The World is in Need of more Ian Underwoods

Another outstanding article by the brilliant Ian Underwood.    The following article appears in full at Granite Grok. 

"At Wednesday’s school board meeting in Croydon, a former school board member and current math teacher — the latter detail turns out to be important — stood up to say that he is ‘happy to help pay to educate other people’s children.’

Now, this guy pays at most a few thousand dollars each year in school taxes.  At the same time, the town pays at least fifty thousand dollars each year towards schooling his three kids.

Put a few thousand in, take fifty thousand out.  In what sense is he helping to pay for anything?

To put that a different way, ask yourself:  If you put $3 in the poor box, then reach in and take out $50, in what sense are you helping the poor?

Of course, maybe he means he’ll be happy to keep paying even after he’s paid back what he’s taken from the town.  When would that start?

Well, $50 thousand a year times thirteen years (K-12) is $650 thousand.  If he’s paying $2500 a year in school taxes, he should be able to get around to actually helping in about 250 years.

As Richard Mitchell might say, the really interesting question here is whether this guy understands what he’s saying, or doesn’t understand it. In either case, you can at least be happy that he’s probably not teaching math to your children."

To read more of Ian's brilliant writing visit Granite Grok. 

If you like your Failing Schools

If you like your failing schools and high taxes you can keep your failing schools and high taxes. 

Sound familiar? 

Croydon Village School is ranked #252-267 out of 425 elementary schools.

Newport Middle and High School is ranked #84 out of 89. 

A parent asked me, "Why do you care if we want to send our children to a failing school?"  Someone should care and as a taxpayer I care.  On May 7th Croydon we had an opportunity to do better for our students.   377 people spoke, they want to keep the status quo of failing schools and high taxes.  264 people stayed home because they hoped for better opportunities for Croydon Students.  Apparently two people did not get the message to stay home. 

Cathy Peschke

Character

 

It is not Cold Hearted to Want to Keep Your own Money

It is not cold hearted or greedy to want to keep your own money for your own children but it is propaganda to use children to increase taxes on others.  

The opposition forces are trying to use children to melt cold hearts and wallets.   How about not using children for propaganda purposes.  If the increased funds are worthy of  283 people showing up on May 7th you don't need to use children as propaganda to pilfer money from your neighbors.

$10,000 per student is generous.  

$22,000 per student is greedy.  

Protect your assets for future needs, consider staying home May 7th.  

Photo via NPR.org.

                                                    Glory to Stalin, Great Friend of Children!

                                                    USSR, 1952 artwork by N.Vatolina

                                                    Propaganda Poster. 

Public Sector Unions Should not Exist

Our Founders would have never approved of public sector unions. Any History teacher actually worth the weight of their diploma would know this and not be a part of a Teachers' Union. Any Math Teacher actually worth the weight of their diploma would know that the public education system and their pension system is unsustainable and would not be part of the union.

Quote of the Day - "A society that does not recognize that each individual has values of his own which he is entitled to follow can have no respect for the dignity of the individual and cannot really know freedom" -- F. A. Hayek, author of "The Road to Serfdom."

No teacher should be required to pay one cent toward a union, unions do not recognize individuals, unions are about group think.

Take a look at some of the signs teachers were carrying in Madison. Should these people be educating future leaders? I think not.

The following piece appears on American Thinker.com.



Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.



February 20, 2011
End Public Sector Unions...Period
By C. Edmund Wright


It's about time. I've been waiting for this debate to mature for 15 years.

The battles in Wisconsin and New Jersey over public sector union benefits are merely financial precursors to a much bigger ideological war that has been on the horizon now for years, if not decades. When you acknowledge the coming battle, you realize that Governors Walker and Christie -- courageously as they are behaving -- are only nibbling at the edges of the real issue.

And the real issue is whether public sector unions should even be allowed to exist. Frankly, when even a modicum of common sense is infused into the equation, the answer is a resounding no. And the foundational reason is simple. There is no one at the bargaining table representing the folks who are actually going to pay whatever is negotiated.

Gee, what could possibly go wrong?

Well let's see what went wrong: California, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, Chicago, New York State, New York City, Wisconsin...on and on I could go including almost every city and state where government workers are unionized.

Oh, and have you seen pictures of Detroit lately?

The problem is that our country has been lulled to sleep over decades of hearing that government workers are dedicated and low paid public servants who trade good pay for security. And every time a union pay debate came up, it seemed like only cops and fire fighters and teachers were mentioned. No one stopped to think that most government workers are actually bureaucratic charmers like those we see at the DMV and other government offices -- and not "heroic teachers" or crime fighters.

But as long as the private sector was humming along, there was no reason for reality to permeate that myth in most peoples' minds. But the reality is that government workers long ago passed private sector workers in pay and benefits, and now the compensation is more like 150% or even double, factoring in all the benefits, including more vacation days than private sector workers enjoy. And of course, the inestimable value of job security remains intact and strengthened -- while all of us in the private sector deal daily with the risk-reward constraints of reality that are only getting riskier.



And along the way -- with a public school teacher-educated population that understands virtually nothing about economics -- the sheer idiocy of the concept of government unions escaped almost everybody. It's almost as if the union teachers were lying to their students about economics on purpose.

Consider: Unions exist primarily for the function of collective bargaining, where the union bosses will negotiate on behalf of all the workers with the management of a company over pay and benefits and other conditions. This built-in adversarial relationship along with the realities of a limited resource -- known as operating revenues -- do a pretty good job for the most part of keeping contracts in line.

The union bosses represent the workers. Management represents everybody else, including the stockholders, vendors, customers and potential customers of the company. In other words, management represents everyone whose interests are served by keeping payroll costs down.

In the case of a government workforce, those whose interests are served by keeping costs down would include all who pay taxes and fees to said government. In other words, the universe of folks represented by management is far larger than that represented by the union. This inherent tension is the invisible hand of reality that keeps collective bargaining in line.

However, public sector "collective bargaining" is a bad joke, given that there are only chairs on one side of the bargaining table. The bigger universe of interested parties have zero representation in the process. There is no natural force working to keep costs in line.

Moreover, quite often the very politicians who are "negotiating" with the public unions are politicians who have been financed by those same unions. At least Bernie Madoff ripped off his clients with some panache. No such style is even required in a public sector union negotiation when the folks in charge are bought and paid for Democrats.

Under any circumstances and in any economy, it is simply a matter of time before these costs reach a tipping point. We are at that time. There is simply no more money to give to these public sector unions -- period.

And that is why we are seeing what we are seeing in Madison this week and it is why we have seen the emergence of Chris Christie as a national phenomenon. And I welcome it. Things are finally so bad -- that they are good. And by good, I mean that folks now cannot help but pay attention to the issue of public sector unions.

I submit that the very existence of these unions has only been allowed to happen because it's the kind of issue an electorate is never forced to confront -- until they are forced to confront it. And now they are. There is, as Charles Krauthammer said, a bit of an earthquake in the country. People are sensing that the nation is spinning off a cliff.

And of course it is, and public sector unions are one huge reason why. This conclusion is inescapable. And when you understand that, you understand that public sector unions cannot be allowed to exist. If they are, we will never turn back from the cliff.

The Anti-homeschooling Freedom Crowd is just not in N.H.

"A society that does not recognize that each individual has values of his own which he is entitled to follow can have no respect for the dignity of the individual and cannot really know freedom" -- F. A. Hayek, author of "The Road to Serfdom."

I think the reason all homeschoolers in New Hampshire have not fought for freedom is because they really don't know freedom. I believe they also believe what the Statists and Progressives tell them and that is that the State has a compelling interest in Education. The State does not have a compelling interest in education or its outcomes, if they did they would actually do something about the New Hampshire's failing public schools. Tenure serves the interests of teachers not students or educational outcomes. HSLDA and CHeNH have not supported or put forth a homeschooling freedom Bill in New Hampshire, because it does not serve the States interests, their financial interests or their need for power over other's lives.

Illinois currently has homeschooling freedom but will it last. Fight on Illinois homeschoolers because, "But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever." John Adams

Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.

The following piece appears on Big Government.com.

Nanny State Trolls for Homeschooled Children in Illinois
by Julie Schmidt

Recently Illinois Senator Ed Maloney (D) introduced SB136 which would require “the parents or legal guardians of children attending non-public schools, a defined term, or private or parochial schools to annually register their children with the State Board of Education, in conformance with procedures prescribed by the State Board of Education.”

Basically homeschoolers and anyone else who has deemed the public education system a failure would have to register their children with the State, since apparently Senator Maloney believes “that since the State was responsible for the education of our children, the State should know who was being homeschooled,” according to Pastor James McDonald who met with the Senator along with several homeschooling advocates.




I hate to burst the Senator’s progressive utopian bubble, but as Pastor McDonald points out “in the eyes of most home educators, the responsibility to ensure our children receive a competent education belonged to parents, not the State.” I don’t think registering children, like licensing a dog, was exactly what Thomas Jefferson had in mind when he envisioned public education.

Jefferson trusted the people closest to the issue to care most for the outcomes. Regarding education he stated in a letter to Joseph Cabell, “But if it is believed that these elementary schools will be better managed by the Governor and Council, the commissioners of the literary fund, or any other general authority of the government, than by the parents within each ward, it is a belief against all experience.”

Hardly a resounding endorsement of the power of the State, which he was extremely wary of, when he stated in the same letter, “What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and power into one body, no matter whether of the autocrats of Russia or France, or of the aristocrats of a Venetian senate.” Or even the Illinois Senate.

Jefferson also believed that education was–brace yourself progressives–voluntary. He stated, “It is better to tolerate that rare instance of a parent’s refusing to let his child be educated, than to shock the common feelings by a forcible transportation and education of the infant against the will of his father.” So I will give you a moment to consider how he would have viewed compulsory registration. “Appalled” would be kind.

Laurie Higgins of Illinois Family Institute (IFI) applies the “board of education” to our illustrious politicians’ posteriors when she said, “Serious thought should be given to the proper role and limits of our state and federal governments. If the vast majority of home schooling families are educating their children well, IFI doesn’t believe that it is appropriate to penalize them in order to solve the problem of the failures or inadequacies of a minority of home schooling families.”

If you happen to live in Illinois, or even if you don’t, and would like to apply your own board to the backside of this government intrusion, you can find the latest status and who to call at IFI’s website.

Testimony for HB 595

The following is the testimony I gave to the House Education Committee regarding HB-595. Frankly, I do not think this legislation goes far enough but it is a step in the correct direction.

Quote of the Day - "A recent MORI poll, commissioned by the Campaign for Learning, found that 90% of adults were favourably inclined towards further learning for themselves.....The bad news is that 75% said they were unhappy and alienated in the school environment and that, therefore, they preferred to learn at home, in the local library, at their workplace - anywhere other than a school-type setting." - Meighan



Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.



Good afternoon, Chairman Balboni and Honorable members of the House Education Committee,

I am writing today to ask you to vote ITL on HB-301 and OTP on HB-595. I would like to see complete homeschooling freedom in New Hampshire because in a free society, the sole purpose of the State is to protect our freedoms. That's all. Nothing more.

Any parent willing to lift the education burden from fellow taxpayers should not be regulated by the State. Parents in 24 states have this right; Live Free Or Die parents should have it as well. I am asking you to pass HB 595 which will move us closer to freedom and away from the current laws that declare parents to be guilty until proven innocent.

There are approximately 200,000 public students statewide. According to the fall 2010 NECAP results 23% of our students in grades 3-8 and 11 failed to demonstrate proficiency in reading, 34% failed to demonstrate proficiency in mathematics and 45% of our students failed to demonstrate proficiency in writing. There are only about 5,000 homeschoolers in New Hampshire; far more public school students fail to achieve proficiency in basic academics than homeschool students. Taxpayers spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually, yet tens of thousands of students fail to read at grade appropriate level. Frankly, I do not understand the need of some legislators to focus on homeschooling's safely controlled campfire, while public school Rome is burning to the ground.



My children are my responsibility. I have decided that my children shall not be a burden on the rest of society by educating them at home. I have chosen that they not suffer as part of a failing educational system. If I wanted to provide my children a substandard education I would send them to my local public school which has failed to meet Annual Yearly Progress for its seventh year.

I am tired of having to fight for my constitutional right to instruct my children as I see fit. I am tired of fighting organizations that benefit from horrific homeschooling laws designed to fatten their pocketbooks. Frankly, I am tired of the witch hunt against homeschoolers and the nanny state homeschooling laws.

Today this fundamental question comes before to the legislature: Shall the state control parental instruction, or shall parents invoke their historical prerogative to instruct in freedom. Please OTP HB 595.

Best Regards,

Catherine Peschke


"Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives."
Ronald Reagan

"Education of all children, from the moment they can leave their mother's care, in national establishments at national cost." Friedrich Engels, 1847 in the draft of the Manifesto called, "Principles of Communism"

Jim's Testimony for HB - 545

The following is Jim's testimony for HB - 545. If New Hampshire is going to get homeschooling freedom we must abolish the HEAC which serves the interest of the DOE and not homeschoolers.

Quote of the Day - "Homeschooling and public schooling are as opposite as two sides of a coin. In a homeschooling environment, the teacher need not be certified, but the child MUST learn. In a public school environment, the teacher MUST be certified, but the child need NOT learn." - Gene Royer


Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.

Good morning,

I am here today to urge this committee to abolish the HEAC by voting OTP on HB545. As a Homeschooling parent and Croydon School Board member, I offer my perspective on how the HEAC's activities are a disservice to homeschoolers, the legislature, and the public at large.

In support of the call to eliminate the HEAC, I offer two fundamental conjectures: 1) The HEAC serves no useful purpose, and 2) The HEAC actively operates against the interests of the very homeschoolers it purports to represent.



In theory, the HEAC provides collective representation for a group of citizens who do not benefit from, dare I say eschew, collectivism itself. To understand why this is irrevocably problematic, contrast this to the model of a public school board.

Communities elect school boards to apply collective representation to the operation of public schools. This model is necessary because public schools operate in a collective manner. Classrooms, schedules, and policies within public schools require a high degree of consistency. This necessitates compromises among the public stakeholders. The school board's job is to listen to the public and align school operation as best as they can, knowing they cannot please everybody.

Homeschooling is fundamentally different because it operates in an individual, not collective fashion. Indeed this very independence and lack of conformity draws many of us to choose homeschooling. Individuality means I may teach my child chemistry when someone else's child learns to draw, and another parent's child leans to write. Thousands of microscopic classrooms have no need for alignment, and thus have no need to develop consensus. When granted their inherent rights, parents have no use for a committee to represent their individual homeschooling preferences. The HEAC thus serves no useful purpose.

Every representative body runs the risk that members will fail to promote the will of their constituents. A common driving force is the motive of self-preservation. HEAC has repeatedly demonstrated this tendency. As homeschoolers across the state call for expanded freedom, such freedom makes the HEAC unnecessary to even the most obstinate observer.

The most destructive element of the HEAC is its ability to provide political cover to lawmakers hostile to the interests of homeschoolers. I have witnessed this on several occasions. When the HEAC or a subset offers support to hostile legislation, they allow homeschool opponents to deny their opposition to homeschooling freedom.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant. In this way, the HEAC is the shadow behind which homeschool opponents hide. HEAC becomes the enemy to those it claims to serve.

Please restore transparency legitimate self-representation to homeschoolers by eliminating the HEAC.

Jim Peschke

Reason Number 311 Why I don't like Public Schools

Condoms for elementary students? Yes. You can't indoctrinate the populous with out breaking down the relationship between parent and child. Yet another reason for school choice.



The following piece appears on Todd Starnes.com.

Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.

School to Provide Condoms for 11-Year-Olds

A New England school district has approved a measure that will provide free condoms to elementary school students and direct teachers not to comply with parental wishes to the contrary.

The policy, unanimously approved by the Provincetown School Committee does not include an age limit — meaning children of any age ask for — and receive — free condoms.




The committee also directed school leaders not to honor requests from any parent who might object to their child receiving condoms. In other words mommy and daddy — you don’t have a right to prevent your 7-year-old from getting a contraceptive device.

The policy does stipulate that kids must consult with a nurse or trained counselor before getting their sexual protection – and that upset some of the committee members, according to the Provincetown Banner.

“I can see some kids opting out because of the conversation. I’m not against [the policy]. I’m just trying to put myself in that teenager’s spot,” said committee member Carrie Notaro.

“I don’t like that students can’t be discreet about this,” committee member Shannon Patrick told the newspaper. “They have to go and ask for it. I’d rather them not have the conservation [with counselors] and have the condom than not have the condom.”

School superintendent Beth Singer supported the instruction aspect of the rule – explaining that younger boys and girls might not be experienced in such adult matters.

“We’re talking about younger kids,” she told the newspaper. “They have questions they need answered on how to use them, when to use them.”

Reaction has been mixed on newspaper websites. One reader opposed to t he measure wrote, “A condom distribution policy at the elementary school? Twelve-year-old kids need condoms? When I was 12, I thought a peck on the lips was something.”

Another reader wrote, “Stupidity exists everywhere. Why not just give the kids free needles while we’re at it?”

However, a supporter of the measure praised committee members.

“If the kids really are sexually active that young these days, then they absolutely should have access to condoms. Sure, it’s demoralizing to think of 11 and 12-year-olds starting at that age, but if they are, they’re not going to stop.”

Todd Starnes is a FOX News Radio reporter and author. For more information on his books, click here.

A Time For Sacrifice

Faith, Hope, Charity and Duty, our Founding Fathers felt they had a duty to our Nation and to fight for true liberty and equality for all. Our Founders made great sacrifices, it is time for us to make great sacrifices as well.

It is time for Libertarians and Conservatives across the Nation to show they truly believe in less government. We are in the predicament we are in today, in part because for generations Taxpayer Funded Socialist Indoctrination Centers aka public schools aka government schools have not been teaching American History to it's students. They have also done a stellar job indoctrinating generations of students into the socialist mindset, so much so that many see it as a badge of honor to live off of the rest of society.

I strongly believe as a parent that it is my duty to educate my children. It is not my neighbors duty to pay to educate my children. With summer break coming every conservative and libertarian who sends their children to public schools must find a way to either homeschool or send their children to a private school by Fall 2010 or Fall 2011 at the latest.

This means taking a good hard long look at your fiances to support the tuition of a private school or to learn to live on one income so that you will be able to homeschool your children. You will have the whole summer to work on a plan and get your finances to line up to do this as well. If you google living on one income you can find plenty of resources on how to live on one income.

This move would aid the conservative/libertarian agenda on so many fronts it would weaken the teachers' unions, reduce the size of government, improve the educational outcomes for generations to come, improve family structure, save families from paying thousands of dollars in property taxes and with one parent coming home to educate their children it would reduce unemployment.

I realize there are single parents out there but there are single parents who do send their children to private school you will have to learn to sacrifice. Homeschooling families could aid by homeschooling a child of a single parent. All will have to sacrifice for us to undo the damage that was caused by liberals, RINO's and progressives over the last 100 years.

Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left an exercise for my readers.

The Slow Awakening

When Jim and I started fighting for education reform and education spending reform in Harvard many people did not like us or trust us but people eventually came around. We know the tax eaters, those living off the taxpayer teat and socialist will never like us and that is okay. In Illinois eventually more people came around to our side, hopefully someday more people will come around to our side in Croydon as well.


The following piece appeared on the Northwest Herald.

Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left an exercise for my readers.

Education reform

To the Editor:

I can’t even begin to tell you how much it warmed my heart to read the comments to Tony Casalino’s letter to the editor entitled “Supports tax increase” (May 1).

My husband, Jim, and I fought for education reform and education spending reform for four years before we decided not enough people were on board and Illinois was on a nonstop train to bankruptcy due to its spending problems and pension problems.

Good luck to you all, but you must do more than just respond to letters to the editors in newspapers. You must educate your friends and family, start tax-fighting groups, run for public office and, most importantly, support and vote for people who will be fiscally responsible and fight for true education reform.

Do not vote for any candidate who is funded with teachers union dollars. These are just your own education dollars working against you and your children’s futures.

Cathy Peschke

Co-founder Citizens for Reasonable And Fair Taxes, Croydon, N.H.



johnqpublic wrote on May 7, 2010 5:32 a.m.
"Think the NWH just published this letter to show their extensive reach? Not much going on in New Hampshire, huh?"

taxpayer wrote on May 7, 2010 7:20 a.m.
"Well said, Cathy. Finally the people are being made painfully aware of the situation."

kenbob wrote on May 7, 2010 7:23 a.m.
"This letter makes a lot of sense. Money doesn't solve education issues, true reform and a solid family values is what will make education work again. The astro-turf idiots in Springfield demanding to "raise my taxes" are nothing but a bunch of union goons. Throw money at the problem (while taxing everyone at higher rates) is their answer. Not in these days and not in any days is that the right answer."

Wake up America wrote on May 7, 2010 7:37 a.m.
"Hi Cathy....Yes, things have changed in the last few years....people have realized they've been massively ripped off by the schools....BOE's, Administrators and Teachers are now .....on the run.... Thanks to you and Jim for getting the facts out there...it was the start of today's movement..."

50 caliber wrote on May 7, 2010 10:56 a.m.
"John Q Public (Employee) caught RED HANDED! Take you anger out on your union. Thank you Cathy & Jim! The corrupted CRAZY TRAIN.... ALLLLLLL ABOARD, HA, HA, HA, HA, has crashed and burned like "so" many predicted. Your seminar's were damaging to the establishment and the liar's sitting on these school board's. Thank you very much. You are ALWAYS welcome back. "

Curmudgeonman wrote on May 7, 2010 11:30 a.m.
"So, Jim & Cathy, just what sort of reform did you fight for? From what I have read of your cybersquats, the only thing you fought for was to abolish public education. Is that the "reform" you speak of - get rid of schools? No wonder you couldn't find a following: you had no real, tangible ideas of reform. Go back to your maple trees in NH and continue grinding your one-room school district into the ground. "

Mr. Schneebly wrote on May 7, 2010 1:11 p.m.
"Cathy... you had me till the last sentence. Basically ou just used the vehicle of "school reform" to tout your anti-union hatred. Any reform to education should directly involve teachers. Oh and by the way they happen to belong to the union. If you are suggesting any sort of reform happes WITHOUT input from teachers you need to really look at your priorities. Instead of trying to use all parties to fix the problem you just want tos hove whatever concept of education reform you have down our throats. Sorry, anyone with half a brain won't support that!"

Mr. Schneebly wrote on May 7, 2010 1:14 p.m.
"You're talking about labor reform, not education reform. Figure out what your issue is and then try to deal with it. Stop concealing your real agenda with "education reform" and stay the heck away from decisions that effect MY children!"

GoodCitizen wrote on May 7, 2010 1:28 p.m.
"Schneebly, I think Cathy's term of Education Reform is fine in the context of the big picture. Teachers appear to support the Union's policies. Those policies have been shown to be not in the best interest of our children. Teachers have gone from being underpaid, to now being grossly overpaid. I'm not letting administrators off the hook with that statement. Administrators are nothing more than highway robbers. These costly teachers contracts get approved because parents can't take off work while a teachers strike. It's all out of control."

juschill wrote on May 7, 2010 1:30 p.m.
"Mr. Schneebly, what do you say we stay away from desisions that affect your kids and you agree to educate your kids and stay away from our wallets? Or are we supposed to give you our money, but not our input? "

pryan1967 wrote on May 7, 2010 3:57 p.m.
"Curmudgeonman-Where did Jim or Cathy EVER say "do away with public education"? On the other hand...where did the teacher's union (and, by extension, the teachers themselves) ever say "Let's do what's best for the KIDS, rather than what will fatten our wallets"?"

warmfuzzy wrote on May 7, 2010 4:12 p.m.
"Shneeb-You’re wrong! Education Reform will enable LABOR reform. Do this first. Start with getting rid of TENURE. Let the good ones stay and the bad ones get FIRED. The Education System is broken because of a decision that put the needs of workers ahead of the needs of children. Other states that surround Illinois don't have TENURE. Get rid of it and you will see great leaps in education reform. Labor won't like it, but it will take a bite out of Labor's strength. Remove Labor from ALL Public Sectors-You will see HUGE changes and REAL Gov’t reform. Do you get it? Unions are the PROBLEM."

imhotep wrote on May 7, 2010 5:26 p.m.
"Poster Poll, Question 1. The purpose of a public education system is: a.to provide quality education for our children, b.to provide well paying jobs and pensions to "education workers" (teachers & bureaucrats)? 2. If Government mismanagement has bankrupted our Public Education system, the brunt of austerity measures should be borne by: 1."education workers/bureaucrats", or 2. children? "

+froggy+ wrote on May 7, 2010 6:49 p.m.
"nobody wants to takes your poster poll nancy"


IL Tax Payer wrote on May 8, 2010 7:59 p.m.
"Cathy-your letter is right on the mark. I believe MOST Illinoisians are finally getting it. Thanks to YOU and JIM for getting the REAL financial story out there and getting the education of the tax payer ball rolling - e.g., out of line salaries, benefits, 100% of TRS being paid by the tax payer, sick days, more vacation days than anyother sector, and on and on. For years we all believed the "woe is me poor educator" story - we all now know the real story."

Doing the Right Thing

Good for the Ms. Goudeau, social promotion aids neither society or the individual.

The following piece appeared on Foxnews.com.


Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left an exercise for my readers.

Updated May 07, 2010
Teacher Sues Over Right to Flunk Her Students
By Ed Barnes - FOXNews.com


Sheila Goudeau, by all accounts, was a good teacher. In fact, she was the only nationally certified teacher at Riveroaks Elementary School, and she was a nominee for teacher of the year.

But that didn’t qualify her to grade her students, according to a suit she has filed against the East Baton Rouge, La., school and its administrators.

According to the civil rights suit filed in federal court in Baton Rouge, Goudeau was asked to teach fourth grade last year by the school’s principal, Shilonda Shamlin, in order to help raise grades and have students prepare for the state mandated Louisiana Educational Assessment Test (LEAP), which all students in the state must pass to move on to the next grade.

After she took the job, the suit alleges, Shamlin ordered that no student was to get a failing grade and that teachers were not to record any grade lower than a "D."



Goudeau’s attorney, Craig Sterling Watson, said the suit doesn’t specify why Shamlin gave the orders, and he said Goudeau still doesn't know. He said Goudeau complied with the orders and didn’t fail students, but she complained about the orders and filed a grievance with the school district.


At that point, the suit claims, Goudeau was monitored, harassed and disparaged in front of her students.She has since transferred to another elementary school in the district.

The suit seeks unspecified damages for Goudeau's severe and extreme mental pain, suffering, and anguish; physical pain, suffering and anguish; loss of sleep; loss of quality of lifestyle; loss of reputation and standing in the community; humiliation and embarrassment; medical expenses; counseling; wages; and loss of earning capacity from the principal, the school district, and current and former school superintendents of the district.

Principal Shamlin did not reply to repeated requests for comment. Domione Rutledge, general counsel for East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, said the school district couldn’t speak about the allegations “because it still hadn’t been served with the papers.”

Lawsuits like the one Goudeau filed are rare, said Perry A Zirkel, a professor in education and law at Lehigh University says. He explained that while courts generally agree that a teacher's right to grade is protected by the First Amendment, they also find that administrators have the same right and can change grades as they like.

“So the teacher wins the right to give a D and the school has the right to change it to an A,” he said.

But the suit has already served one purpose. It brought about a wave of criticism aimed at the principal and school administrators and showed that the school staff was bitterly divided. When a story about the lawsuit appeared in The Advocate, a Baton Rouge daily, a chorus of complaints charged that Shamlin ruled the school with a heavy hand and demanded regimentation of studies and classrooms.

“It's a crippling work environment at Riveroaks and the school's reputation is well-known throughout the parish," wrote an anonymous poster to the newspaper's website. "Just consider the teacher turnover at the school. There is almost an entire new staff hired each year. This year won't be any different.”

But another responded, "Mrs. Shamlin has done more to improve the quality of education at Riveroaks in the last four years than any other principal. Ask any parent that has had more than one child there over the years. She cares about the students and has high standards for them and the teachers."

The case is unlikely to go to trial for some time, Watson said.

Reason Number 58 Why We Homeschool

Fashion Trends! Hopefully both or our children will not have run-ins with silly trends like this.

The following piece appeared on Examiner.com.


Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left an exercise for my readers.

Homeschoolers sigh, wonder if baggy pants fad will soon be thing of the past

May 6, 10:08 AM Jacksonville Homeschooling ExaminerMarie-Claire Moreau

A collective sigh of relief echoed across the state this morning as the Daytona Beach News-Journal announced that some public school teachers are beginning to address their concerns about the saggy pants phenomenon.

The News-Journal reported that students in at least one Daytona Beach elementary school are being taught how to dress for success. Success, the students learn, includes pulling up their pants. When a teacher starting requiring that students wear suspenders to hold up their droopy pants, the grade schoolers realized how un-cool the "fashion" trend really was.



Typically known for a style that includes a more conservative dress code, homeschoolers have for the most part been able to avoid prolonged exposure to this trend. Commonly seen at schools and colleges, homeschooled kids have watched pants drop since the early 90's but, overall, not participated at all.

Although homeschooled kids are just that, kids, they ordinarily do not feel the pressures of conforming to trends seen in popular culture. Although some homeschooling families have very rigid rules involving dress, others merely opt for the slightly more modest, less-revealing styles by searching them out in retail stores.

There are even web sites aimed at providing homeschooling families with more conservative fashions...and if you are now visualizing long skirts and head scarves, you may quickly push that image aside. On the contrary, fashion-forward styles with very contemporary flavors are widely available to on-line shoppers. Tops that cover more skin and are longer than those typically found in department stores are popular with teenage girls and their moms. T-shirts with homeschooler-approved slogans are also widely available for teens and young men. A simple Internet search using the key words "modest" and "clothing" will reveal quite a few.

If Some People Really Believed In Civil Rights they would Support Educational Freedom

I just love Walter E. Williams he types it like it is. If Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton really cared about civil rights they would fight for school choice. They are for keeping their fellow man down not lifting them up to their fullest potential. The following piece appears on Townhall.com.


Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left an exercise for my readers.


Black Americans and Liberty
by Walter E. Williams


Having recently reached 74 years of age, if one were to ask me what's my greatest disappointment in life, a top contender would surely be the level of misunderstanding, perhaps contempt, that black Americans have for the principles of personal liberty and their abiding faith in government. Contempt or misunderstanding of the principles of personal liberty and faith in government by no means make blacks unique among Americans, but the unique history of black Americans should make us, above all other Americans, most suspicious of any encroachment on personal liberty and most distrustful of government. Let's look at it.

The most serious injustices suffered by blacks came at the hands of government, at different levels, failure to protect personal liberty. Slavery was only the most egregious example of that failure. Congress and the courts supported the injustice of slavery through the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act and the Dred Scott decision. After emancipation, there were government-enforced Jim Crow laws denying blacks basic liberties and court decisions such as Plessy v. Ferguson that reinforced and gave sanction to private acts that abridged black people's liberties.



The heroic civil rights movement, culminating with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, put an end to the grossest abuses of personal liberties, but government evolved into a subtler enemy. Visit any major city and one would find that the overwhelmingly law-abiding members of the black community are living in constant fear of robbery, assault and murder. In fact, 52 percent of U.S. homicides are committed by blacks, 49 percent of homicide victims are black and 93 percent of them were murdered by fellow blacks. The level of crime in black communities is the result of government's failure to perform its most basic function, namely the protection of its citizens. The level of criminal activity not only puts residents in physical jeopardy but represents a heavy tax on people least able to bear it. That tax is paid in the forms of higher prices for goods and services and fewer shopping opportunities because supermarkets and other large retailers are reluctant to bear the costs of doing business in high-crime areas. This government failure has the full effect of a law prohibiting economic development in many black communities.

Then there's the grossly fraudulent education delivered by the government schools that serve most black communities. The average black high school senior has a sixth- or seventh-grade achievement level and most of those who manage to graduate have what's no less than a fraudulent diploma, one that certifies a 12th-grade level of achievement when in fact the youngster might not have half that. If the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan wanted to sabotage black academic excellence, he could not find a more effective means to do so than the government school system in most cities.

Tragically, most Americans, including black people whose ancestors have suffered from gross injustices of slavery, think it quite proper for government to forcibly use one person to serve the purposes of another. That's precisely what income redistribution is: the practice of forcibly taking the fruits of one person's labor for the benefit of another. That's also what theft is and the practice differs from slavery only in degree but not kind.

What about blacks who cherish liberty and limited government and joined in the tea party movement, or blacks who are members of organizations such as the Lincoln Institute, Frederick Douglass Foundation and Project 21? They've been maligned as Oreos, Uncle Toms and traitors to their race. To make such a charge borders on stupidity, possibly racism. After all, when President Reagan disagreed with Tip O'Neill, did either charge the other with being a traitor to his race? Then why is it deemed traitorous when one black disagrees with another, unless you think that all blacks must think alike?

I hope it's misunderstanding, rather than contempt, that explains black hostility toward the principles of liberty.

Reason Number 46 Why we Homeschool.

The teachers' unions make it nearly impossible to get rid of bad teachers and fear of lawsuits make it near impossible for previous employees to give bad references about former teachers. Every day I receive google alerts for the term teacher arrested. Parents need to have the right to freely homeschool and not be forced into a system where people like those below exist.

This was today's list.

Cathy
Spelling and grammar errors as well as typos are left as an exercise for my readers.



Merseyside teacher arrested over pupil sex claim
BBC News
The teacher was arrested on suspicion of an abuse of trust on Wednesday and
is now being questioned by detectives. "Merseyside Police can confirm that
a ...

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Chaparral High School teacher arrested for stalking, has criminal record
Las Cruces Sun-News
By Ashley Meeks Sun-News reporter LAS CRUCES - A special education teacher
who was charged with murder in 1995 as a juvenile was arrested Tuesday on
...

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Hamilton teacher arrested for indecent exposure
Allegan County News
Middle and elementary school teacher Daniel James Dupuis, 28, of Holland
was arrested and arraigned in Allegan County District Court Monday, April
19. ...

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American School for the Deaf student teacher arrested on sex charges
West Hartford News
WEST HARTFORD -- A student teacher at the American School for the Deaf was
arrested by New York state police on April 20 and admitted to authorities
that he ...

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Teacher arrested
ABC 4
LAYTON Utah (ABC4 News) – A school teacher is arrested and accused of
selling school supplies. Amy Carroll was arrested Sunday after Layton
police claim ...

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Ex-teacher arrested, accused of slamming boy's head on desk
TMCnet
EL PASO, Apr 21, 2010 (El Paso Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information
Services via COMTEX) -- A former middle school teacher was arrested Monday,
...

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Chaparral High Teacher Arrested
KRWG 90.7
ANTHONY, NM (krwg) - A 31-year-old Las Cruces man who is a teacher at
Chaparral High School was arrested Tuesday evening after he repeatedly
threatened to ...

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Former Star City teacher arrested, accused of sex with student
Arkansas News
By John Whipple STAR CITY — Star City police have arrested a former Star
City High School math teacher who they say admitted to having a sexual
affair with ...

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Teacher arrested for stealing, selling school property
KSL-TV
By Mary Richards LAYTON -- A Layton Elementary school teacher is on leave
and has been charged with stealing. Police say she was caught at a swap
meet with ...

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Why I Homeschool

Reason number 113 why I homeschool my children. At a Newport school board member Jim discussed how are then four year old daughter could read. A teacher turned to Jim and said no four year old can read. At the time she was able to read such books as Go Dog Go by Dr. Suess.


Reason number 347 why I homeschool. My children are my responsibility your property taxes should not have to pay to educate my children.

Someone I have known for 30 years asked me if I was against public education, here was my answer.

Education is a privilege and not a right and should not be funded by the people. Parents should be responsible for funding their children's education. Stalin, Hitler, Marx all loved public education. I am not against education, I am against government funded education.

Friedrich Engels, who in is 1847 draft of the Manifesto called "Principles of Communism" wrote as one of its tenets:
"Education of all children, from the moment they can leave their mother's care, in national establishments at national cost."

"What luck for rulers that men do not think" - Adolf Hitler "Academies that are founded at public expense are instituted not so much to cultivate men's natural abilities as to restrain them." - Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677)

For centuries scholars have known that education funded by the government has proven to curb the thinking of men.

Taxpayer funded socialist indoctrination centers aka public schools aka government schools have done their job well when men can no longer see the evils of such institutions.

Quote of the Day - "The abilities of a child are only limited by the minds of the adults that surround said child." Cathy Peschke


Cathy
Spelling and grammar errors as well as typos are left as an exercise for my readers.

NH Families for Education Event Today

We are pleased to announce the formation of a new Political Action Committee, NH FAMILIES FOR EDUCATION. Our mission is to promote local control of education, particularly advocating family involvement.
NH Families for Education will help fund candidates who support families in education and work to defeat legislators that hold a restrictive attitude towards education, such as Representatives Emma Rous, Kimberley Casey, and Judith Day.
We will hold our first major fundraising event in conjunction with Cornerstone Action PAC and the NH Republican Liberty PAC on

Saturday, April 17 at 4pm at the Draft in Concord.

Author Tommy Newberry, will talk about his new book that exposes the new era of Big Government, wealth redistribution, and a fatal dependence on government assistance.

Cathy
Spelling and grammar errors as well as typos are left as an exercise for my readers.

Will Passage of the Healthcare Bill lead to Outlawing Homeschooling?

I think so. As long as progressives control the House, Senate and Presidency homeschooling is at a threat of being outlawed in the US. Many Countries are following the UN's dictate and are outlawing homeschooling.

The following piece appeared on One News Now.com.

Quote of the Day - "If it’s wrong—and it is—for the government to intrude into the churches of our nation, to reshape and affect their basic doctrine and teaching, then it is just as wrong for that same government to be the sponsor of the worldview and values of 90 percent of all our nation’s children." - Joel Belz, publisher, World Magazine, October 9, 2004

Cathy
Spelling and grammar errors as well as typos are left as an exercise for my readers.


The effect of healthcare reform on home schooling
Bill Bumpas - OneNewsNow - 3/19/2010 4:45:00 AM
A national home school group is concerned that passage of the healthcare reform bill could pose a serious threat to parental rights and home school freedom.



According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), the pending healthcare legislation would provide federal grants to fund state home visitation programs. Attorney Will Estrada with HSLDA reports that states receive grants through a competitive system where preferences are given to states that have increased the number of families who are receiving services.

"So there could be some pressure on the states, because they want to receive this federal money, to look for families who are receiving these services, and then try to pressure them to get these services," Estrada warns.

He notes that the program in the bill is voluntary, but a foundation being laid reveals that the government thinks it knows how best to raise children.

"Once you start down that road, the next step could be, 'Oh, you don't want to take these federally funded services? Why is that? Is there any abuse going on? Should we be investigating your family?' And what could start out as a fairly good program for some families could basically become, 'If you don't receive these services, you're considered at risk' -- and you sort of go under the microscope," the attorney explains.

The HSLDA believes the federal government has no constitutional authority to fund and oversee home visitation programs and parenting classes.

Rally for Homeschooling

NOTICE THE TIME CHANGE!!! 1:00 pm

We need every home schooler to help protect and reclaim our homeschooling freedom by rallying together at the State House. A huge turnout is needed!

Rep. Paul Ingbretson (sponsor) is prepared to fight on the House floor to defend our liberty. There are many Democrats and Republicans that have also committed themselves to speak in support of our liberty. Home schoolers need to be at the State House to demonstrate our support for these wonderful representatives and our commitment to freedom!

Home schoolers need to arrive at 1:00 pm to greet our representatives on their way TO THE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN CAUCUS at 1:15 pm BEFORE THEY GO into Representatives Hall for their 2:00 pm House session, reminding them to SUPPORT HOMESCHOOLING FREEDOM. For those who can stick around after all the representatives have been seated, probably around 2:15 pm since our representatives are not always very prompt getting to their seats, they can watch from the balcony to listen to the debate. HB 1580 is the 10th bill on the House Calendar for the day.

It is extremely important to email your representatives in advance and then bring a half dozen friends with you to the State House to remind our representatives of this important bill.


Read the note below from Rep. Pratt (r) in Goffstown. "A huge turnout" in the State House on Wednesday is needed!

i would like to thank everyone for their hard work in support for HB 1580. Hopefully we will all enjoy a favorable outcome for our efforts on Wednesday!

------------------


I second Rep. Kurk's request. An impressive turn-out of homeschool supporters will go a long way toward getting fence sitting reps to vote for the people who bother to show up. Likewise a lack of support sends the opposite message. You should promote the message vigorously that a huge turnout is needed on Wednesday afternoon.

IMHO, Rep. Cal Pratt


Quote of the Day - Aldous Huxley, English writer (1894-1963): A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude. To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda, newspaper editors and schoolteachers ... The greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished, not by doing something, but by refraining from doing. Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth. – forward to Brave New World, 1946 edition

Cathy
Spelling and grammar errors as well as typos are left as an exercise for my readers.

State's Right, Parental Rights and Homeschooling Rights Rally.