The American Spectator : The Liberal Lessons

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The Liberal Lessons

7.17.09 @ 6:01AM

"Us vs. Them" at schools. Beauty can be blinding. Welcome to Obamastan. Plus more.

FEDS NEVER LEARN
Re: Ben Van Horrick's Lessons Learned:

I have taught for over 15 years, all of them in the inner city and working with socio-economically challenged students. My first four years were spent with students processing through the Orange County, California juvenile justice system. My students were mostly Latino (Chicano or first generation American) with a smaller population of students of Asian descent. Most of the staff was Caucasian, as am I. Those teachers who treated the students with respect earned and received respect, regardless of race or cultural background. We did not start with the premise of "us" and "them." Mr. Van Horrick demonstrates, via his extended anecdote, that Teach for America starts exactly with the wrong premise of "us" vs. "them." This color/culture (over)sensitivity acts as a roadblock, not a bridge, between the teachers and students.

The best teachers and administrators I have observed over the years are aware of cultural differences but they do not define their students by them. The best see the individual students and meet their needs accordingly. These champions of students fully understand the impact that socioeconomic hardships play in our students' lives, but they do not allow these hardships to define or stymie the students. The greatest stumbling blocks are not the teachers but the system itself.

The greatest sources of defeat for our nation's students are government, and, yes, unions. Through ineptitude, bureaucracy, indifference and a fear of change, government and unions work against our students' interests. Voucher systems, alternative schools and release from the chains of federal regulation are necessary steps, but they are not sufficient in and of themselves. Voters, especially those who are also parents, must demand that power is returned to the local school boards where the people know their own students. From there, America can launch thousands of laboratories to test different methods of learning and teaching.

When met with the challenge of Sputnik, American scholars responded. Not only did we win the space race, but the very same mentality of American Exceptionalism won the Cold War. These students were not fettered by federal regulations: President J. Carter had not yet established the Department of Education. The time to end of this misbegotten power grab by the federal government is long past.

If public education is to survive, the school system must be held accountable. Those with the power to make changes are the ones to be held responsible. Logically, the power, and therefore the responsibility, to make intelligent changes would sit with those who can best observe the problems since they will have the most immediate knowledge of the problems. A plumber does not call a central office to fix a leaky pipe; he has the best vantage point and tools to fix it. Accountability and power are intertwined or abuse abounds.

If President Obama truly wants to fix our broken school system, then he can get the federal government off the backs of local school boards. As the people of the Seventies were oft heard to chant, "Power to the people. Right on."
-- I.M. Kessel

ITS NOT THE WAY SHE LOOKS
Re: Christopher Orlet's The Palin Effect:

You seem to have disregarded her accomplishments as Governor of Alaska as so many others have done as well. Her beauty has been more of a disadvantage to her which is a shame. Beautiful women can be smart too.

Governor Palin worked a gas line deal. She was able to work with the oil companies and find a common ground for the good of Alaskan citizens for those using energy or selling it.

In my experience, I find that a person is successful in government if that person knows the Constitution and knows how capitalism runs best. To be successful as a President, a person has to do what's right for the American people. It's such a rare concept these days as no one knows what that looks like anymore.

Remember, too, that Governor Palin got rid of corruption whether it was Republican or Democrat. Maybe you are missing the point of her popularity. Maybe both the Republicans and Democrats are incapable of doing what is right for this country. Maybe there is too much power at stake.
-- Emily Busch
Chaska, Minnesota

Whatever one thinks of Sarah Palin, she is not the cause of the current, unprecedented crisis, or the idiotic and criminal remedies. This was accomplished by the "best and brightest" from both parties. Could an unqualified, inexperienced, country bumpkin engineer as much fiscal insanity, malfeasance, duplicity, fraud, disregard of the law and criminality as the "best and brightest?" Perhaps, although the "qualified" have set a high maybe an insurmountable standard for any unqualified aspirant to match. There is no better illustration of the intellectual bankruptcy of the GOP and Democrats than their soft bigotry when they assume the electorate will remain inert while their economic well being collapses. This article strengthens that argument.
-- Brad Lena
Sewickley, Pennsylvania

What an idiotic statement to make about President Bush. Orlet is just another egocentric pundit showing his derriere and trying to ingratiate himself with the left and the pseudo-intellectuals. Is it any wonder that the conservative movement has been in disarray when supposedly conservative writers are doing the Democrats dirty work for them in trashing conservatives (Bush, DeLay, etc.)?

Who cares what the prattling media members like Will, Noonan, etc. have to say? In their arrogance, they have not only shattered Reagan's 11th Commandment, but they have contributed to the crack-up of our movement and reemergence of a strong and radical Democrat party. A Democrat party that has given us this Obamanation we now call a Congress and Presidency -- a Democratic party that will reign supreme if they are taken seriously.

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Letter to the Editor View all comments (13) | Leave a comment

British Rightie| 7.17.09 @ 9:56AM

Sorry, Mr Best, but you have your Sherlock Holmes stories mixed up. The quotation -"the mysterious incident of the dog in the night time "- came from the short story "Silver Blaze". The plot of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" was completely different.

Old Texican| 7.17.09 @ 7:19PM

British Rightie..........

Shut the fuork up! We whipped your kingkiss-arse folks 230 years ago...then came back to bail your skinny arses OUT...THREE TIMES!

Please go mursterboute on your own time. (sic heh!)
...Either think like a free man...or just shut the hell up!

Dumbass| 7.17.09 @ 10:56PM

"Most of the staff was Caucasian, as am I."

You sound so fucking proud. Does anyone fucking care, except you? Congrats on being white.

Old Texican| 7.17.09 @ 10:58PM

Please excuse all my odious spelling errors. I never went to school!

IMKessel| 7.17.09 @ 11:58PM

Dumbass,

While your rudeness does not deserve and answer, you inadvertently raise a good point, which demonstrates a rose can sometimes grow from manure.

A person of reasonable intelligence who reads the context of the statement would see no indication of pride in any race status. That I am a Caucasian was presented as fact; it would have been no different than pointing out the sky is blue, though the color oft he sky would be an irrelevant factor. Race was a pertinent factor because many expected a racial/culture/socioeconomic bifurcation, as evidenced from the TFA perspective. In our school, no culture gap occurred because the staff did not set up a system where cultural heritage was the focal point; we did not establish an “us” vs. “them” system or mentality. We showed the students respect and they behaved accordingly. The point, succinctly put, is race matters only if the system is set up to make it matter.

As to the use of profanity, I could meet your language on a guttural level, cursing like a sailor (which I am proud to claim myself among the ranks), but I will address you directly and with civility, if for no other reason than I understand the arena in which we are exchanging thoughts in populated with ladies and gentlemen. If you care to respond, I hope you can meet the expectation of civility. If you cannot, I will not respond.

Patriot| 7.18.09 @ 2:09AM

I feel proud of my whiteness, as anyone should when it comes to their ethnicity.

So many scary liberal haters--it's their blind liberal hatred that truly frightens me. They have no conscience.

We can not let their hatred prevail.

British Rightie| 7.18.09 @ 9:47AM

Old Texican : Odious is right - and not just your spelling! If that's how you treat a gentle correction from someone who is basically an American supporter from across the pond then no wonder you are losing friends hand over fist. Never went to school? Certainly never went to charm school! (Incidently, no reference to the actual substance of my comment - so much for the famed Southern charm.)

Tootsie| 7.18.09 @ 2:57PM

British Rightie, please accept my apologies for any intemperance; we're usually congenial here.

We're a bit on edge. Sorry.

dsammis| 7.18.09 @ 7:09PM

It was my understanding that A cannot apologise for something that B did, or said. This point made ad nausium regarding slavery, Gitmo, capitalism, and other acts which happened way before our time.

Tootsie| 7.19.09 @ 3:15AM

Who died and made you the Understanding King, Bozo? You should apologize for your stupid pettiness.

By the way, that's 'Ad nauseam' dumbo--and I ain't gonna apologize for that!

carol| 7.19.09 @ 7:54AM

Ira kessell, as usual, shows incredible naivete.

The cure to what ails the school system is NOT return to the local school boards. Gee whiz, ira, where have you been? School boards are overwhelmingly liberal. (This is like telling the fox he can no longer watch the hen house; we'll let the wolf do it instead.)

The key, ira, is to decertify the teachers' union. Then, implement term limits on school board members. Those two steps will destroy the entrenched power system. Then--and only then---can you institute real change.

IMKessel| 7.19.09 @ 10:44AM

Carol,

Your statement implies that past is prologue; that what has been must continue on. I believe people can be swayed to see the damage done by liberal doctrine and policy. I am advocating that parents get involved on a local level where their voices can have a greater impact. Some districts will remain liberal and some will be ruled by the Religious Right, neither of which is desirable by me, but the board will reflect local concerns, which is what I am advocating. Further, I continue to advocate for vouchers, alternative schools and school choice. With more choices, parents and students would have a choice to attend a school represented by a liberal board, conservative board or private school. The past has taught us that when power is concentrated in the hands of the few, the many suffer. Taking control out of Washington is a necessary cause, but it is not sufficient cause. Yes, other problems will crop up, but one move at a time – but like in chess, keep the end game in mind.

Decertify the union? I don’t understand your meaning. I can’t address it intelligently.

As for term limits, the people get the government they deserve. Given, incumbency has numerous advantages, but, ultimately, the people have the power. I am for increasing choices and trusting the people to make intelligent choices. Sadly, we, the people, have a long record of not making the efforts needed to cast informed votes, but I live in hope that the majority will wake up and do what is intelligent. Prince Obama and Congress’ approval ratings are slipping; maybe the people are waking up.

Naive? No. Overly optimistic? Possibly.

Thank you for your intelligent and reasoned response.

Richard Baker| 7.20.09 @ 3:10PM

Having been a math/science teacher in Florida, my solution is thus. 1. Close the public schools completely. 2. Give the money to the parents to seek the best education possible, to be used only for schooling. 3. Legally hand the parents the responsibility to ensure that their kids are educated at 18, with tough consequences for ignoring their duty. Just think, could this do worse than the disaster that is public education, presently? No school boards, NEA, or school administrators who are only concerned about their retirement packages.