Obama's assault on public schools State, National, International, posted by Bobby, a resident of the Del Prado neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Fastinating that the teachers were some of the biggest supporters of Obama and now he is turning on them.
Posted by Concerned, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2010 at 9:06 pm
There is no money to pay salaries and even more the pensions and retiree medical benefits. This is just the tip of the iceberg. All city,county,state and federal employees will have to take big cuts. This is all the results of mismanagement, giving up the store by Gray Davis who caved in to the unions. During the past decade while the stock market, state GNP etc. have gone no where and revenues have dropped the salaries and benefits of govt. employees have gone up over 50%. We are essentially all bankrupt like Vallejo. There is no Santa Claus or tooth fairy. The O'Bama fairy is running out of money as the federal budget deficits are running into trillions and foreigners are not buying the junk Treasury paper. Tighten your belts and lower your stanadard of living. Once interest rates start going up housing will take another dive.
Posted by Rat Turd, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2010 at 9:33 pm
concerned,
I agree with you. the only people who will flourish in this type of environmental are the ones which have paid off their homes (very few) and the ones with a lot of money in the bank (even fewer) to take advantage of the skyrocking interest rates.
Posted by Obama Nation, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2010 at 9:39 pm
Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Weekly Address
March 13, 2010
Lost in the news of the week was a headline that ought to be a source of concern for every American. It said, “Many Nations Passing U.S. in Education.” Now, debates in Washington tend to be consumed with the politics of the moment: who’s up in the daily polls; whose party stands to gain in November. But what matters to you – what matters to our country – is not what happens in the next election, but what we do to lift up the next generation. And the fact is, there are few issues that speak more directly to our long term success as a nation than issues concerning the education we provide to our children.
Our prosperity in the 20th century was fueled by an education system that helped grow the middle class and unleash the talents of our people more fully and widely than at any time in our history. We built schools and focused on the teaching of math and science. We helped a generation of veterans go to college through the GI Bill. We led the globe in producing college graduates, and in turn we led in producing ground-breaking technologies and scientific discoveries that lifted living standards and set us apart as the world’s engine of innovation.
Of course, other nations recognize this, and are looking to gain an edge in the global marketplace by investing in better schools, supporting teachers, and committing to clear standards that will produce graduates with more skills. Our competitors understand that the nation that out-educates us today will out-compete us tomorrow. Yet, too often we have failed to make inroads in reforming and strengthening our public education system – the debate mired in worn arguments hurled across entrenched divides.
As a result, over the last few decades, we’ve lost ground. One assessment shows American fifteen year olds no longer even near the top in math and science when compared to their peers around the world. As referenced in the news report I mentioned, we’ve now fallen behind most wealthy countries in our high school graduation rates. And while we once led the world in the proportion of college graduates we produced, today we no longer do.
Not only does that risk our leadership as a nation, it consigns millions of Americans to a lesser future. For we know that the level of education a person attains is increasingly a prerequisite for success and a predictor of the income that person will earn throughout his or her life. Beyond the economic statistics is a less tangible but no less painful reality: unless we take action – unless we step up – there are countless children who will never realize their full talent and potential.
I don’t accept that future for them. And I don’t accept that future for the United States of America. That’s why we’re engaged in a historic effort to redeem and improve our public schools: to raise the expectations for our students and for ourselves, to recognize and reward excellence, to improve performance in troubled schools, and to give our kids and our country the best chance to succeed in a changing world.
Under the leadership of an outstanding Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, we launched a Race to the Top, through which states compete for funding by committing to reform and raising standards, by rewarding good teaching, by supporting the development of better assessments to measure results, and by emphasizing math and science to help prepare children for college and careers.
And on Monday, my administration will send to Congress our blueprint for an updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act to overhaul No Child Left Behind. What this plan recognizes is that while the federal government can play a leading role in encouraging the reforms and high standards we need, the impetus for that change will come from states, and from local schools and school districts. So, yes, we set a high bar – but we also provide educators the flexibility to reach it.
Under these guidelines, schools that achieve excellence or show real progress will be rewarded, and local districts will be encouraged to commit to change in schools that are clearly letting their students down. For the majority of schools that fall in between – schools that do well but could do better – we will encourage continuous improvement to help keep our young people on track for a bright future: prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. And because the most important factor in a child’s success is the person standing at the front of the classroom, we will better prepare teachers, support teachers, and encourage teachers to stay in the field. In short, we’ll treat the people who educate our sons and daughters like the professionals they are.
Through this plan we are setting an ambitious goal: all students should graduate from high school prepared for college and a career – no matter who you are or where you come from. Achieving this goal will be difficult. It will take time. And it will require the skills, talents, and dedication of many: principals, teachers, parents, students. But this effort is essential for our children and for our country. And while there will always be those cynics who claim it can’t be done, at our best, we know that America has always risen to the challenges that we’ve faced. This challenge is no different.
As a nation, we are engaged in many important endeavors: improving the economy, reforming the health care system, encouraging innovation in energy and other growth industries of the 21st century. But our success in these efforts – and our success in the future as a people – will ultimately depend on what happens long before an entrepreneur opens his doors, or a nurse walks the rounds, or a scientist steps into her laboratory. Our future is determined each and every day, when our children enter the classroom, ready to learn and brimming with promise.
Posted by Pleasanton Mom, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 8:01 am
Obby,
I'm thinking the same thing. If that article, "Obama's assault on public schools" had been published on a Conservative website, the liberals would have screamed that it was racism or "right wing hate".
But since it's published on the World Socialist website (WHO reads that??) it has me baffled because firing bad teachers and privitizing education makes sense to me - so something is not right with this. Remember, Progressives/Marxists/Liberals have to trick and deceive, so something is not right with this.
I'll have to see this from a trusted site before I can analyze it.
But Concerned and Rad Turd are absolutely correct.
Posted by Bill, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 8:30 am
My guess is that Obama has private schools (k-12) in his crosshairs. Look out for major disincentives for parents to send their kids to private schools. Could be in the form of increase in taxes to parents...or an increase in taxes of private schools which will have to raise their tuition exponentially.
Or, since dictator Obama now has a monopoly on the college student loan program, he may withhold loans to students from private schools.
Watch out...it is coming.
Obama and his Communist Admin... and Communist Czars HATE America's private sector.
Posted by Rat Turd, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 9:24 am
Pleasanton Mom and Obby,
Unfortunately part of it is true. I saw the bill being on CNN this morning. Described a little differently but two key points first, under his new bill schools are rewarded on progression rather than meeting criteria. As explained on CNN this would reward poor performing schools like inner city Chicago, New York or others and would punish already high performing schools in the suburbs like here in Pleasanton and secondly, it would make it difficult for students to leave a poor performing school and transfer to another. CNN said that both of these are poorly hiden kick bakcs to the power teachers union. Imagine that Obama rewarding the unions.
Posted by Rat Turd, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 10:02 am
The source was Margaret Spellings, Former Secretary of Education under President Bush. She also said there were good things in the bill but did not elaborate on what those good things were. You can research it yourself and if you are open minded I believe you will come to the same conclusion if not then well I guess it is on you.
Posted by Rat Turd, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 10:05 am
Pleasanton Mom,
Related to the National Socialist Network or whatever it is called, I saw a video piece they did about NUMMI and the Union on YouTube and I shocked about how critical they were about the union so something is up with that group.
Posted by Bat Guano, a resident of the Beratlis Place neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 10:07 am
"You can research it yourself"
That's a child's response. It's your unsupported claim, so the burden of proof is on you. Provide the link where this is reported on CNN, as you claim.
Posted by Pleasanton Mom, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 10:48 am
Bat,
Why do you expect others to do your heavy lifting for you? Research it yourself.
That is what I have been doing for over a year - trying to make sense of the daily assaults on our country and our freedom from this Administration - I research it for myself.
Posted by Bat Guano, a resident of the Beratlis Place neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 10:53 am
In other words, Rat Turd (under a different name) is saying "Geez, I might be exposed as a fraud. Better to pretend that it's unreasonable to support by claims."
Try again, please. The link to the CNN story where CNN makes these claims, please?
Posted by Mandrake, a resident of another community, on Mar 14, 2010 at 11:15 am
Guano, ol' chum, I just saw on CNN about how Obama is secretly working for the leprechaun union lobbyists, and that on St. Patrick's Day he's going to outlaw rainbows, seeing as they only lead mortals to the leprechauns' gold.
Now before you try to fool me with "facts" and "evidence" and other trickery, let me just say that it's true simply because I say it is. "Evidence." Bah! Since when have Americans relied on that?
Posted by Don't fire til you see the whites of their eggs, a resident of another community, on Mar 14, 2010 at 11:50 am
bat, the truthiness of rat turd's post is all a loyal patriot like me needs. obama's in bed iwth the unions and wants to destroy america by improving education
"We need to be vigilant in order to ensure that our children aren't being used as an excuse to dupe us -- and our governors -- into believing that another government takeover is the answer to a fledgling economy and a suffering education system."
Posted by Rat Turd, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 14, 2010 at 4:10 pm
One could also suspect that by distributing the money based on improvement percent rather than the total score that Obama is spreading the money around like he told Joe the plumber he believed in. I believe they call it income redistribution or in this case our tax money redistributed.
Posted by Nix Bolshevik, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2010 at 8:59 am
Teachers are just another group that was duped by Obama. Anyone that voted for him was either duped or stupid. You may think that sounds harsh, but it’s simply the truth. This nation is being irreparably harmed by the Bolshevik triumvirate of Obama, Reid and Pelosi.
Now, it is critical that the voters boot the leftist loons from Congress this November. That will take out Reid and Pelosi, and will set the stage for one of Obama's traitorist acts resulting in his impeachment. If we have to wait until 2012 to get him out, that could be too late.
Posted by Exasperated, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2010 at 9:10 am
Is this what you were looking for? Web Link Gee, that took me all of two seconds, since it was ON THE FRONT PAGE of the CNN website. How long would it take to cut and paste, Rat Turd?
"It supports the expansion of public charter schools and calls for giving states and school districts additional flexibility in how they spend federal dollars, 'as long as they are continuing to focus on what matters most -- improving outcomes for students.' And it also allows them to use federal grant funds to change the way teachers and principals are paid, 'to provide differentiated compensation and career advancement opportunities to educators who are effective in increasing student academic achievement,' among other considerations."
Posted by Pleasanton Mom, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2010 at 9:10 am
Nix,
You are absolutely correct.
Excerpt from article:
"If the agenda of the most radical government in our history becomes embedded in the fabric of our society -- i.e., nearly impossible to overturn -- the long-term future of the United States will be bleak. Bankruptcy and secondary world status will be nearly inevitable. Thus, the next three years will be the most important in our long history.
We, our children, and our grandchildren need not see this devastating end. There will be an election on November 8, 2010, and numerous opportunities besides to petition, organize behind one political party, and peacefully demonstrate in huge numbers."
Posted by Dominic Di Blasio, a resident of the Del Prado neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2010 at 9:10 am Dominic Di Blasio is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Keep voting for the Democrats and this is what you get...Interesting contrast between Texas and California...Texas has smaller government, is pro-business, has unemployment lower than the national average, spends less per student on education, has much higher test scores than CA, and people are moving there in droves, including college students.
California in contrast, has been run by democrats for years, we are fiscally bankrupt, despite spending an abundance on education per student, our test scores are low and we don't have money to fund education like we should be able to, unemployment is higher than the national average, people and businesses are leaving Cali in droves...
We do not have leadership in CA that I believe in nor that I can trust!
If we keep doing what were doing (that is, voting for democrats) we will keep getting what we are getting...
Posted by Kathleen, a resident of the Vineyard Hills neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2010 at 4:25 pm
None of the articles referenced or speeches quoted here support the notion that Obama is out to destroy American education. The claims made are without direct, incontrovertible evidence that the president is at fault. It is like saying that Obama is in office, and I have crab grass in my yard, so he is to blame. Saying something does not make it truth, people. Get real!
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