Harry,
You said:
Ray,
It's completely unfair that you should have had the benefit of reservation
education, when most of us only got state schooling.
So there!
Harry
-----------------------------------------------------------
You haven't read what I've said in the past about that schooling.
1. the rules came from the Federal Government as do all such schools as
opposed to your local schools where all of the
local honchos can dabble in each teacher's work while cutting
off their funds. They can't dabble because the
Federal Government determines the educational objectives for better and
worse. But the stability is definitely for the better.
2. Levees are voted on a regular basis by the community, for the
community to provide funds for school programs.
3. Teachers and Administrators who don't enjoy politics are usually
raped by the system.
4. Those who do enjoy the give and take in the community grow closer to
their constituents
and realize that it is the whole local strength of the community
that makes any of it work.
You say "state schools" but you really mean democratically run local
schools with elected school boards and common funding from the property
taxes of the community. You have plenty of control on a local basis, much
more than the reservation schools which can only say yes or no to whether
they will provide the money for the levee or not. It is always a trade
in control. When it works with good personnel then it is great but when
you are the typical capitalist "get the most for the least amount of effort"
type then it is a total bust. Then you need the Democratically elected
Parents looking over the Teacher's shoulders on a constant basis to keep
them from "shirking" their duty or doing as little as the mid-level
personnel in corporations do in this system. Ask Keith, how many
capitalists would have stuck with his current business this long? If you
have a serious society then you need a coherent nationwide culture that
includes the genius of each group and doesn't destroy the group's potential
in the integrative process. That is the first problem for education.
Today each group makes themselves right and everyone else wrong. That
doesn't work and just creates ignorant bigots. In the reservation schools
the security of the system, even though rigid, made people feel free to
improvise and develop within the system while down the road everyone was
overwhelmed with having to become educational experts in order to "run" a
school that they would never be equipped to run without changing
professions.
But, your comment was a distraction from my OIQ test curriculum. I hit
another line drive into that great unknown which resembles singing into a
cotton wall. Meanwhile, Karen was great but you didn't answer her. Your
statement about remedial entries has always been true for state institutions
where they had open enrollment. Private Institutions like the University
of Tulsa where I got my undergraduate degree, just eliminated those students
both by cost and testing. I had no money so I had to develop something
that they wanted. I played in their band and marched at football games
until I could develop some other way of paying. If you all need is a good
entrance scholarship for your children, give them Viola lessons. There
are never enough Violas in the school orchestra and they always get good
scholarships even if they intend to be Doctors or Physicists.
As to English? You should give up the Latin based grammar for English and
convene an academy that gives people like Noam Chomsky something to do that
tests his brilliance in his profession. Create a Universal English
Grammar that fits the language and then you could teach it. Most schools
today have given up trying. English grammar was created by writers who
would translate their work into Latin, fix the grammar and then translate it
back into the vernacular. What is English's glory, its variety of
expressions and vast repertoire of nouns and adjectives plus its acquisitive
history from grazing other languages, is the very thing that makes teaching
it an analytic nightmare. English (Latin) Grammar is culture bound to
the 17th century and has little to do with what is written today, except
when being VERY linear and simple. Even the Beatles were more modern,
today's commercial music and poetry is far too complicated for the grammar.
Of course, if you do create that grammar you will have the same conservative
revolution from parents that you got with the "New Math." I frankly
don't much understand your complaints on this list when it comes to
education.
I have my complaints, as a company director, with my needs for trained labor
but the common complaints you guys make bear no resemblance to the education
that my daughter got in NYCity schools. Schools which are taking their
lumps constantly in the press. She didn't need remedial work and she is
doing great in her Liberal Arts College where her grades are competitive
thus far. All from the high school courses in Math, Science, History and
Philosophy that she got in the LaGuardia High School of Music and the
Performing Arts where she was a Drama Major for four years. I have
complaints about the well-roundedness of that education but it doesn't
relate to the courses that you complain about. She has had training that
is good enough to stand her well in one of the nation's better Liberal Arts
Colleges in a major urban situation. She is a writing major and she got
exceptional Math and literary skills both in High School and her Magnet
Middle School. A school which was in a part of town where most of you
wouldn't live or even walk around. Her friends were drawn from every
strata, race and ethnic culture in the city. I worried about the ones
with drug issues but somehow we didn't have to deal with that. Perhaps it
was seeing friends end up "dead-ending" their lives and the fact that she ha
d a community to back her up spiritually. Or maybe it was just luck.
Either way I'm grateful.
As for executions? Bush could have had a better attitude about life and
death. He was known to joke while signing the order.
As for Social Security. How much is that new plan to privatize SS going
to save the Federal Government to implement it and how much will you and I
save as a result? So far what I've seen sounds like the same giveaway as
to the ranchers who get their grazing land for peanuts while the rest of us
pay. I would be for more than a little serious reform and I would also be
for running the Federal Government in such a way to make a little money back
so that those taxes wouldn't have to be so high including Social Security.
Charge those Trucks for what they really do to the roads and not the peanuts
they complain about. Charge the businesses for use of the Internet.
Charge the corporations who get cheap trained labor for the cost of the
schools. Let them pay as much relative to what I have to pay to train my
labor after they've graduated and been approved by society. Charge the
states for the cost of the military protection on a per capita basis and
give them the kind of service that they pay for. New York could collect
while Oklahoma, Texas and those "Red" States on that election map would see
their cost go up. That was the reason that NY sued and won in court since
we overpay compared to most of the rest of the country. You should have
heard the illogical explanation from a Texan for that one. The Judge
thought he was incompetant as well. He awarded the case to New York.
And where were those Jet Fighters when those planes were heading towards New
York and Washington, D.C.? You couldn't scramble Jets fast enough to
protect the Country's Capital and its Financial Capital? But you could
have protected Oklahoma City and Nome, Alaska.
This country is made up of constant complainers who will only work as little
as they can get by with in order to satisfy their desires. That makes for
a lousy mood, a snarly feeling and a bovine action which creates a terrible
attitude. The problem with John Kennedy was not what he said but how easy
it had been for him when he called for others to sacrifice. The same is
true for this jerk. Republicans have blamed Carter for his being a
Nuclear Physicist but the mediocre Actor was a genius at the economy? On
the other hand the Oxford Scholar had nothing to do with the economy since
it was the CIA director who laid down the plans which only came to fruition
during the scholar's Presidency. If you believe that...... How long
did it take to get the economy going? Ask Stuart Eizenstadt since it came
to fruition during Bush the first. I would give Bush I some of the credit
for Clinton but frankly Clinton had such a Civil War going during his whole
Presidency that I think he was a genius just to survive, especially with gun
nuts, McVeigh's Militia idiots, Airplanes crashing into the White House,
men firing guns at the White House, etc. and everyone acting as if it was
"just America doing its thing." I listened to the Gun Nuts last night
and I remembered why I kissed the ground in New York every August after
coming back from summer festivals amongst the folks out there. Even
Safire asked for gun registration today in the NYTimes. It only took 10
deaths by a sniper close to home to get his attention. How many deaths in
India did it take to get Falwell's attention, the man Geraldo called the
"conscience of America."
Got to go.
Ray
------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Karen Watters Cole" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>;
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "Brad McCormick, Ed.D." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Keith Hudson"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 1:12 PM
Subject: RE: I would be ashamed
> Karen wrote:
>
> >No, Harry, it doesn't strike me that Bush has been successful, not in
> >Texas nor on matters of legislative substance now. Except for ramming
> >through the overly optimistic Bush tax cut, the Education package he
> >gloried in is being soft-pedaled if not derided already.
>
> I thought what I said would produce a reaction. I don't know much about
> Bush's education package. I don't think that education is a Federal matter
> anyway. However, whomsoever handles it, the results are not good now.
>
> As you know, half the students who enter the University of California
> campuses need remedial reading. Yet, these are presumably the cream of the
> Californian crop.
>
> The educational establishment put on a test of California's new Exit Exam
> (required to graduate). Only about half passed English, while about three
> quarters failed math.
>
> They have since discovered "programming errors" and the figures have
> improved. As it wouldn't look good for most, or many, kids to fail
> graduation from high school - I would expect a certain dumbing down when
> the system in instituted in a couple of years.
>
> You will notice that I am discussing education, while you discuss Bush.
>
> You will recall that while he may not have done much in Texas, he was
> re-elected for a second term as Governor - I believe by a majority of
> landslide proportions - a triumph that was repeated in the Presidential
> race. (Both Clinton and Gore lost their states to Bush, which might
> indicate something.)
>
> >The Patriot Bill was driven by
> >adrenalin and needs heavy editing. Bush has 9/11 and fear going for him,
a
> >good PR machine in the shape of a seal, a name and bankroll that makes
way
> >for him like it did for Ted Kennedy, he likes to straddle the fence like
any
> >negotiator, and takes credit where it wasn't his to take like the worst
of
> >them (ie. Texas health care).
>
> I thought "win-win" was a good result of negotiation. I am sure he acts
> like all politicians, but why single out Bush. However, there are the
Texas
> results, which may mean something.
>
> >We can be certain, however, that he never,
> >ever signed the execution notice for any innocent criminal in Texas.
>
> Every single person for up for Texas execution was innocent. But all Bush
> could do was rubber stamp the court decision. He had only one executive
> power with regard to executions. He could delay one for 30 days - then the
> execution would proceed as scheduled.
>
> No matter, this is just part of the broad sheet propaganda that swept
> across the country during and after the election. It's OK - it's just
> politics, where truth is a casual first casualty.
>
> >As much as I applaud your use of prose and logic, many Americans felt as
if
> >"we wuz robbed" in November 2000, learning suddenly that a system we
assumed
> >worked didn't really, or at least is geographically-challenged, upsetting
> >the notion that elections took place like Swiss clockwork and that
perhaps
> >that lousy micromanager Jimmy Carter needed to supervise elections in
Miami
>
> Jimmy is a nice man, but was a lousy president. Elections are manipulated
> by everyone if they can. Cook County - Chicago - is an American political
> joke. (The fervent Democrat lady who wanted to be buried in Chicago when
> she died - so she could continue voting Democrat.)
>
> During the last election, the Demos got a friendly judge to keep open the
> polls for another three hours, so they could rustle up some more
Democratic
> votes, while the Republicans were watching television, thinking the
> election day was over. There are no doubt many other similar illegalities
> and swindles that are fruit of fanatical politics.
>
> Personally, I ran into a nasty one. An old lady called after the election
> because she was worried that Bush would end social security and she would
> have to find work. Apparently, a Democratic speaker had visited the old
> folks home and told them this. I'm sure they all voted Democratic.
>
> Incidentally, Bush is to be congratulated for bringing the matter up.
Also,
> for giving younger citizens a chance to get off the hook. I believe that
> when social security began there were some 30-40 workers for every
retiree.
> The relationship now is about 3-4 workers for every retiree.
>
> Problems? Absolutely - but at least Bush tried to do something about it -
a
> very politically unwise thing to do. The Democrats knew this - and kept
mum
> about the problem while using Bush's words against him - which they have a
> perfect right to do. Meantime, this major problem is left to fester.
>
> However, I doubt that many young people will now rush to the stock market.
> (I suspect that few would have in any case.)
>
> I understand that social security funds have been earning about 1%.
Surely,
> that could have been improved upon. Can you imagine the difference if all
> that money had been earning 5% over the years?
>
> >After finding out that those who slandered the use of Executive
privileges
> >would use them, too, especially regarding secrecy of White House papers,
> >later in 2001 we learned to our horror that the government's agencies
> >couldn't protect us from massive harm from non-weapons of mass
destruction
> >by non-militarized fanatics in spite of all that military hardware,
practice
> >and muscle. More recently, we've suffered yet another blow that the
people
> >who shoulda.coulda.woulda didn't ("connect the dots") and the people who
are
> >minding the American store are "out to lunch".
>
> Yep, it's true. The President, coming to office in the beginnings of a
> recession, with many urgent things cropping up should have completely
> reorganized the FBI and the CIA in the eight months before the twin Towers
> collapsed.
>
> He received information, which material he promptly turned over to the FBI
> and the CIA who failed to give the intelligence the importance it
deserved.
> In their defence, they probably get tens of thousands of reports each
week.
> Sorting them must be a nightmare.
>
> I don't much approve of Homeland Security, but maybe it's Bush's way of
> getting around the bureaucratic sloth. However, more probably, he is doing
> what any politician does - which is something, anything, to show he is on
> top of things. We both know it is dangerous. In fact, I would say that 90%
> of the things we have done since 9/11 have shown the terrorists
> accomplished their aims.
>
> >If I were a superstitious person, I would take note that George Walker
Bush
> >was linked to all of these and wonder if he isn't just a very bad omen.
For
> >many of us, Bush's ascension to the swearing-in ceremony in January 2001
was
> >a bit like OJ Simpson getting off the hook and moving to - surprise! -
> >Florida. Of course, OJ really is looking for the killer just like Bush
> >really is going to reform corporate fraud and really do something about
the
> >economy - for the rest of us.
>
> That's because you are a fervent Democrat (remember to be buried in
Chicago).
>
> The Democrats lost. Florida offered a tiny hope of changing things - but
it
> failed, even though the all-Democrat Florida Supremes broke constitutional
> law in an attempt to change things so Gore would win.
>
> You'll notice that Democrats bitterly say the US Supremes decided the
> election, yet I haven't heard a word about the affront to the Constitution
> by the Florida Supremes that made intervention by the US necessary.
>
> All the US Supremes said - 7 of the 9 - was that the Florida Supremes did
> something unconstitutional. That's their job.
>
> Sorry, it made you unhappy.
>
> >Why did you say that "Cheney, White, and Thompson ARE INNOCENT, AS YOU
> >KNOW." Has the Supreme Court decided for us already?
> >- Karen, "Free the Bush Twins - send Dad back to Texas" Watters Cole
>
> If you want to do well in politics, Karen, you must watch for traps. Of
> course, you know about due process. Don't fall into the trap of acting
like
> Homeland Security, where apparently due process is discarded. Cheney,
> White, and Thompson are innocent.
>
> Harry
>
>
> ******************************
> Harry Pollard
> Henry George School of LA
> Box 655
> Tujunga CA 91042
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Tel: (818) 352-4141
> Fax: (818) 353-2242
> *******************************
>
>
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