Wow! Bulls-eye after bulls-eye. There is a serious and disturbing level of deliberate ignorance in this country, and FunnyLady is representin'. It is easy and safe to sit on the couch and crab about the powers of the unions. It takes real guts to stand up for yourself and forge a bond of trust with your fellow worker. Until more people do, the corporations will keep the People under their collective heel. We are barely hanging on to our democracy as it is. If the people don't wake up soon, we will lose it forever.
i've been hearing about this all over the major media news channels and outlets for the last few days. just as i thought, we weren't getting the complete story - as is typical of the corporate controlled media. but, tonight i also heard that a few other new Republican governors are threatening and attempting the same tactic in their states - feeding the "we're bankrupt" lies to the electorate - their ultimate, and i believe conspiratorial (Republican Party conspiracy), goal is to destroy workers rights and collective bargaining rights throughout the country - at the behest of their large corporate buddies, lobbyists, and contributors. it's been a goal of the Republican Party for many decades and now i fear they see it within their sights!!! once again, the Republicans are spewing outright lies and propaganda to scare the American people into accepting their far right ideological agenda...just as they did in the health care reform debate.
Now you're quoting some recycled right-wing blog chum as news? Seriously? No wonder you are so breathtakingly misinformed.
It seems as though you and a bunch of other true believers have decided to quote one of Beck's buddies' blogs that uses the line you "cite" (and I use that term loosely) as the preface to a demand for donations. Nice "work."
The actual Politico story notes that Wisconsin Organizing for America is supporting the protests by helping some Dems get transportation to the state capitol. It does not actually say that the President is organizing this to further his supposed "agenda."
It is no surprise that some Wisconsin Democrats are fighting Walker's effort to strip people of their right to organize. Here is what state director Dan Grandone reportedly said: "At a time when most folks are still struggling to get back on their feet, Gov. Walker has asked the state legislature to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. Under his plan, park rangers, teachers, and prison guards would no longer be able to fight back if the new Republican majority tries to slash their health benefits or pensions."
The idea that tens of thousands of citizens affected by the genuine risk of losing their rights were not genuinely inspired to fight for their rights, and that the protest was just some sort of mock event created by the White House, which has been ducking on this issue, is pretty surprising.
To try to make OFA's outreach into some sort of nefarious conspiracy theory is pretty wild on your part, but it's not surprising based on your earlier diatribe. The hyperventilating claims made in your "quote" of a badly mismashed "quote" are much ado about nothing, more like the non-earth shattering type of "dog-bites-man" non-story.
So, on the question of "credibility," I'd say your post pretty much speaks for itself. Not credible.
Thanks for helping me prove my point!
It can be shown with scores and statistics, some of which were cited in the article above, that poverty, not teacher quality, is the strongest indicator and predictor of test scores for students. As an elementary school teacher, it's obvious to me that family influence and resources "set the stage" for success (or not) for students much more than I do.
Those students who are well taken care of, have lots of books at home and someone to read to them, plenty of healthy food, good health care, educated parents, stimulating conversations in the home, have a relatively stable family life, and speak English, are much better prepared to enter school, complete homework, pay attention, and find success in academic learning.
Well cared for children of literate parents tend to be more easily taught academic skills. Those who have not been exposed to literacy, writing, etc. before school often require more time and much re-teaching in order to learn grade level concepts and skills. They have to learn more than middle class students within the same school year. These factors are going to effect test scores. That is common sense!
I find teaching to be extremely rewarding - whether the student is affluent or poor. However, it would be entirely unfair to base my wages on the standardized test scores of my students. I can't determine who my students are each year, and each year those students are different.
As Author and Professor Stephen Krashen of UCLA reports:
"The late Gerald Bracey published compelling data showing that the
"proficient" level on our national reading test is set far too high:
Bracey reported in 2007 that only 29% of American children scored at
the proficient level or higher. According to Bracey's analysis, only
33% of Swedish children would have scored proficient or higher on our
tests, and Sweden consistently ranks at or near the top of the world
in reading. Setting the proficiency level unreasonably high is an
excellent way of making our students look bad.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gerald-bracey/proficient-readers-dear-s_b_54086.html
Our science and math test scores are unspectacular, but the problem is
not science and math education. Studies show that American students
from well-funded schools who come from high-income families outscore
all or nearly all other countries on international tests. Only our
children in high poverty schools score below the international
average. Our scores look low because the US has the highest percentage
of children in poverty of all industrialized countries (25%, compared
to Denmark's 3%). Our educational system has been successful; the
problem is poverty."
So why is it that the Gates, Broad, and Walton money isn't spent on raising millions of American students out of poverty? If they are so dedicated to improving education in this country, why not do what would actually work? Could it be because corporations that manufacture and score school tests won't make any profits, and neither will the folks who profit from this "reform movement"? Could it be that they don't want a strong public school system that supports a strong teachers' union? Could it be that because most teachers are democrats and liberals, they will do anything to destroy their influence? Could it be that they actually don't want to encourage a strong, engaged middle class, because once educated, those who were once living in poverty might want more power - just like those in Egypt?
Unfortunately, the Gates and other education philanthropists who have joined this movement have sent public schools on a downward spiral that is gaining speed so quickly teachers' and parent's heads are spinning.
We all must ask the question: Why isn't the money going to support student learning rather that continually test it? Why aren't they spending money on books for libraries, after-school homework helpers, health clinics, parent education, job creation in poverty areas, healthy lunches in schools and other reforms that would actually work?! Without a doubt, these millionaires and billionaires have more than enough money to dedicate to educational reforms. Why then, don't they invest in reforms that would work?!
And why do they think they are qualified to know what would work? How many years have they spent successfully teaching the youth of America?
George Soros donated to causes of the Democratic party, but did not advocate outright lies to determine his position like KOch.
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