Idaho's Education
"The fate of a nation depends upon the education of its youth" - Aristotle
Truer words were never spoken.
We must seek to improve our system and provide a balanced, proper education to our youth.
We need to examine and investigate and hold accountable ALL systems that provide or support the education system. We must examine what our children are being taught and what standards are being employed, and how assessments are being made.
In the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday April 23rd (2002), the front page of the local section had two articles that help explain some of the current educational hoopla that is being touted by some as showing the failure of Republicans. The headline shows that "State tax revenues falling short" and details that the state is $36 million less than the anticipated incomes. If anyone complains that less money is being provided to the schools than would be preferred, there is a logical reason.... the money is simply not there to give. The "rainy day fund" is something that simply is not available to help the schools. Were a terrorist to bring a mere four ounces of hoof-and-mouth disease contaminated soil to Idaho in the heel of a shoe, the economic damage would be unmeasurable. How would Idaho pay for containment and cleanup? Without an economy to provide tax revenues to support schools, you won't have schools. I feel it is improper to even ask for these funds when great dangers
loom for which such a fund was designed.
The other article detailed how Boise schools were to lose some 50 teachers. This however is not due to lower-than-expected funding, it is due to declining enrollments and a 3-percent pay increase totaling $2.3 million. The district is said to not want to harm relations with 2,000 employees over the loss of 50 teaching positions. This is expected to result in an increase in class size across the board, something that may be attempted to be exploited in political efforts.
How do we keep the lid on school spending while ensuring a proper education for our kids?
Having seen the wrong way to do things, I do know that we must be vigilant and observant as to the spending of monies. In talk of the state requirement to repair and rebuild schools, I have seem malfeasance and corruption on a scale Idahoans cannot fathom, and can only say that any such massive project must have double and triple safeguards and oversights that will prevent what happened to 1/3 of a Billion dollars in San Francisco (see Broken Promises, a three-part series at San Francisco Chronicle special report on SF schools)
I am a Graduate of BSU obtaining a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science, Public Law and Political Philosophy from Boise State University. I am amazed at the vast
difference in political culture and opinions of the faculty at BSU with respect to the political culture and opinions of Idaho citizens who pay their salaries.
Were the average Idahoan know what "politically correct"(see note below) concepts are being taught there, they would be getting out the torches and pitchforks, or at least the tar and feathers. One professor, in an American Political Theory class last fall stated, in all earnestness that " the reason we have public schools is to lessen the influence of parents upon their children." With this in mind, I can only offer my support to those families who homeschool in order to preserve family concepts that may be not in line with the prevailing educational thought. Is it only the state that can provide a good education? NO, we must have competition in an educational free-market where people can choose what form of education is best, in their own opinion, for their children.
Notes:
"Political Correctness" and "Politically Correct" are one in the same and although thought by some to have been the creation of leftist professors at eastern ivy-league universities, the term and concept is attributed by scholars to have been coined by Mao Tse Tung, Dictatorial Chairman of "Red China" during a speech an Yenan in 1939. The concept requires that people think politically along lines approved by the communist party, proper thought is rewarded, improper thought is "corrected" or the offender is eliminated so as to not contaminate the others. The Selected Quotations of Mao Tse Tung is known as the "Little Red Book" that was widely distributed on American college campuses during the mid-1960's. The original roots of "political correctness" can be found on page 147. Ten years after Mao's speech, George Orwell published his novel "1984" in which "Thought Police" monitored every aspect of human behavior. Orwell also described "DoubleThink", a form of political correctness in which people believe two diametrically opposed beliefs at the same time. Orwell used the example of a weekly ration of chocolate, the old ration was 30 grams per week, but "Big Brother" informed the people that the new ration was to be INCREASED from 20 to 25 grams (which was, of course, a lie, the reality was that it was a decrease), and while the people KNEW the truth, they cheered in delight at the news of the increased ration ! Modern psycholgists describe this phenomena as "Cognitive Dissonance", a form of denial of the truth. The next time the TV news or the newspaper tell you something you know to be untrue, keep in mind that there really are other people who also know the truth, but deny it and believe the lie!
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