I know one, a degree in education, a degree in criminal justice, a degree in music, and lastly a degree in that lost profession called journalism.

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http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coerce

Don’t see anything about gunpoint there. Then again, that Merriam-Webster company is a bastion of liberal government brainwashing.

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Welcome to Gooberville, Georgians — we’re surely heading toward Louisiana-style Gooberville!

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I was raised in Virginia, but I have been in Georgia for half of my life. Believe me, there are acres of difference in the quality of public education and expectations of students when comparing these two states. Georgia does not come close to matching the standards. Now…which state is controlled by right wingers?

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FrankLeeDarling
July 18th, 2012
8:06 am

This will open the door for Islamic madras schools

—————-

Mmmmm…I do love me some madras curry sauce. On second thought, let’s provide vouchers for cooking schools!

(kidding)

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“You have the public schools and you can teach monkeys come first”.

And you have your churches to counterbalance that teaching and give your young-uns a more ‘balanced’ view of science and nature. That’s called freedom. What you espouse is child abuse.

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This whole “last in education” bit is a sham to get more money from the people. Or problem isn’t so much with our students as it is with our dropouts. None of this fixes that problem.

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There is no respect for education in the south. Even nominating Romney was done with the southern noses being held. Palin excited the south, a outdoor girl who made it up as she went along. Education is an intrusion to their fantasy world.

Family values really? Georgia and South Carolina had no problem electing multi married Newt in their Republican primaries. They called Newt an intellectual. Newt is a lightweight in the academic world but he stands tall in this forest of midgets. But who knew down here. If he called himself a football player now we got some mad voters calling him out, but a family man and intellectual “that is just fine” says the blind man. Newt won’t be the last snake salesman sponsored by this illegitimate part of the country, we have set ourselves up for failure over and over again.

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you can teach monkeys come first

We were talking about regional cultural expectations.

In the Northeast, I’m sorry, but if you were to utter a phrase as profoundly ignorant as ^^ that, you’d be laughed at in about 90% of any given social circles I’d ever encountered.

Here in the Southeast, it’s only perhaps 50% or so.

If you’re so freaking stupid as to think that biological evolution equals “we came from monkeys”, if you’re so mentally incompetent that you can’t grasp the concept of a common, now long-gone ancestral species… well, I better not say what I think ought to be done about your reproductive rights.

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GT

July 18th, 2012
8:49 am
Now that is a ton of “piffile”.

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anyways, it’s time to pub my Gubmint Skoolz edjewmacation to producin’.

Later, gators.

(if Del ever answers my inquiry @ 8.18, I might be back for a drive-by.)

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I remember when madras shirts were in fashion.

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Is Louisiana the future of
Georgia’s education
system?
…..
Yes.

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iRun

By the time my child enters kindergarten, I hope to have her reading on a 3rd grade level. I’ve been reading to her since she was 6 months old. The reason our educational system sucks has nothing to do with the system itself but is more because of the lack of preparation to enter the system. That’s why I laugh at these alarmists.

Where they claim the government has destroyed the system, it’s the system itself that’s creating it’s destruction. When it takes 2.5 salaries to raise a family now, there’s no longer a stay at home parent to assist with learning. Our own success has become our downfall.

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Williebkind

July 18th, 2012
8:49 am
“Like this pound of piffle:”

If you eat that much no wonder its a slow morning.

.

Look he made a funny!

Good for you.

Humor humanizes.

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Democracy can only exist within a country where the voters are educated and there is a middle class. Hard to read articles like this and have much hope.
Obama has asked for more money for teachers. Romney is asking for the demise of public education. Looks like we have a clear choice.
I predict Obama for four more years – if this country is to survive as a democracy.

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If Romney won’t tell me what kind of cologne he wears I’m not voting for him….

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Timeline of the Georgia Republican Legislature:

1. change the rules for the HOPE scholarship
2. cut deeply into the funds that are contributed to the local governments for education
3. create a provision on a ballot for vouchers for private schools

This is just so unbalanced. Who would have thought that elected officials could come up with IDEAS that benefit ALL CITIZENS??

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I hate Republicans.

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Speak wise one.

Sorry, Willie, but the last time I told you what I honestly felt about something similarly ridiculous that you’d posted, Jay told me “one more like that and you’re out of here.”

I’m just playing by our host’s rules. I don’t want to get red-carded.

/drive-by

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Bro – my kid is in the scary APS. When he was 8 he read “Watership Down”. He has his own Kindle (well, it’s my old one, after I got a Fire) and he’s almost 11.

He reads at a high level, as well. But that’s because reading is one of his chores, as well as writing about what he read.

But that kind of thing, as you mentioned, is above and beyond what a public school should do – it’s a parental thing. Even Jay says that.

But at least the poor kids without parental support, or with BAD parental support, can at least get a basic education and have a chance to get out from under the circumstances of his/her birth.

Something like this voucher program threatens that minimal provision.

(Not arguing with you. Also said I would stop posting. But can’t. Addicted.)

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If business’s don’t start sending me money I’m not voting for Romney… You didn’t build that yourself.. Whoops no prompter and you have a gaffe….

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iRun

I’ll leave you alone so you can quit posting..

—————————–

Peadawg

Agreed!!!

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What Pea-diddy said at 9:03

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If you want to go to a PRIVATE school, pay for it yourself. Don’t use my tax dollars.

Agreed!! Especially if you live in an area where the closest private school is over 40 miles away.

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Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers acknowledged that if he had his way, such programs would have been implemented “yesterday,” specifically citing Louisiana as a model.

Maybe Ol’ Chip should prognosticate the odds of vouchers happening here in Georgia for old times sake.

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Love Luckovich’s cartoon today

http://blogs.ajc.com/mike-luckovich/?cxntlid=sldr_hm

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If you want to ____________
don’t use my tax dollars.

If only it were possible to
fill in the blank and make it
happen.

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As long as you have teacher’s unions telling the school system who they can hire and fire we will have inferior education and definitely not our money’s worth. The union refuses to fire the cheating teachers and administrators in the worst scandal in the state of Georgia’s public school history and that is a fine example for our young people.

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Williebkind — “A few athiest and other perverts have had their way in court and have taken away most of my constitutional rights by saying that is for home and church.”

Horsepoop.

Specifics, please. Oh, and you’re a bigot.

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As long as you have teacher’s unions telling the school system who they can hire and fire we will have inferior education and definitely not our money’s worth.

As long as you have people in Georgia that believe there are teacher’s unions here, you have proof of the power of destroying the educational system.

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Amen Brosephus!!!!!!!!

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I object to the Georgia (state) control of my local schools. My child went through the Decatur City schools K-12 and now he’s a 4.0 student at a great college. I’ve paid high property taxes for years to support the school and every check I wrote to the city I considered a good deal. You can’t have good public schools without support from the local community and Georgia’s overall poor record on schools in this state worry me if they try to take over control of local schools.

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I don’t always start a business but when I do someone else does it for me…..

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Jay private schools don’t need to be policed by the government. They fire unproductive teachers!!!

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Read Petr Schiff’s new book “The Real Crash: America’s Bankruptcy – How To Save Yourself and Your Country.” That’s what Obama supporters voted for. Who is Peter Schiff? He wrote a book predicting the real estate crash in 2007. You think 2008 was bad – read the book.

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Marc — “Jay private schools don’t need to be policed by the government. They fire unproductive teachers!!!”

If they don’t receive some sort of curricular oversight, then how exactly do you measure the productivity of teachers? By how much profit the company makes from the students in their classes?

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“while Obama has received donations from Bain, his amount is nothing but a drop in the bucket of what Romney’s received.” – I don’t care about the amount. But the fact that Obama takes any donations from Bain and its employees while criticizing Bain/Romney every chance he gets is beyond hypocrisy.

Just add this gem to his ever-growing list.

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btul27

Piffle is a “rant”?

Oh double piffle with a cherry on top.

Bet he never read any of Andy’s rants…..

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I think one great thing about immigration legal or illegal they understand the need for education. With Obama the immigration programs that have strengthen this country and really is one of its main backbones will continue. When the population that is thirsty for the education and real family values the Catholic church teaches become the majority the picture here will improve. It will start in Texas and Florida and move south. The NASCAR crowd is on its way out, they have just delayed their exit. This will make a brighter future for our children. People are drawn here for what they see hope. They get here and it is not what they envisioned, but they know what they wanted and they can make it happen. Our potbellied politicians who have held us back so long will be cartoons for history books.

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We did evolve from monkeys and this blog is exhibit one.

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GT – what the crap are you ranting about. Illegal aliens have exactly what to do with Jay’s topic today?

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H. Air — “Honey – Teacher’s unions are nation wide, including Georgia. I have a teachers certificate and should know.”

Oh goody!

Bring us all up to speed on the activities and misdeeds of the Georgia teacher’s union, please.

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“Then where’s your complaint?” – Having trouble reading?

“The “nice try” seems to be your own; good luck with it.” – Thank you. I try my best to look at both sides w/out blinders.

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Bobby Jindal is an idiot. Every year he has cut the education and health care budgets, and then claimed they weren’t doing well so he has to take more money away.

Now voucher programs. Where kids sit in front of a TV to learn.

I’m homeschooling my kids. At least then I can teach them something where when they grow up they actually have job opportunities. Companies here hire people from other countries because it’s harder to find Americans who know enough about science and math than it is to pay for someone from India to be work sponsored.

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Republicans: Advancing American Exceptionalism by promoting ignorance, and destroying the United States one voter at a time. God help us.

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Hopefully by the time I have kids and homeschooling becomes too difficult I can find a way to move to and get work sponsorship in whatever country has a better educational system. Chances are, the way things are going, that’ll be Germany.

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Mama – Teacher’s unions hired lawyers to fight the firing of the administrators and teachers involved in the cheating scandal in Georgia. Guess you don’t have a problem with that?

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Obama has collected $118,121 from donors who list Bain as their employer between June 2004 and May 2012.”

“One of Obama’s top campaign financiers – Jonathan Lavine – is also managing director at Bain, bundling between $100,000 and $200,000 in contributions for the 2012 Obama Victory Fun”

**face palm**

It’s also interesting that they all support Romney’s version of his departure.

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Parents and other citizens contribute 100% of the tax money since the govt has no money except the taxes it collects.

And the salaries everyone gets would not be distributed in U.S. dollars if it were not for the strength and security having the Federal government provides. Perhaps you’d prefer to get paid in rations? ANYTHING to avoid taxation!

When you stop at a stop sign it’s because you knuckled under to pressure under threat of gunpoint by a statist, right?

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According to NAEP, America’s 17-year-olds have made no improvements at any performance level between 1971 and 2008. Not exactly progress. And in fact, of GA’s kids who do end up in college, 37% of two-year program freshmen enrolled in 2006 required remediation and 18% of four-year program freshmen enrolled in 2006 required remediation. Progress might be made at elem and middle school levels, but what is happening in high school? These children represent the future of Georgia. How do we ensure that we are doing all we can to provide them with the best education possible?

Reports cited @ http://bit.ly/MImFXR

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Illegals know the value of education illiterates don’t.

Gays know the value of marriage straights don’t.

Rants, I will show you rants. Rants like the ones in that Baptist Church in Providence, N.C. undermines the lack of respect for education. Ignorance feeds lack of respect. Continued ignorance is insanity. To roll around in it is ranting like a insane person. We have a load of that in this part of the world. What they are doing in Louisiana props up insanity.

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(was watching breaking news from Syria)

one of the best appointments Obama made – Leon Panetta.

he rocks.

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H. Air — “Mama – Teacher’s unions hired lawyers to fight the firing of the administrators and teachers involved in the cheating scandal in Georgia.”

Did the *Georgia* teacher’s union do that?

“Guess you don’t have a problem with that?”

I have a problem with people asserting that Georgia has a teacher’s union when it doesn’t, yes.

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“What next 2 billion for Seal Team VI type literaturer professors, Jeremy Lin and a player to be named later?”

would rather have that than some of the crap we get from the pentagon

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Yeah La will rename the schools CoonA.

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We still got those pictures of Enron and the Bushes?

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Joseph — “Why do libs have a problem with parents deciding where their children should go to school…”

We don’t. We have a problem with being asked to *fund* all those choices.

If you want to exercise school choice, you can do it TODAY. Pull your kids out of school and put ‘em in whatever kind of academy or outfit you want them to learn in. Just don’t ask the rest of us to pay for it.

Everyone pays taxes to support local schools. If you live in a school district and have a kid, you can send him or her to those schools for free. But don’t go expecting a refund check if you decide to send them elsewhere.

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Adam
July 18th, 2012
9:45 am

and

Joe Hussein Mama
July 18th, 2012
9:46 am

Well said!!!

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Peadawg: Thanks. How ya been? What did I miss?

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It’s also interesting that they all support Romney’s version of his departure

Which version of Romney’s departure? The one that says he left in 1999? The one that says he left “retroactively.” The one that says he had NOTHING to do in any way with Bain after 1999? The one that says he was CEO and signed documents but really did not do much but take a salary in excess of $100k after 1999 (which in not ‘in any way”? Or maybe it was the sworn testimony where Mitt said he participated in directors meetings?

Let’s here the whine about its “unfair”, etc…….. let us all gather around to hear the newest story of the day from the flip flopper.

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Churches need to think a few more times before they continue along this path cause when enough of us get mad enough at the crap they insist on forcing down the throats of too many of us, their tax exempt status will come up again for debate…then again, they’ve already got the ‘debaters’ in their pockets – like Louisiana – so maybe we’re the ones that need to ‘think again’. The only trouble is when I do I imagine that I’m Kevin McCarthy in the middle of ‘The Invasion of the Body Snatchers’…anybody seen all those empty seed pods? Was this a great country, or what?

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Larry – go to google and enter teacher’s unions. There are two nation wide. They are big financial supporters of the Dems and Obama – that is why he just pledged $1,000,000,000 to them. I’m not going to do your home work. Get off your lazy …. and look it up.

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Jethro Bodine is the epitome of the GOP education system and the GOP deserves to be operated on by such.

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I am with Adam.

I also wonder how many parents really know what they want their children to be or how they want them to be educated. When you are uneducated yourself how do you understand what is going on and able to make these decisions?

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Peadawg — “We’ll agree to disagree. I have a feeling I’m not going to change your mind.”

I think you possibly could change it, but I also think you kinda jumped the gun on your criticism of Obama. He’s been quite clear on the point that he’s criticizing the way Bain was *run,* but not all the employees. I haven’t heard him accuse Bain of breaking any laws or doing anything unethical — so why would he refuse donations from *employees* of Bain? As Adam pointed out, there may be Bain employees who agree with the President’s criticism.

At this point, I don’t think we know enough about those donations to make any claims of hypocrisy stick. Making such a charge at this point strikes me as being a flailing sort of attempt to push back against Obama’s message against Romney, and it’s going to take a much more coordinated and structured narrative than ‘he took money from Bain employees’ to accomplish that.

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So, if Adelson were to send Obama a one dollar contribution and Obama did not return it, that would make Obama a hypocrite!

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Joseph

July 18th, 2012
9:42 am
Why do libs have a problem with parents deciding where their children should go to school…

Simple answer…..

We don’t.

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“Can you show where Obama received any donation from Bain. Employees donating does not equate to the company itself making a donation.”

zackly.

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I actually had a friend INSIST that she saw the welfare queen with an iPhone, bluetooth, and that they were still packing up an Escalade. Since I didn’t want to lose a friend, I only lightly pressed her by asking if she REALLY saw the stereotypical welfare queen. She dropped the subject.

Pics or it didn’t happen, folks.

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Hot Air- There is no such thing. I have relatives that are teachers in this state. They are not members of any union what so ever.

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Aquagirl — “Remember, these are the same people crying about food stamp welfare queens in the grocery lines. Because taking their precious tax dollars to feed somebody else’s child is SOSHALIZM.”

“Taking tax dollars from others so they can spend it on the Jeebus and Loch Ness Academy is FREEDOM.”

I’ve pointed this out before — we fund public assistance and public programs, but you don’t necessarily get to choose the FORM it comes in.

If you get a Section 8 housing voucher, you can’t go in with a bunch of your friends and rent a Buckhead condo.

If you get subsidized public transportation, you can’t turn in a bunch of unused Breeze cards to buy a car at the local used beater lot.

If you get SNAP, you can’t go down to Ruth’s Chris and get yourself a nice filet instead of buying groceries at Kroger.

And if you have kids of public school age, you don’t get a voucher if you don’t like the public schools.

You take the public program in the form that it comes or you don’t take it at all. And if you want something different entirely, then PAY FOR IT YOURSELF.

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Figured I get the typical Obama defending on the Bain employee donations.

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you folks talking about this bain?

http://www.opensecrets.org/overview/topcontribs.php#

http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cmte=DNC

im sure none of that money went to the obama pres campaign..

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Elephant in the room this is all about the economy. If we fix this desert of unemployed, health infested, uneducated that anchor this country down we are fixing the economy. The real elephant in the room is how we got here in the first place, Republican administration taking advantage of the southern appetite for believing anything. Ralph Reed has made a fortune off of the strategy as has the Bushes, Nixon and on and on, while we sit in a Greyhound bus station waiting for a bus that never comes to take us out of here.

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It has to be easier for the uneducated parent to make those tough decisions regarding the value of a science or math class as opposed to learning how much Jesus loves them. I wonder if those charter schools will include courses on finance or if they’ll claim that their students are given first-hand experience on that topic and therefore don’t need a class to cover it. I’m sure they’ll feel quite indebted eventually for that experience though.

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Religion is made-up mythology. Religion is an attempt to explain
to the ignorant what they don’t understand. And that’s fine. You
can throw chickens feet, stick voodoo dolls, or arrogantly declare
you are the only ones going to ‘heaven’ all you want in the privacy
of your own home.

But your fundamentalist dogma has NO place in academic
education.

Ignorance is NOT a folksy virtue, Republicans, willful or otherwise.

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Rome burns.

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You do realize that books are not the only form of educating people, right? PE is good physical exercise to break the boredom of sitting in a classroom all day. Also, there are much needed health benefits involved in that class. Not to mention that one can learn teamwork and cooperation from having to work with other classmates to achieve a common goal, which is the basis for most sports/athletic games.

I agree Bro, but times are hard, and people are taxed out the wazoo for these educational complexes that are built today. Back in the day ( oh no, here he goes about the good old days) a school would have one PE field and a gym. In town a large high school occupied a city block. Now is a Middle School having four athletic fields and a track more important than paying teachers a decent wage?

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They are tax deductible too, which mean not only do real tax dollars go to support them they also can detour money that never get to the tax stage. Then they tell minorities they are not allowed. Clever bigots are what they are. When we finally get Romney’s tax returns there will be a lot of this kind of stuff on it. Good old boys making tax loopholes to practice bigotry among other things.

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godless: I would think we would have a serious interest in helping to ensure we aren’t raising unhealthy kids.

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I’ll be 69 next month. Was educated, 16 yrs of Catholic school and a Masters from the Navy. My parents paid “school tax” even though my sister and I never attended public schools. I have paid school tax for 40 some years. If ANY state tries to take my tax money to teach “creationism” or “God made…. in 6 days”, I’ll probably be in jail for refusing to pay my school tax. The day this country gives up on public schools is the day we give up on education.

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Jay, you hate hate hate taking power out of the government hands do you. The real reason you and Lib are against this is because the little kiddies can not be mindlessly taught to be good little followers by the public sham of a school system.

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TP – I read a study that showed catholic school kids scored 23 points higher on average on the SAT than public school kids, but there are other factors besides quality of education, like parents with kids in private schools tend to put a higher priority on education etc. and private schools can pick and choose whom they educate…so get the pick of the litter so to speak

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Also Jay, how about a little reasearch. What percentage of private schools in Louisiana are religious schools?

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Butch your comments on abortion is right on. Seems like the right could save itself a lot of energy with less people to hate if they killed them before they were born instead of torturing and killing em later.

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BREAKING NEWS: Sheriff Joe Arpaio says Obama Birth Certificate Fraudulent!

SHOCKER!!!!!!!!!! :0

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godless: I would think we would have a serious interest in helping to ensure we aren’t raising unhealthy kids.

And so do I. We’ve been building these huge athletic complex schools for a long time. What have childhood obesity rates been doing?

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Oblama

Why don’t you address what I said. Common sense should show you where I was addressing CURRENCY, and not just business. People had businesses before governments were formed, but how many people could form their own currency that could be strongly backed to the point that every other person in the country would use it as well? People were here before government, as was businesses. Prior to government backing currency though, people bartered on what they saw as equal value. Care to go back and address what I said about currency now?

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Adam – Some people actually want their populace to remain stupid, so they can continue to control them.

who would that be?

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The real reason you and Lib are against this is because the little kiddies can not be mindlessly taught to be good little followers

Coming from someone whose party is opposed to “teaching critical thinking skills,” that is HILARIOUS.

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Mama _ I just showed you. You do know the AFLCIO is a union? The Georgia Federation of Teachers pays dues to them. Can’t you comprehend? Google Georgia Federation of Teachers and you will see a big AFLCIO seal. What else do you need? Guess you just don’t accept facts.

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SFD, I along with everyone else couldn’t know the answer to that question in this lifetime but it’s possible.

Fair enough. Appreciate the reply, Del.

/drive-by

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Adam – “Anyone who benefits from a stupid population, or believes that they benefit froma stupid population.”

To make it simple, just think Newt Gingrich and the average Georgia voter.

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Hot Air, just because the GFT is an AFLCIO member does not mean they have collective bargaining rights for their members. They do not, so they are not a union in the traditional sense; they are a professional association that is an AFLCIO member. In GA it is illegal for teachers to be part of a collective bargaining agreement because the state sets the rules for tenure, etc. In Florida, where I come from, teachers are able to join a union if they choose, and the union has the right to bargain salary and benefits for its members (i.e. United Teachers of Dade). Big difference.

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Jay is that because the average student tested is smarter or the average student nationwide, since population movement is going south, is dumber?

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Joe Hussein Mama:

I have a problem funding gubmint programs including Obamacare… Libs don’t seem to mind forcing us to do that….

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The progress, while slow, is notable. We are still below the national average, but the gap has closed significantly

All with GOP in the governor’s chair and the legislature. SHOCKING! /sarc

Never been a great fan of Private Schools and vouchers, myself. In my community “everyone” sends their kids to private schools. IMO, the public schools would be much better if “everyone” had an interest in improving them.

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Joseph – “I have a problem funding gubmint programs including Obamacare… Libs don’t seem to mind forcing us to do that….”

See, now your learning how taxes actually work. Everyone pays them, but you don’t get to decide which programs are funded and which are not. Welcome to the world of Status Quo.

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H. Air — “Mama _ I just showed you.”

Nope. You didn’t.

“You do know the AFLCIO is a union?”

Is it a *Georgia* union? (laughing)

“The Georgia Federation of Teachers pays dues to them.”

And?

“Can’t you comprehend? Google Georgia Federation of Teachers and you will see a big AFLCIO seal.”

Tell me about the bargaining power the GFT has with the state, why don’t you? Tell me about their contract with the State of Georgia. Explain to me the provisions of the latest GFT contract and when it expires.

Hmm?

“What else do you need?”

How about some actual *evidence* instead of supposition?

“Guess you just don’t accept facts.”

Guess you’re not much of a teacher.

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Joseph — “I have a problem funding gubmint programs including Obamacare… Libs don’t seem to mind forcing us to do that….”

Delta is ready when you are, Champ.

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Joseph — “Then why do you people fight tooth and nail against school choice????”

We don’t.

We fight tooth and nail against SUBSIDIZED school choice.

Pay for it yourself and we have no argument.

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the only gods that should be worshiped in any school syatem are: Tesla, Einstein, Newton and Darwin

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Jerry Eads
July 18th, 2012
10:27 am

“The man” could care less about you other than as a disposable piece of the production process.”

unless you are a valuable employee and contribute to the companies bottom line.. but.. i understand why many would not know this..

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“Then why do you people fight tooth and nail against school choice????”

B/c we don’t want to pay for YOUR kid’s private school education. Pay it yourself.

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Education, prisons, and health services, like other vital public services such as water, gas, and electricity, should never be turned over to for-profit entrepeneurs. When profit becomes the sole objective, corruption will soon ruin everything.

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Adam – LOL…leave it to Texas
carlos would agree with Willingham that critical thinking skills can not be taught…

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Jefferson – “Last 12 years the GOP has and IS the problem. Before they acted like they had some brains, now they are just dumb.”

I have to disagree, there are many on the GOP side that are actually pretty good and are willing to work in the best interest of the country as a whole. The problem, is that for some reason, the party faithful have decided to endorse the fruitcakes and the third stringers.

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Well, things is looking up. Maybe GA can move to this LA school idea. I’m sick of how the public schools raise a fuss when you want to take a kid out to go to a NASCAR race. And I’m real tired of this godless system they have in public schools where the teacher can’t lead the class in a Christian prayer and they can’t even teach about Adam and Eve without talking about this man-come-from-monkeys business. It’s about time we could use our tax money to send kids to school where they can learn what we want them to learn.

That’s my opinion and it’s very true. I say let rednecks be rednecks. Our people are going to be wiped right off of the map if they keep up with all this fancy-smancy edumacation.

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Cultural change does take time, but one should not assume that such change is progressive; what we are seeing here is cultural regression. It’s kinda like DEVO’s idea of devolution. Are the Tea Partiers not men? They are DEVO!

I feel lucky that my dad used to take me to the New York Museum of Natural History rather than some creation “museum.”

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Heh the AFLCIO says they are a member….. are you saying the AFLCIO is lying? They pay dues to the AFLCIO. The union hired lawyers to fight the firing of the teachers in the cheating scandal. Teacher’s unions should put children first, not cheating teachers. That is my point. I’m not opposed to unions in the private sector- opposed to unions in the public sector- ad opposed to their misguided effort to defend unqualified teachers. Cheating teachers that corrupt the system for our children should not be protected by the AFLCIO but they are because they pay dues. I have already asked this question once with no reply – do you think the teachers involved in the cheating scandal should keep their job?

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Ah ……………… JAY must have some inside scoop that Jindal is going to be the V.P. nominee.

Therefore, the Bookman “Obama for President” Blog continues.

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America’s dirty little secret; while public schools have been held accountable through testing, private schools have not. Most public schools, not all, are actually superior or at least you know where they rank. Private schools? Except for the obvious, most are very poor at the higher content levels (biology, chemistry, calculus), but definitely excel in religious studies. That’s not going to cut it in the technological age…

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The country could be running in tip top shape, everyone employed, no debt and some of ya’ll would still vote for Romney, so spare me you faux rationalzations, its so phoney.

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A child sent to private school or home schooled puts no tax burden on the public. This is why I think the parents of these kids should just be reimbursed for whatever taxes they paid for public schools.

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JWA77

July 18th, 2012
10:47 am
A child sent to private school or home schooled puts no tax burden on the public. This is why I think the parents of these kids should just be reimbursed for whatever taxes they paid for public schools.

So if I don’t commit any crimes nor am I a victim of one I should get a rebate on Police dollars, right?

If I don’t use the fire department, I should get a refund, right?

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JHM: Delta is ready when you are, Champ.

After reading that, I just had to share this one here.

http://miniatlanta.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/img00058.jpg

http://miniatlanta.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/mini-delta-side.jpg

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JWA77 – ” child sent to private school or home schooled puts no tax burden on the public. This is why I think the parents of these kids should just be reimbursed for whatever taxes they paid for public schools.”

Sounds great, while we’re at it, I don’t use any of the welfare services available, so I should get a refund for that as well. Oh, and the Star Wars initiative never really panned out either, so I think I should get my taxes back on that too.

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A child sent to private school or home schooled puts no tax burden on the public. This is why I think the parents of these kids should just be reimbursed for whatever taxes they paid for public schools.

Let’s see…their kid isn’t consuming tax dollars, therefore we should give them tax dollars from people who aren’t consuming tax dollars because they don’t have school age children.

Gotcha.

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I want the Atlanta mayor to be able to pick the superintendent, subject to BOE approval….

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Joe Hussein Mama
July 18th, 2012
10:30 am

“Pay for it yourself and we have no argument”

what “we” is this your are speaking of? .. taxpayers?

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Adam, just looked at about half the parrishes in Louisiana private schools 97 religious 29 non religious.

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H. Air — “Heh the AFLCIO says they are a member….. are you saying the AFLCIO is lying?”

There’s no contract and no collective bargaining rights, so how exactly is that a union?

“They pay dues to the AFLCIO. The union hired lawyers to fight the firing of the teachers in the cheating scandal.”

And the ACLU defended Rush Limbaugh in his doctor-shopping escapades. Does that make the ACLU a conservative Republican outfit?

“Teacher’s unions should put children first, not cheating teachers. That is my point.”

Then sharpen your aim and complain about the AFLCIO, not the nonexistent Georgia Teachers’ Union.

“I’m not opposed to unions in the private sector- opposed to unions in the public sector- ad opposed to their misguided effort to defend unqualified teachers. Cheating teachers that corrupt the system for our children should not be protected by the AFLCIO but they are because they pay dues.”

Grind your axe elsewhere. There’s no GA teachers union.

“I have already asked this question once with no reply – do you think the teachers involved in the cheating scandal should keep their job?”

Guess what? You just asked it a second time with no reply.

My only interest here is in correcting your misapprehension that there’s actually a teachers’ union in GA. Any other causes or issues you have in that regard are completely irrelevant to me.

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Scout

I’m not either defending or decrying it. It is what it is.

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“Are you suggesting that the teachers in question should not have representation as they go through the due process system?”

Let them buy a liability policy at their own expense just like I did.

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They BOTH suck:

I hear you.

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Joe Hussein Mama:

I disagree. Next the military will want a collective bargaining unit.

We already have one ………… the American people through their elected representatives.

If you don’t want the job based on that ……………… DON’T APPLY.

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the cat – I don’t teach. Gave it up when my public school superintendent told me I had to pass the local basketball star even if he didn’t attend class. He threatened to fire me. When I saw the kid playing ball on the play ground while he was supposed to be in my class taking a test, I gave him an “F”. Then I gave my notice to resign at the end of the year.

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A question..or more accurately… 75% of private schools in about half the parishes reviewed are religious. I would think, but I don’t know, that most schools….

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Union

The same question applies to you as it did to HOT AIR…

What is union representation when there is no collective bargaining agreement to enforce? Unions have chapters in all 50 states, but that doesn’t mean they get to negotiate on employees behalfs in all 50 states. If you have proof otherwise, then feel free to post it.

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I just posted the following on Maureen Downey’ blog. I am reposting my words here:
=========================================================

“It is amazing to me that people cannot see the ‘forest for the trees,’ or perhaps they simply do not wish to see the profound effects of what has been happening in our nation, especially in the last dozen years, and especially within public education. Here is what has been happening in depth, as I see it.

(1) This nation had a national surplus in 2000.

(2) In 2008, this nation was on the brink of a national Depression greater than the Great Depression of the 1930s.

(3) The Obama administration pulled this nation from that brink of financial disaster.

(4) The dismantling of public schools has been a major target of those ideological Republicans who wish to dismantle the public domain in general, including Social Security as Medicare, as well as public education.

(5) The public domain, at its best, works for the common good of all citizens, without a profit motive for the few.

(6) Private sector jobs have grown, each quarter, under Obama. Public sector jobs, including those of teachers, on the other hand, have been cut severely within the states, especially within Republican led states.

(7) The Stimulus money, obviously, was designed to save many teaching positions within states who wished to dismantle public education.

(8) There is a profound ideological battle being waged in this nation, and it has gained momentum – deliberately created – within the last decade.

(9) Shame on citizens who will not call what has been happening, destructively, to our nation for what it is – and who will not support public education in this monumental ideological battle of what our nation has been about in the past – and what our nation’s destiny will be. We will either continue to be a nation “of, by, and for the people” into the future, or we will not be that kind of nation any longer. Remember, the public domain was designed to SERVE the public’s good. The people, themselves ARE the public, and the people ARE the government – their government.”
=================================================

Good day.

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Aquagirl, hoe bout more liek the parents get back what they paid in.

East Lake, those are services the government is required to produce. After all a government is to protect and serve it’s citizens.

Jay, that is correct. Services that aren’t used should be reimbursed. Like any other consumed good, you pay for what you use or get.

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While I can’t say that teaching fundamentalism in grade school is a good thing, trying new things could be. Jay seems to want us to continue on the same path with no diversion, despite education standards being on a continual downturn ever since the federal Dept. of Education was created. Throwing more money hasn’t worked, pandering to teacher’s unions hasn’t worked. So why not try something new? And if it means there will be a lot of fools in Louisiana who will have a hard time getting good jobs later in life… Well that’s already true today, so what? At least there might be something new and wonderful coming out of it, too.

I read today about a stackable credentials program being created with the University of Pheonix and a number of industries. It’s a combination of actual work and school work that will be like earning a bachelor’s degree, except you won’t get it without actually learning stuff that will be useful… Quite unlike a lot of bachelor’s degrees today.

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Mary Eliz

Right on!!! Just got this stat from my meeting here in san diego; the top ten technology jobs needed in 2012 were not even in existence in 2004!! Major retirements loom, we need another sputnik moment!!!!

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Brosephus – Read above….. I wasn’t talking about collective bargaining power in Georgia. Since I was a certified teacher I know Georgia is a right to work state – which I agree with by the way. Mama wanted proof that the the GFT was associated with a union and I showed where they are a member of the AFLCIO. I was just answering that particular question. Their collective bargaining power was irrelevant to the question asked.

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It appears that Jay has done a good job of guiding his flock away from the Bain boondoggle. I did observe a few hold outs earlier when I checked in. Jay, must know that the Dem’s are backing away a bit from Bain because their attacks haven’t been moving the needle in Obama’s favor not unlike the other attacks that failed.

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H. Air — “Mama wanted proof that the the GFT was associated with a union”

Now who is making things up? I never said any such thing.

You said they WERE a union, but they demonstrably have none of the characteristics of a union, nor do they engage in many of the activities normally engaged in by unions.

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Conservative Columnist
George Will

“The cost of not releasing the returns are clear. Therefore, he must’ve calculated that there are higher costs in releasing them.”
ABC Contributor and Bush Campaign Adviser
Mathew Dowd

“There’s obviously something there, because if there was nothing there, he would say, ‘Have at it.’

“If he had 20 years of ‘great, clean, everything’s fine,’ it all would be out there.”
GOP strategist
Rick Tyler

“There’s clearly the problem with the tax returns, otherwise he would release, you know, 10 years of tax returns”
Former RNC Chairman
Michael Steele

“Put out as much information as you can even if you don’t release 12 years of tax returns — at least three, four, five.”
Former Mississippi Governor
Haley Barbour

“He ought to release his returns,” Barbour tells National Review Online. “Any time this campaign’s conversation is not about President Obama’s failed policies,” particularly his economic record, “then the [Romney] campaign isn’t talking about the right thing.”
Alabama Governor
Gov. Robert Bentley

“I was asked, today, that question, do you think that Governor Romney should release his tax returns, and I said, ‘I do.’”
GOP Presidential Contender
Ron Paul

“Politically, I think that would help him… In the scheme of things politically, you know, it looks like releasing tax returns is what the people want.”
North Carolina Congressman
Rep. Walter Jones

“I think he should release his financial records and I think if he does it in July, it would be a lot better than in October.”
Texas Congressman
Rep. Pete Sessions

“His personal finances, the way he does things, his record, are fair game.”
R-TX
Gov. Rick Perry

“I’m a big believer that no matter who you are or what office you are running for, you should be as transparent as you can be with your tax returns and other aspects of your life so that people have the appropriate ability to judge your background and what have you. I certainly think it is inappropriate for the president of the united states to not keep his college transcript and his law school transcripts public, that he should make those available. I’m all about transparency.”

Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com

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Good for Jindal in implementing the voucher system. I hope it takes hold here. Maybe the public education system will clean up its act when they see their money supply threatened (maybe ).

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Don’t Tread…
Don’t count on it…The libs would much rather have a failing system they control than a successful system out of their control.

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Democrats can surely back off of the tax issue. Republicans and conservatives have taken over that rallying cry

On Monday, Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume told Bill O’Reilly that he didn’t see the tax records issue making a difference among voters, but “anytime it’s an issue between disclosure and non-disclosure, you always wonder whether it’s better just to put it out there.”

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Uh Oh,

And the people said…no not Amen, they’re saying so what.

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Once Republicans have their way with our education system, Georgia can once again rise to be the Peach/Peanut/Cotton capital of the Americas. The sky’s the limit after that. I foresee mills and weavers and Made In America Levis… Maybe even brickmakers.

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Enter your comments here

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The public education ins LA is horrific. So, yeah, anything is better than the current system. If there was a place to try this experiment, LA is the right place. Only thing you learn in LA schools is how to hold a knife on your teacher so she gives you an ‘A’.

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…”http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2012/07/17/study-people-who-are-constantly-online-can-develop-mental-disorders/…”

Some of you could be in danger.

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Come to think of it, I didn’t get my money’s worth out of the Iraq war either. I demand a refund. Oops! Wait. We never have paid for that either.

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Recon

Guess you would have to look at polls to see what they are saying. Collectively they are saying within the Electoral College that Romney has a huge hill to climb.

As far as the tax issue, polls seem to be slightly mixed.

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In other news
http://www.futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/technology/futureoftech/worlds-most-powerful-laser-shot-ever-fired-886701

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It’s sad that so many people still can’t tell the difference between education and indoctrination.
One happens in a church and one happens in a school,lets keep it that way please.

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JWA77 – East Lake, those are services the government is required to produce. After all a government is to protect and serve it’s citizens.

First things first, have a seat you may be experiencing a stroke brought on by you own cognitive dissonence.

Now, please explain how government is required to provide police and fire protection. Opinion does not count. Is it in the State or US Constitution?

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uh, has anyone checked where our public educated kids ranked in math and science achievement worldwide? Its pathetic. As a parent you want to send your kids to the best place for education.
In some places it may be public but in other cases its private. Give the parents a choice and let them decide! What a concept.

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HOT AIR said the GFT payed dues to the AFLCIO. That’s true. The AFLCIO says on the GFT website that the GFT is a member of the AFLCIO. HOT AIR was talking about the union involvement in hiring lawyers to defend the teachers fired in the cheating scandal.

You might wanna go back and read exactly what HOT AIR wrote that started the whole debate first before walking that plank…

HOT AIR
July 18th, 2012
9:29 am

Honey – Teacher’s unions are nation wide, including Georgia. I have a teachers certificate and should know.

After JHM quizzed him on teachers unions in Georgia, he moved the goalposts to the lawyers and such. He still hasn’t backed up his original assertion about teacher’s unions being in Georgia. If he can’t prove his initial premise, his whole argument falls apart regardless of how he tries to shift it afterwards.

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…”to me, this is a blatant case, (Lousiana), of what I said before. The Talibaptists have finally implemented Plan A — Getting a foothold into the psyche of American students/children with Public tax money through hook or crook….”

“TaliBaptists? See my earlier post. On the other hand, I’ll take them over the progressive ideology being taught to my two kids in the Fulton County School system.

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UH OH,

If you look at the current electoral map it currently doesn’t provide much because state polling isn’t up to date. State polling won’t really be a predictor until late September when it will be as active as the national polling, that has been in progress for some time. National polling has the presidential race neck and neck. I suspect we will see pretty much the same thing in swing states come September. Barring any real bombshell on either side this will be a very close election.

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“If children prefer to study fact over fantasy, let them do it on their own dime.” – GOP

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Firing a teacher in GA is very very difficult

The GAE has won and stifled education improvements in GA

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I NEVER SAID, IMPLIED, OR INFERRED THAT THE GFT IS A UNION ITSELF.

Really??? Then exactly what did you mean when you posted this little diddy earlier?

HOT AIR
July 18th, 2012
9:29 am

Honey – Teacher’s unions are nation wide, including Georgia. I have a teachers certificate and should know.

You may not have stated that GFT is a union, but by claiming they exist in Georgia and then focusing on GFT, you’ve painted yourself in quite the corner now. So, which post/assertion/assumption are you going to walk back now?

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Hot Air, you absolutely did say the GFT was a union; I was the one who said they were a professional associated affiliated with the AFLCIO. Stop back pedaling; Brosephus is 100% correct.

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Union — “sigh.. ok.. maybe someones parents should have put them in private school?”

“un·ion   [yoon-yuhn] Show IPA”
“noun”

The moment someone falls back on dictionary definitions, they’ve already lost the argument.

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“State polling won’t really be a predictor until late September when it will be as active as the national polling,”

Not exactly. The reason that each campaign has already dwindled the election down to less than 10 states is because of polling. They may miscalculate a state for sure, however they have already drawn battle plans based on polling data.

There are reasons that some states get more attention than others. GA is a no brain brainer. NY is a no brainer. Polling shows the WI, VA, OH, CO, NM, FL are tight and that is where the money will go. That is driven on past elections and current polling data.

Now if you can demonstrate in the last few Presidential elections where those tactics did not apply, I would be most certainly willing to review and study it.

Again, the polling is not 100% by any means, however it is an indicator that Romney has a hill to climb. Not impossible by any means, but he has work to do and they know where the heavy lifting must take place do to polling data.

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Oblama — “HOT AIR said the GFT payed dues to the AFLCIO. That’s true. The AFLCIO says on the GFT website that the GFT is a member of the AFLCIO. HOT AIR was talking about the union involvement in hiring lawyers to defend the teachers fired in the cheating scandal. HOT AIR was not even talking about collective bargaining power, etc.”

HOT AIR asserted that there is a GA Teachers’ Union, and HOT AIR is demonstrably wrong on that point.

Anything else HOT AIR has to say is of no interest to me.

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Frank: but if my tax dollars start going to pay for someone to send their child to a private school I will have a big problem with it.

Word.

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D. DoRight — “Joe Mama — Not sure but wasn’t that you and I who had this conversation a few nights ago? Remember how I said that someone’s religion DOES matter if they put their religion before their country?”

Yes, I believe we did discuss that.

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Brosphus – EXACTLY! I never said the GFT was a union. What are you arguing about? Teacher’s unions are nation wide. I was talking about the AFLCIO of which the GFT is a dues paying member. I never said the GFT is a union…… show me. Why don’t you and Mama answer my question? Do you think the teachers involved in the cheating scandal, corrupting our school system and personally benefiting from bonuses they received, should be fired?

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QUESTION FOR TEACHERS:

When I was in school, the theory of evolution was taught in only ONE, one-hour science class–biology–for about ONE month out of ONE high school (sophmore) year. Even I, a non-believer, spent much more of my childhood time in church and Sunday School and Bible School than that beginning as some of my earliest memories. I quit going to church and Sunday School and Bible School (except for a few weddings, funerals and sleepovers that lasted into Sunday) at age twelve—LONG before I ever heard about the theory of evolution–because the hypocrisy I saw started me asking questions and the answers were total circular nonsense.

It would be interesting to hear from TEACHERS: Just how much TIME is actually spent on the theory of evolution NOW–in today’s public schools?

The sincerely Religious people have from birth till pre-K or longer, full time, and then, thereafter, every day, all day, each summer and every weekend all year and even every evening –even on school days– for eighteen years in which to teach their children their religion.

The problem for the religious is not that the children will, briefly, hear about a “theory”, it is that the religious are incapable of “selling” religion w/o full time indoctrination.

Telling a mentally competant adult that had never heard of religion before that some all-powerful invisible, non-human thing stalks people from birth watching to be displeased w/a plan to send those people that displeases it to a place to be tortured w/fire forever –but that they should love this thing –would NOT be believe.

When church was just about the only small-town social diversion and place to meet the opposite sex, then churches had a monoply on moulding young minds. Now that children are more able to expand their knowledge, the curious among them–the more intelligent among them– do; therefore, it is becomming ever more difficult to sell these man-made myths as truth.]

Religion is a man-made power tool fueled by fear and need and greed. The GOP uses it to get voters to the polls to vote for representatives that will work for the wealthiest among us–and, across the nation, they are trading the individual liberty and equal right under law of future generations to do that w/right wing-nut laws.

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You can say I implied something, since you are the thought police, but I know what I said. I never implied anything you just thought I did because you WANTED to. Not going to keep going over this with you. When I am wrong I admit it – you evidently don’t.

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Wake up America! More money dumped into our education system has not, does not and will not make for better education. The ones who win in our education system are not the students but the administrators and teachers. Most of the money that goes into education goes for administration. Parents are expected to not only pay most of their property taxes for education, but they are expected to pay for a list of supplies not just for their own child/children but for the underprivileged as well at the beginning of the school year and these supplies are for the entire year. We hear how the teachers “spend their own money” . . . have you walked into a classroom lately. Every nook and cranny is covered with something . . I question the necessity of all of these things. Certainly I survived in a classroom without all the frills that kids have today. If this is what teachers spend their money own then I would have to question the necessity for all these things.

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Recon — “If you look at the current electoral map it currently doesn’t provide much because state polling isn’t up to date.”

What are you talking about? Electoral-vote.com updates every time one of the constituent polls gets updated.

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UH OH,

They’re states that have historically voted for Democrats or Republicans in decisive numbers the pollsters give them to one candidate or the other as certain along with the appropriate number of electoral votes. Next you have leaning toward one or the other, again based on historic data. You then come to swing states where it’s predicted the election will be won or lost. The swing states are the variables and down in the trenches or polling district survey’s won’t be in full motion until September.

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H. AIR — “Get it? I NEVER SAID, IMPLIED, OR INFERRED THAT THE GFT IS A UNION ITSELF.”

Uh huh. Then tell us about the Georgia Teachers’ Union that you said exists.

“I want you or mama to show me where I said that.”

You said that there’s were teachers’ unions all over the country INCLUDING GEORGIA. So tell us about this alleged Georgia teachers’ union, please.

“They are affiliated with the AFLCIO and pay due to them. the AFLCIO says they are a member. That’s what I said.”

You also said that there was a GA teachers’ union. Once again, tell us about it, please.

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My son started in the Ga public school system and performed very poorly. When he started public school in New Mexico while in the 3rd grade, one of his great Ga teachers took upon herself to contact his New Mexico teachers to tell them that he was almost unteachable and then proceed to give advice on how to handle hm. Of course they took offense from this letter. He went from one of the poorest students in his lowly rated Ga school to being one of the best students his highly rated school. His 1st teacher out there to this day keeps up with how he’s doing and sends his incompetent Ga teachers his high marks several times a year. She has done that year after year. Jay’s right it’s not only the elected local officials it’s also the parents and the culture and attitudes towards teaching here.

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B. Frog — “Why is there no teachers union in Georgia?”

I enthusiastically refer you to Maureen Downey’s blog.

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HOT AIR

Do you think the teachers involved in the cheating scandal, corrupting our school system and personally benefiting from bonuses they received, should be fired?

If it’s proven, then fire them. I have no problem with that. Now answer this question. What teacher union operates in Georgia? And I’m not talking about pseudo-union stuff. I’m talking the full monty, including bargaining and all. That’s what unions do.

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